Minocycline

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Minocycline is an oral antibiotic that works by fighting bacteria in the body, including in the skin, and also reduces inflammation. It should...

Minocycline is an oral antibiotic that works by fighting bacteria in the body, including in the skin, and also reduces inflammation. It should be used only short term (max. 3 months).

It is usually taken once a day with food, at the same time every day.

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AnonyAcne Babe

June 29, 2011

Pros:

Seemed to have cleared acne
Pill form, so you don't need to deal with nasty lotions
Cheap

Cons:

Made me break out in hives all over my body
Made me very itchy

I had been using this for somewhere between one and two months and it seemed to be helping clear my acne but then one morning I woke up and I was really itchy all over. This went on for about a week or two and then one day I took a nap and I woke up and my body slowly began to become covered in hives! It was the scariest thing! This happened twice, along with other times of only small areas being puffed up. So how am I sure it was this medicine? Couldn't it have been a reaction to laundry detergent? Well, I went to the allergy doctor and got tested with a hundred scratches all over my back and it came up that I was allergic to cats, dust mites, and mold. But I told him that I had recently started on this new prescription and he seemed interested so he made an extract to test me with and I came back a few days later. He did a smaller test and it made my skin puff up right away where he injected it. I was allergic. Just because I was allergic, doesn't mean everyone will be so I said I WOULD recommend this product because it seemed to be working as far as acne went. You just may want to consult your allergy doctor and have him make an extract to test you with before you put this in your body, because my experience with it was horrifying. If you suddenly become itchy one day, discontinue use immediately, because this means you are allergic.

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alphabetpony

June 26, 2011

Pros:

--kept me relatively clear (and completely eliminated bacne)

--seemed to cut down on inflammation (really helped with pustules/cysts).

--seems to kill my appetite

--seems to absorb a lot better than other antibiotics

Cons:

--It was all only a temporary reprieve for me--:(

--Still a pain in the ass to take (all antibiotics are, in my opinion).

--They started giving me purple/blushish skin discoloration!

I took 2 daily for 7-8 months. They are the only antibiotics that seem to work for me (i suspect it's cuz they absorb even if you take them with food--but you still really have to watch what you take them with). Unfortunately, it comes at a price for me--about 4 months in I developed a teeny tiny blackish dot on my calf and later on, a little purpleish discoloration on my lip and tongue. Kinda ironic--plus, it sounds pretty horrible and scary (in fact, i stopped taking the mino and switched to tetracycline for months, on and off after that) but the truth is, I'm not sure I actually regret taking the mino....I scar REALLY easily (half-asian) and while my acne is only moderate, I suffer from the horribly inflamed cyst and pustule type. This stuff was basically the only thing that could stop it in it's tracks (gave me my life back for awhile). Whenever I went off, I would end up REALLY regretting it. The purplish mark on my lip isn't actually noticable (plus, it fades daily due to my perpetually peeling lips) so at that time, it basically seemed like my only option. Still, I'd only recommend it for short periods. Nobody ever bothered to tell me: Antibiotics are not a permanent solution and they may weaken your immune system if you take them too long--like I did. My acne got a little worse in the sense that my body seems to have a harder time fighting the bacteria now. So I almost wish I had just asked for Accutane the first time the antibiotics had failed me (for some reason I didn't think they'd let me, but apparently, my dr was only waiting for me to ask). FYI, I noticed no IB whatsoever with this (or any antibiotic), but I've noticed that to get the best results (again, with any 'biotic) you REALLY have to watch what you eat 2 hours before and after you take 'em (they won't absorb with certain common vitamins/minerals).

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June 23, 2011

Pros:

Clears up body acne

Cons:

Made my acne MUCH worse before it got better. Side effects such as tiredness, headache, dizziness, etc.

About a week into taking this medicine, my acne was 100 times worse than it had ever been. It was like every pore in my body decided to break out in a whitehead. I called my Dr. because he didn't tell me to expect it to get worse before it got better. He said it should NOT get worse and wondered if I possibly had a yeast infection in my skin and prescribed me Diflucan (1-pill, works systemically) and in about 3 days my acne started clearing up. I've been on this medication for 2.5 weeks and the acne on my chest and back is mostly gone, but I feel TERRIBLE. I am so tired - I can't work for more than 2 hours before I have to lay down and rest. I have zero energy. I have a constant low-grade headache that Excedrin/Advil/Tylenol won't touch. It works, but not sure if the side effects are worth it. I'm going to try to stick with it for a few more days and see if the side effects start to subside. Otherwise, I'm going to call my doctor and talk about lowering my dose or alternative treatments.

