Acne.org Products
Oral Antibiotic
Efficacy
54%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Should never be used on its own and for a maximum of 3 months.
Oral Antibiotic
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Antibiotics should be used for a maximum of 3 months, provide only moderate benefit and only to some people, and may lead to side effects and strains of resistant bacteria. Studies do show they can reduce severe acne in the short term, but approach with caution and stay your own advocate.
Oral Antibiotic
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Minocycline? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
August 2, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Cons:
Horrible reactions to medication. After I got off of it my acne got ten times worse.
This medication sounded too good to be true and for me it was. Apparently I'm one of the rare few that reacts very badly to this medication. I was tired all the time, it screwed up my liver temporarily, I got vertigo, it made me have asthma attacks, and it gave me pneumonia. These sound like crazy side effects but apparently they all fit the medication. Just be careful if you decide to take it. Get your liver checked and if you're tired and super, falling over in your chair, dizzy go to the doctor. This doesn't happen to most people I was just unlucky. If it works for you and you have no side effects great, just be careful because it screwed up my life for a while.
March 10, 2011
Pros:
-I did not have any pros while using the medication...I guess it never caused me to get sick or anything like some other people...
Cons:
-Did not seem to make acne better or worse while taking it.
-I suffered a horrible rebound breakout when I went off of the medication.
I got really bad acne all over my face, neck, chest, and back when I stopped using the product. I never got neck or chest acne prior to using minocycline. It took a good 3-4 months to get my acne back under control. Because of this I do not recommend this product or at least I suggest talking to your doctor about the possible acne rebound effect.
February 19, 2011
Pros:
-Acne improves while on it but not completely..
-Loses efficacy
Cons:
-DONT TAKE IT FOR TOO LONG
-causes yellowing of the teeth!! really horrible side effect!
-drink with plenty of water!!! (once it got stuck in my throat and was super painful! could hardly breathe! scary)
If you have mild to moderate acne dont bother! antibiotics are not good for you and not a permanent solution!
I was on it for just over a year and it caused a lot of yellowing of the teeth, looked as if i had been a heavy smoker for 15 years.
NOT WORTH IT.
February 6, 2011
Pros:
Hidden Redness.
Cons:
Pointless
Didnt help at all
Dissapointing.
Dont bother their not strong enough!
Get on the BP Regime!!
February 3, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Cons:
the most severe headache i have ever experienced
I was not able to use this medication long enough to see any results. When you first start to use it, it will push all of your underlying pimples to the surface. Within the first week my face was worse and my clear back was now spotted with pimples. I had to get off the medication because I had a headache that lasted two straight days. I get headaches a lot so im not one who cant function with a headache, but its safe to say this gave me the worst headache i have ever experienced. once i realized my headache was probably due to the medication i stopped taking it and the next day my headache was gone.
December 7, 2010
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Cleared up pretty well, eventually
Cons:
extreme hair loss
Nearing the end of my usage (3.5 months) I experienced a level of drowsiness never seen before.
Prior to using Solodyn, I was on Doryx for 5 months. Doryx was great, but 5 months in I broke out badly and my derm put me on Solodyn 115mg. I decided I wanted a second opinion after a month passed and I saw no results. I saw another, very accomplished dermatologist this time. He told me that Solodyn was an effective product, and that I should remain on it and see him again in another 2 months. He made note 115mg was "maybe even a little high for my weight[155lbs]". So I did as told and remained on the Solodyn for another 2.5 months. I began to see improvements in my skin at this point. However, on a rare occurrence I got a spot of acne within the hairline of my forehead. At this point it dawned on my that I could see it rather clearly. Too clearly. I have always had the thickest of thick hair-I consistently got comments from multiple hairdressers from run of the mill places like best cuts where I'd never met the hairdresser before. I'm only 21. At first I was skeptical; maybe I was over-reacting since I don't stare at my hair much as it's always been there and I've never had an issue. But no, sadly it's become extremely thin, not just on top but all over my entire head. I am self conscious to go outside on a windy day at this point. I don't get my hair cut often, maybe once every 2 months. I had a haircut just after starting this medication 3 months ago, and I needed a haircut badly 1 month ago, but as my hair began to fall I find that I no longer need one, and even quite the opposite. I think I've made it clear that I'm quite upset with this. It's only been 1 week since I noticed this happening, I'm sure it's been going on longer. I stopped taking Solodyn immediately after I was certain my hair was falling out (thinning all over my scalp). I do not wish this side effect on ANYONE. Now that I've stopped I'm certain I will soon have both acne AND thinning/no hair. Awful, awful, awful. Please consult someone if you catch this side effect ASAP.
November 15, 2010
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Cleared away 80% of acne
almost no side effects like other antibiotics
small pill, easy to take
made pimples smaller
Cons:
initial breakout
didn't make skin 100% clear
had to use medisave cards (made getting refills a hassle)
Pharmacy took a couple days to order pills
Really tired for a couple months while on it
This is a great little antibiotic and doesn't have the nasty side effects of accutane or doxycycline. Been taking it for a little over 3 months. It's worked well for me (everyone is different) but didn't completely eliminate my acne. I still have whiteheads but they aren't very big anymore. Initial breakout was pretty bad, but everything looked up after that. I didn't have bad enough acne for accutane but after that initial breakout it was accutane ready. But i didn't want to damage my body too bad, so i settled for this antibiotic. This product had no negative side effects that i was aware of besides me being really tired.
October 15, 2010
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Definite Improvement
Cons:
Caused liver problems- had to discontinue
If you are going to use this medicine for any length of time I would suggest regular blood tests.
September 28, 2010
Pros:
None
Cons:
Hyperpigmentation and darkening of scars in black skin, bluish lips,nausea, drunk feeling,cracked lips, worsening of acne, increase in appetite, moodiness
I started taking this 3 weeks ago along with ziana at night and benzaclin in the morning, both of which I have used before. I still have blackheads on my chin and I now have scarring on my cheeks from where the acne was. I have never had any bad scarring like this before. Hopefully, once this drug leaves my system the scars will too. Ziana and benzaclin have worked for me before. I will never use this again. It's not worth it! I gave one star because you can't leave the stars blank!
August 15, 2010
Pros:
While I was on it it worked 100% effective against my cystic acne on the inside of my thighs, and on my face, shoulders, and back. It even helped against ingrown hairs developing sore spots on my arms.
Cons:
I had an upset stomach from it once during the first week I took it, without food. I heard that taking food with it reduces the nausea but also reduces effectiveness.
Use it. It's cheap, and not used to treat many other syptoms. This drug is really mostly just for acne. It difficult to become resistant to it, and while I was on it, I never had one sore throat, flu, cold, etc. even when everyone else in the house were coughing all over me. I was like Private from Sydney, Austrailia. Nothing worked for me, but this did.
Pros:
Cleared up acne for a while