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
March 6, 2011
Cons:
made me feel sick
didn't even help acne
I used this a few years ago as a teenager and it gave me weird headaches and made me constantly feel like I was going to throw up and after suffering for almost 3 months it didn't even do anything at all for my acne.
March 3, 2011
Pros:
temporarily cleared some acne
Cons:
side effects - yeast infection and stomach issues
annoying to take (twice a day, avoid dairy within a few hours of taking it, etc)
temporary fix
Cleared some acne which came back as soon as I stopped taking it.
Temporary fix, and not really worth the side effects
February 24, 2011
Pros:
Does get rid of acne...clear beautiful skin 2 months after starting it.
Cons:
Even though it did clear my acne completely and i had gorgeous skin all of my acne came back shortly after stopping it.
It does work, but its only temporary and of course you don't want to be on this medication the rest of your life.
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 15, 2011
Pros:
Acne... what acne? I used minocycline for approximately 6 months. I went to the dermo in June for the first time... I was cleared by the end of August (in time for my wedding and strapless dress!) Still had some pigmentation issues (serious bacne), but no active acne on either my face or back. At this point I was taking 1 pill every other day.
Cons:
I luckily handled the side effects well. If you take Minocycline, do so with FOOD, and a serving of yogurt once a day. Like so many antibiotics... stomach issues. I also noticed increased staining of my teeth. Which is one reason why I stopped taking it, and am trying out the regimen. So far, so good.
Great in the short term to give you a boost and clear up your acne. Takes longer to absorb into the back, so it took a little longer for the bacne to clear up in comparison to my face. Side effects can be quite problematic (see comment about teeth, and digestive issues in cons). Again, I suggest short term use, and fade off to a topical regimen.
February 14, 2011
Pros:
Took away acme 100 percent. Had severve acme and this with retin a a iis only product that worked
Cons:
Ask your dentist. I have black roots on all my teeth and my permant teeth did. Not fully develop. All dentist I have see and spent thoasands of dollars with say that my teeth issues are from minocycline. I took product fo 7 years and dentist were able to tell I took product without me telling them. As soon as they pulled a tooth they asked about me taking minocycline due to the blackness and lack of development of teeth
The use of this product has destroyed my teeth. Causing me to have ulcers and losing half my teeth. This produxt should not be given to teenagers until teeth r fully developed. Would rather have hbad bad acme for my teen years than have the dental issues I now am facing
February 13, 2011
Pros:
-Reduces Redness
-Stops breakouts
-Not a mircale drug, stops redness but thats about it, still have acne
-Cheap, mine was free
Cons:
Side effects outweigh the benefits
-Diziness
-Lightheaded
-Vision problems (scary!!)
-Takes a long time to see improvements
-Dont feel/act like my regular self
Hey everyone its me again. So i have been on minocycline for 2 weeks now and today i have decided to stop taking the pills. I was taking 2 capsules of 100mg daily. Bottom line is that it makes me feel terrible. My diziness subsided slightly but now im having vision problems which i am extremely concerned about. In general i feel spaced out all the time, and the only way i can describe how i feel is like im in a 3rd person version of myself watching my life through a television. So about 5 minutes ago i just decided that its not worth it, and am now writing this review. Im not gonna say dont take it because everyones different, what i will say is give it about 2 weeks and if you are experiencing side effects, consider alternative methods. I have ultimately decided to try Accutane as a last resort and will be on that next week when i go to the doctors, fingers are crossed hoping that it works and il let you know how i do on te acfutane review page. Above all im just excited to get back to reality and feel like my regular self. like many of you i got this product and was extremely excited about it, but like everything i have tried it did not work and I am now back to square one. But hey im not gonna let it get me down, confidence is key, try not to get to worried about your acne and it will make your life a whole lot easier, Good luck with minocycline and acne, it just did not work out with me. Thanks
February 9, 2011
Pros:
None
Cons:
I had drug induced lupus as a result of taking this antibiotic. I started having sudden severe arthritis in all of my joints (I mean so severe I couldn't eat some days because of the jaw pain, could hardly dress myself, etc), nausea, dizziness, fevers, weight loss, hair loss, any many other awful symptoms. I have never been so sick in my life and got progressively worse for about 3 months until a rheumatologist figured out it was the minocycline causing it.
Please, please, please be extremely careful if you are taking minocycline and avoid it at all costs if you can. My symptoms came on very suddenly after taking it for about 3 months, and the same could happen to anyone else. I'm lucky I didn't have permanent liver damage as a result (you can also get drug induced hepatitis from this), but I still have occasional residual arthritis.
February 8, 2011
Pros:
+ Beautiful skin. Only occasional, minor breakouts, and no more cysts!
+ Blackheads gone (though I think this may be due to the strong exfoliating effect of the Retin-A)
Cons:
- Dizziness at first. To combat this, I stopped taking my morning dose, opting instead to take 100 mg at night only. This way I was asleep before any dizziness could kick in.
- Stomach upset. I began taking Acidophilus and eating yogurt, and these measures made this side effect pretty bearable.
- I get tiny tiny bumps on my arms every so often, but they're hardly visible.
I had mild to moderate acne that was so persistent and frustrating that I was considering Accutane. However, at least for now it looks as though Minocycline in conjunction with 0.1% Retin-A gel can keep me almost completely clear. I just hope things don't take a turn for the worse once my Mino runs out...
February 6, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Keeps skin under control, reduces oiliness, don't have to worry about my skin going out of control, and my skin is healing up very well.
Cons:
Initially the small bumps on my skin surfaced and are starting to go away. dryness of skin, but lotion fixes that.
I originally took doxycycline and that worked initially, but never actually got my skin completely clear. broke out badly and tried to manage with it, but it only got worse. I was too harsh on my skin (putting to much products on), which dried out my skin badly. Solodyn has had no negative side effects and seems to be clearing up my skin just fine. The initial breakout just surfaces the small pimples and they soon go away.
Pros:
nothing at all!