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
September 5, 2009
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Cons:
i feel absolutely terrible
i have only taken four pills and i have felt increasingly worse with each dose. the first couple of days i only had mild intestinal discomfort. i am generally sensitive to antibiotics so i thought i'd stick it out. on the fourth day, i had a headache so bad it bordered on migraine-like pain, couldn't stand up without having a head rush and feeling dizzy. i did not take the pill today, and the headache is gone, but my abdomen is so painful i can't even touch it and i am constipated. still feel dizzy and generally awful. will discontinue use and call the doctor ASAP.
September 1, 2009
Pros:
Helped clear a bit of my skin up, relatively cheap
Cons:
stained my teeth yellow, made me burn easily
Did improve my acne, but the results weren't nearly as good as I would have liked. Then I discovered that it was responsible for staining my teeth, I had to stop using it. I would give it a try! It seems like many different people have different results.
August 29, 2009
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
none!!! did not work!!!
Cons:
Severe hives, hands and feet swelling. stomach aches and feeling tired and generally lousy!!
horrible side effects and bottom line...it didn't do a thing.
August 20, 2009
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
My face totally cleared up after almost two months of taking it. I am still on it going on three months...once in awhile i get a small piple and it clears up fast!
Cons:
I don't like taking drugs for long periods of time...I worry about long term effects
It has helped me feel better about myself and now when I look in the mirror I feel pretty again
August 15, 2009
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
i dont break out like before,, my face cleared up a week after taking it
Cons:
i still get one or two pimples from now and then. Im tired a lot.
Ive been using solodyn for 8 months now and it has been working just fine. i do get some break outs sometimes,, but the thing is taht if i dont take it... i break out.. i dont understand.. i was on monodox first and my doctor switched me to solodyn 90mg. if i dont take it after a week.. i break out .. but while i take it.. its good!
another good thing is that my doctor gave me the coupon because i didnt have insurance and it would of cost me 630 dollars.!
July 26, 2009
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
cleared up my acne
Cons:
takes a while to clear up; still left with acne scars
Solodyn worked for me. I didn't get any side effects whatsoever. I was on the 90mg pill per day. My acne at first was spread out over my chin and cheeks, and I had many small blackheads and whiteheads that felt like bumps and were red. When I first used it for the first few weeks my acne didn't get better; in fact it flared up. However, my derm explained that Solodyn pushed out the bacteria and sebum from the skin, so I'd look like pizza face for a while. A month and a half later, 99% of my acne is gone. I have not had new acne for at least two weeks, and my skin has been pretty clear for at least a week. However, I am still left with acne scars that look like small red marks and a few scabs from some acne. In time the scabs will heal and the scars will fade- but I won't have acne anymore.
July 23, 2009
Pros:
Cleared up my acne!!! =D
Cons:
Nothing but some flaky skin every once in a while.
About 3 days after i started taking Minocycline my acne came to surface like crazy!!! I had them all over my forehead for about a week... But then the second week or so my acne started cleared day by day and after about 3-4 weeks of taking only 50 mg my acne was totally by far clear!!! I looked like i was a newborn baby with all that fresh skin!!! =)) lol
I have been using it for two months and of course (cause im a normal teenage GIRL) I will get the ocassinal pmple every week or so and maybe one big pimple a month because of my girl cycle...AMAZING pill and i think its just the same as Accutane but not the bad side effects and not so strong and its not bad for u like Accutane is...
I recomend this to anyone that asks or has acne and just cant handle it anymore!!!
My acne was mild to moderate... But now it is super mild to very mild!!!! Whoo hoo!!!!!!!
:-)
PS...
In the box below that says acne severity i put moderate because thats what it used to be!!!
Whoo thanks
July 16, 2009
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
it worked -- my skin looks better than it has in years, and it's very cheap if you can get the promotional card. few side effects, especially considering the payoff.
Cons:
it makes me feel a bit tired, which adds up because another med i'm taking (for something completely unrelated) also makes me tired! it's very pricey if you don't get the promotional card deal.
a bit of history: i've been in and out of derms' offices for acne since i was 12, and i'm 33 now. i went through a course of accutaine when it was at its worst when i was in my early 20s, and though it wasn't a 100% fix, it greatly helped my facial complexion and eliminated any back/chest acne issues i had. still, my face can break out pretty bad from time to time, and until recently i was using retin-a micro to keep things in check. i began developing dermatitis because of irritation caused by the retin-a (most likely because i'm a bit older now and my skin is drier than it used to be, though still acne-prone), so my derm offered this as an option. i've tried various acne antibiotics before, and this is the only one that has had such dramatic results -- within about a week i could already tell a difference, and at about a month into the course i was clear. i've just started the third and final month, so i cannot say whether the results will be lasting at this point.
June 24, 2009
Pros:
Cleared up acne initially with minimal side effects. No dizziness, nausea, or anything like that for me.
Cons:
The clear skin never lasted. Plus, I used it for too long (on and off for several years). This caused my acne to go down deeper into my skin, and also caused blueish bruise-looking things under my skin on my thighs and calfs.
I think minocycline will work fine for a short-term clearing, but don't expect your acne to stay away. And definitely don't be stupid like me and start ordering it off the internet. I was more sensitive to the sun, so be sure to wear plenty of sun block. I really think acne can ultimately outsmart broad spectrum antibiotics. It comes back stronger and more stubborn. Be careful with minocycline and don't stay on it very long (few months). I've put "No" in the "Recommended?" question. However, I think for short-term clearing it's fine.
June 19, 2009
Pros:
Didn't do anything bad to my skin.
Cons:
Made me incredibly nauseous.
So I figured I'd go through and review everything I've used, because I have used a LOT over the last 12 years. This particular antibiotic made me crazy sick, which is weird, since I normally never have reactions to antibiotics. I literally had to leave class to throw up, but didn't make the connection to minocycline until several days later, when I was still puking after every meal (after which I would faithfully take my pill).
I stopped immediately and the symptoms went away at once.
Didn't really have a chance to see how it worked for my skin!
Pros:
seems to have started clearing up acne, too early to tell