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.
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August 4, 2011
Cons:
It didn't work on its own - needed Duac alongside it for it to be strong enough.
Its effects have just seemed to wear off, I guess.
I was first prescribed minocyline around 18 months ago. It took a while (couple of months) to get working, but it did clear me up. I stupidly thought it would be OK to come off it, and thus experienced a very nasty breakout. I went back on it and was clear for another 3-4 months. Now, it just doesn't seem to be working. After this round I may give it up. I use it in conjuction with Duac, but I don't know anymore - I'm worried I'm resistant to it. Plus I've been taking it a while, I want to give my body a rest.
May 10, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
pretty cheap (I got a card from the derm. from the manufacturer)
worked a little at first
Cons:
Doesn't work anymore
Used to give me headaches/dizziness
Used to make me sensitive to the sun
never completely cleared skin
I was prescribed this medication almost a year ago and I've been taking it all along. It started to clear up my skin but never completely and it seemed as if you start to get an immunity to it. I hard moderately severe acne. Especially on my back. It did help my back tons! and my back completely cleared, but like i said after a few months it started coming back. I was also using clindamyacin phosphate lotion and a benzoyl peroxide wash on my back, so maybe that's really what cleared my back. They clindamyacin was basically supposed to help the scarring on my back which it did, but it also felt sort of oily. I stopped taking it about 2 months ago because I wanted to try birth control and This interferes with Birth control. The birth control isn't working at all for the acne. I'm going to the derm. this week and I'm going to try to get a better topical treatment. sodium sulfacetamide maybe?
February 3, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Not very many at all- Just that i didnt get any NEW cystic acne on my left cheek( but that luxury lasted only a week),
Cons:
my whole face got worse- i mean like 5-6 LARGE nodules-
i use with ziana gel- NEVER saw improvement- just SLIGHT temporary results-
probably works well for much more milder cases then mine
November 29, 2010
Pros:
None
Cons:
4 days in intensive care...severe reaction. Docs said I had multi-organ failure. I was on this drug for about 8 or 9 days when I got sick. Thought it was a virus. couldn't breath and kidney's were in shut down. Very dangerous. Be careful and go to the doctor if you don't feel well
Stay away. Too many side effects and dangers.
October 26, 2010
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Totally cleared me up and had no dryness or reaction at all. Struggled with my skin all my life and now it's dependably clear. Won't ever go off this stuff! And using the discount card makes it extremely inexpensive, ie, $10 at the most for a month's supply.
Cons:
None at all.
Couldn't be happier.
October 11, 2010
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
this seemed to suppress deep lesions. my new acne looks as if they were smaller than the ones i had a few months ago.
Cons:
but, even if it seems to suppress deeper, painful acne, and prevent them from forming, i still would get other types of lesions. i am still on this! my derm increased the dosage yet the other day broke out with 6 new pimples. my existing pimples are still here. they are now overlapping. i have every intention of changing to something more effective.
i hate this product because it is ineffective. i was on it for 3-4 months. i was kept on it one more month because i told the derm that it may be helping, so she decided to see for one month, this was a mistake. a very large mistake, because it did NOT help in preventing my comedones from flaring up and preventing the surrounding skin to become inflamed with disgusting lesions. god i'm so angry!!!
August 9, 2010
Pros:
halved my acne breakouts, less angry spots, less scarring and the last 2 years on it I was acne free 100%
Cons:
upset stomach, nausea, takes a while to start working, resistance to the drug after some time
this did help my acne, it did not clear it and I still had breakouts. I was on it for 10 years and it stopped working for me, but I would say to others to try it.
July 11, 2010
Pros:
Has cleared up my acne and prevented new breakouts.
Little or no side effects for me personally.
Cons:
Could be expensive if have to pay full price.
I'm very happy with what this medication has done for me. I'm 37 and have had pretty bad acne on my back for years and years.
I finally decided to do something about it last year. My Doctor tried a milder prescription antibiotic medication (in conjunction with topical treatments) at first which did not have any effect. He started me on Solodyn tablets about a year ago. At first I took the 93mg tablets which had a slight effect on my skin but after a few months he stepped me up to the 115mg tablets. I kept on using the topical treatments in conjuction with the tablets and my back cleared up after a couple of months. So my regimen is: one 115mg solodyn tablet a day, glycolic acid cleanser in the shower followed by a 2% salicylic acid back spray (twice a day) and a 10% benzoyl peroxide cream before bed. So far it has worked a charm and the best part about it is that I'm getting no major breakouts anymore. This is good news as in the summer I used to get lots of new spots on my back and butt whenever I got hot and sweaty...but not any more! Now I can ride on my bicycle in the nice sunny weather and not have to worry about waking up the next day with a crop of new spots. I'm experiencing no noticable side effects that I can think of, but I guess this varies from person to person. Also I should note that I use a discount card given to me by my doctor to bring the cost of each prescription down to 10 bucks - the full price cost is a lot more and I don't think I could afford it if I didn't get the discount!
March 2, 2010
Pros:
Clear Face
Not so oily
More Confidence now i have a clear face!! lol
Cons:
Getting random headaches
(might not be related to antibiotic)
the thing is with all antibiotics your body starts to get used to them so after a while they all stop working.. i was on oxytetracycline previously and my spots cleared up completely for like 6months, but after about 7-8months i noticed they where coming back slowly, so i just went to my doctors and he prescribed me mincycline and they have been workin perfectly..
February 27, 2010
Pros:
Does clear huge pimples, slightly reduced oily skin
Cons:
Dizzy, nausea, I THINK it might stop working over time
I used this antibiotic back in late 2007 through 2008. I had moderate acne and this made my skin look amazing, well I still had the scars of course but with make up, it looked like it was almost flawless. Around summer of 2008, I got kind of lazy and use it on and off, and it kind of stopped working to an extent, I believe. I used this with Differin and I loved the results it gave me. I remember getting compliments from people at school on my skin. It did work for me, but only for a while. After I stopped using it permanently, my acne came back with revenge! But there are other personal factors which I believe might have contributed to my horrible break out. Another thing that frightened me about using this, was the scary side effects I remember reading. Haha. Hypochondriacs, beware!
Pros:
Haven't experienced any side effects
Doesn't matter how near to food you take it.
Cleared me up.