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
March 8, 2013
Cons:
Have to remember to take it
Makes you sensitive to sun on face so you must use sunscreen
Tried many things with doctore and finally a combination of birth control pills, the minocyclen and lovoclen 8 percent creamy was has kept my acne to a minium. If I forget to take the pills or not use the face wash it flares back up. I had insurance is pills were only $5 per month
February 22, 2013
Pros:
Clears up acne
Easy pill to take (not huge)
Covered by my insurance (reasonably priced)
No side-effects (I haven't noticed any)
Cons:
It's another pill to take, but this isn't really a problem for me since I take a birth control pill every morning.
NONE!
I'm 25, and have been suffering from acne pretty much since I was a teenager. Tried everything I could over the counter, finally went to the doctor and was prescribed this with a combination of two lotions for my face (one PM, one AM). I take the pill for this once a day. I was told to expect results in a few months, but after a few weeks I'm already seeing an improvement. It's probably due to the combination of treatments, but it's working. I'm thrilled!
February 18, 2013
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
I am 60 years old and still suffer from large primples, mainly on my chin. I know Solodyn works because I've stopped twice between prescriptions, and the pimples come right back. I keep my face clean and use a topical daily, so I know it's the Solodyn that clears up the problem!
Cons:
None for me
At my age, I think Solodyn is the safest for me.
January 26, 2013
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Works fast!
Clears up skin completely.
Cons:
Nothing :)
Works immeditly for me! I love this stuff, my skin is baby smooth after 4 days. I also use epiduo at night, I don't know how solodyn can do anyone wrong bc it works so well for me.
January 4, 2013
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Clears skin!
Cons:
tiny bit of dizziness
It gets worse before it gets better
I've been using this product for a month now and my acne has gotten better but not where I want it to be yet but I'm getting there! My family has said they have seen it clear up but this isn't the type of product that will work in 2 weeks. In fact the first 2 weeks for me my acne did get worse but I get that because that is tottaly normal so dont just throw it away because it has to get all that junk in your skin out! I have really high hopes of this product and cant wait for the months to come.
December 10, 2012
Pros:
Can be paired with other acne medications
Clears very quickly
Cons:
No side effects for me
Good product thats cheap i started mino less than a week ago amd my acne no longer hurts and it is starting to clear up already
December 10, 2012
Pros:
Worked great for me the first 2 times I used it
Cons:
Didn't work with most recent bout of acne
Made me a bit nauseous, but supposed to take without food
Can't eat 2 hours before or 1 hour after taking
Make me very, very dizzy
I loved it the first 2 times I used it. In combo with topicals it cleared me completely, save for a few blackheads. This round of cystic acne didn't respond at all really. It stopped spreading a tiny bit but no other results. Dizzy as crap the whole time I was on it (but antibiotics often do this to me)! Can't eat right before or after taking to get maximum absorption/benefits was annoying. Had to go on accutane this time around for my now severe (was mod to severe) adult acne :(
December 3, 2012
Pros:
Worked the first time I took it.
Cons:
The second time I was prescribed this (maybe 5 years later), it didn't work at all. I was still getting 3-4 cystic outbreaks a week.
For someone taking this medication for the first time it works amazing, but as soon as you stop taking it, or are re-prescribed it probably wont work as it is just an anti-biotic and out bodies get used to the drug and build up resistance. I'm on the hunt for something new.
September 29, 2012
Pros:
works great only when taking it.
Cons:
not a long term solution
acne comes back when my doc reduces dosage, so i can eventually quit.
sebaceous hyperplasia (never had it before minocycline)
slow hyperpigmentation, became darker over a 5 year medication period slowly, it was so slow, i couldnt realize it, until some of my friends who havent seen me in a while noticed it for me, i always used SPF 30 moisturizer and stayed away from the sun, so cant be the sun,
i took minocycline for almost 5 years for moderate acne on face and moderately severe acne on my scalp(scalp folliculitis), everyone knows you are not supposed to take anitbiotics for this long, but since it was working while i was on it, my derm keep telling me to be patient, but came back within few days when dosage was reduced, so my derm would go back to the dosage that worked and wanted to try various different topicals(benzaclin/differin/tretinoin/clindamycin) while keeping the minocycline the same. During this long period, i also changed about 4 derms, and all of them seemed to be a big fan of this 'waste-of-time-and-money' drug, i dont know why. Now I changed my derm for the 5th time, the new derm said i shouldnt have taken any antibiotics for this long, and he immediately changed my oral to sulfamethoxazole/trimethaprim with benaclin in the AM, and tazorac(0.1%) before bed, its been my 3rd month on this combo, it is already working like a charm, my derm has already lowered the dosage of oral(after the first two months of two pills a day), i am on one pill a day now, so far so good, i did not get acne so far, which is good because this wasnt the case with minocycline, i feel like i finally found a break, lets see. Even if this doesnt work and if my acne seems to slowly come back in the future, then i will have no other option but to seek Isotretinoin. Bottom line is that there are lots of medications (topical and oral) out there, also over the counter stuff, which only work on people with mild acne and non-oily skin type, even though they advertise it for oily skin. if you have anything moderate acne or more with oily skin, please dont waste your time, money and dont push drugs into your system/body and become a testing ground for medical statistics, instead educate yourself at this wonderful website and similar ones, and ask your derm/doctor staright away for preffered ones, tell them straight away, you read these and you are confident in t
July 17, 2012
Pros:
1) See results within a month
2) Cleared cystic acne
Cons:
1) Results only last 2-3 months, then you're immune.
Profile:
28 yr old female
South Asian
Poor Diet
Moderately Sever Acne/ Mainly cystic acne around chin/neck I was on Minocycline 200mg/day for 3 months only because that's as long as the results last. By the 4th month you should find something else to use. My derma said this is a beginner antibiotic. However it is stronger than Doxycyle but the results def. do not last long.
Pros:
Works great,
Small pill once a day