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bostonn

April 19, 2011

Pros:

-Cleared up my acne almost immediately, im talking I could see a major difference the next morning.
-Easy to use, just a simple pill.
-Prevented future breakouts.

Cons:

- Dizzyness, Blurred Vision.
- I had a weird expirence read the "bottom line" below.

Ok, I am currently 17 years old and a junior in high school. Mid freshmen year is when I started to get moderate acne mostly around my chin and somewhat on my jawline. I used to use creams that didn't work so well so I decided to go to my dermatologist. I originally wanted accutane prescribed to me but they wouldn't give it to me, they wanted me to use minocycline first. I used 100mg(twice a day) for about 3 weeks and basically had no complaints at all. All the sudden, one day I was at a party with my friends after taking one of these pills and felt TERRIBLE. I had to have my friend drive me home and tell my parents my symptoms. Like I was completely MISERABLE. I had to stay in the next two-three days with a SEVERE HEADACHE, blurred vision(that I am still recovering from and it has been two weeks since I took my last pill, and an on and off rapid heartbeat. I just in general did not feel like myself at all, it was terrible. I have also noticed many other people say they now suffer from depression after using this pill. Thankfully now I have found a routine with creams that has successfully stopped my skin from breaking out. The first few weeks on this I was very happy but this does have some very bad long term side effects which is definitely not worth using. Overall, do I recommend this, NO. It worked like a charm for me until I had those terrible random side effects. P.S Don't worry your acne will eventually go away.

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jim

March 16, 2011

Pros:

worked for awhile
cheap

Cons:

crazy feeling
stopped working
stupid rules

i used this stuff for almost two years and the first two months i barely remember because the mental trips it caused. after that it worked well till my body became immune to it.

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hum-de-dum

March 13, 2011

Pros:

worked like a charm for three weeks,

Cons:

but then it didn't.
also a minor side effect.

Started minocycline and saw instant results. My active acne dried up and disappeared; new zits, of which I had almost none, were cute little non-cystic things that came and went within a day. And so (other than post-inflammatory pigmentation) my face was clearer than it had been for months. I became happy and extroverted, wasn't ashamed to have Skype conversations, etc. etc. Then one morning there was a weird sensation in my throat. It felt exactly like the pill was stuck in my throat, like it was clinging to my esophagus Spiderman-style. The feeling persisted for the rest of the time I was taking minocycline. Later my doc would tell me that this was a lump in my throat, a side-effect mino can sometimes cause. She prescribed Carafate for my throat and switched me to Bactrim. But not before, about three weeks after starting mino, I had approximately the worst break-out of my life--seriously about 15 gnarly pimples, all on my chin, a lot of them cystic, a lot of them clustered together into mountain ranges of inflamed agony. Truly wondered what I had done to so violently anger the acne gods. My roommate asked who had given me oral herpes. If it works then bully to you. It gave me just three good weeks.

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LexiiHopes

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.

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Lynn

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.

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NJ Devils

February 1, 2011

Pros:

-Cheap If you have insurance, was free for me.
-Kills Bacteria preventing new pimples/acne
-Anti_Inflamatory effect, reduces the redness of acne.
Capsules look awsome (just sayin)

Cons:

Side effects will come. Yay :) I have been on minocycline 100mg twice daily for about a week.
-Doesnt work right away
-I have experienced extreme diziness after 4 days of use
-Sense of uneasiness
-Today developed significant fever/cold
-Extremely hard to get to sleep(couldnt't sleep until 1am second day of use and had an exam to write early the next morning, fun). I hope this doesn't result in insomnia cause i still can't sleep properly and am always tired
-Headache

So basically been on it for a week, havent seen much of an improvement other than the fact that the redness of my acne has been decreasing. Also no new pimples have formed but i think thats cause i have stopped eating bannanas. Im already sick of the side effects because it is interfering with my school, but hey il basically do anything to clear my acne cause im tired of having it. My main concern is extreme diziness/spaced out, i can't even explain it, my heads just always spinning, pretty weird. I Just hope it works and my acne FINALLY stops ruining my life, if not then accutane to look forward too, even better. Hopefully it just takes awhile to really kick in.. Will update in a few weeks on progress. Have a good one and good luck with mionocycline and acne. Acne sucks lol

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Lauren

January 11, 2011

Pros:

Cheap with insurance
Helped prevent new pimples from forming
Very few side effects

Cons:

Didn't help with cysts
Difficult to take according to all the directions
Only minimal improvement

Worth a try. Can be annoying to take because it must be taken twice a day on an empty stomach, about 12 hours apart between doses, and you can't lie down right after taking it. It only helped me minimally, but I gave it a 7 week try and don't regret it.

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