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
December 13, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Cons:
Gave me painful acne under breasts, made my face break out more, did not work
My dermatologist was not available so I saw her assistant. I wanted a refill on doxycycline, which zaps my acne RIGHT out. She convinced me to go on Solodyn, telling me that it would work in the same length of time but I would only have to take it once a day and it had less side effects. Since I've been on this medication, not only have I not seen improvement, but I have gotten body acne, which I NEVER had before. I get sudden HUGE breakouts. I'm talking nothing on my cheek at 10 am, go into a meeting, coming out at 1:30 and seeing a fully matured zit that's ready to pop. Extremely disappointing. When I called the PA and told her I wanted to switch back to doxycycline, she said the solodyn takes about a week to work. It's been two weeks. Besides, she said it worked in the same length of time as the doxycycline. The doxy has me cleared up in 2-3 days and has my skin looking flawless. This Solodyn is craps and it burns going down. I do NOT recommend this product. Do 100MG of doxycycline, use Johnson and Johnson's Purpose face wash, exfoliate once a week with Johnson and Johnson's Clean and Clear Morning Burst and be done with it. Leave this solodyn alone.
November 28, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Cleared up most big pimples
Went away ALMOST completely after a month
Cons:
Joint pain
Fatigue
Sleepiness
Vertigo
Super expensive without coupons
I have hormonal acne and I am also taking birth control and using Tazorac cream. It took about a month for me to see results, I'm very impatient, it took about a month for me to see results, I get the bad acne from my mother, almost all of my cousins have bad acne so you can def. see it runs in the family. This medication is very expensive if you dont have the coupons, even with my insurance its still super expensive. It cleared up most of the big pimples i got on my cheeks and the Tazorac cleared up most of the whiteheads on my forehead. My acne was sort of in the middle so my derm prescribed me both Taz and Solodyn, and my doctor prescribed me birth control to also help with my acne. Im really liking the results im starting to see. It takes a while but in the end its worth it.
October 31, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Cleared up my skin
Cons:
Now I have back acne
Loss of sexual interest
Expensive w/o coupon
Works in some areas but causes breakouts in others. Is $900 w/o the coupon given to by the dr. I've lost sexual desire since being on this pill as well. That alone might be worth stopping it!
October 31, 2011
Pros:
Slowly will clear up acne
Still breakout but less cystic
Cons:
Initially made acne much worse!
Depressed/ light headed for the first day or two
Made skin very sensitive
Had to change diet because of the dairy
On a 2 x 50mg Akamin (Minocycline)Working for the moment but it took a very rough patch to get here... Wouldn't recommend unless you're willing to brave the first BAD period of time! I was never sure it was going to work when it made my cystic acne come out like crazy, not sure if it was purging my skin like accutane does but it made it so bad at about week 2.5, I never had acne like this before so I was a little annoyed!!! I'm at about a month now and my skin is clearing up, just bad scarring left from the initial breakout period on the drug. Experienced a spout of depression during the first couple of days but eventually the body adjusts to it.... I'm also experiencing a bit of millia, not sure if this is from the drug but if anyone else experienced this please tell me. You may have to buy more sensitive, skin products... It will help your acne anyway!
October 5, 2011
Pros:
- cysts were slightly less severe
Cons:
- gastrointestinal issues during AND after treatment...not pleasant
- constant headaches!! basically daily while taking it
- barely helped my acne so it wasn't worth it
- took 3 months to see results at all
- improvement of acne only lasted 3 months and then these effects stopped even though i was still taking it.
used this for just over a year in combination with Differin. my acne was never completely cleared up in that time. i had a bad initial break out and did not see any results for about 3 months. when i did see results, there was only a slight improvement in my acne; my pimples became smaller, less inflamed and less painful. i WAS still breaking out constantly. i had these results for about 3 months and after this period, my cystic acne went back to being just as bad as it was before beginning treatment. i stopped taking the Mino eventually when i realized my skin was back to it's prior condition. i regret taking it at all, because i suffered from gastrointestinal issues for the entire time i was taking it. i have now been off of it for about 3 months and these symptoms are persisting. i get horrible stomach cramps and gas pains frequently, i have to watch what i eat to avoid upsetting my stomach even more, and there are some other unfortunate effects i won't mention.... antibiotics do mess with the bacterial balance in your GI tract which tends to lead to these problems. after taking Mino for over a year i fear these effects may be permanent since they have persisted after I stopped taking it. i also experienced frequent headaches while taking it...i would get one practically EVERY DAY. it causes increased pressure to the head that results in headaches as well as some dizziness. these constant headaches disappeared as soon as i stopped taking it. Mino can also cause other side effects like liver damage and even lupus, which i am lucky to have not experienced. bottom line: stay away. the very slight improvement of your acne is not worth it.
September 16, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
nothing
Cons:
more acne than already there
please don't judge, but i think i did something dumb while i took this medicine. I took this for a whole week, after dinner. now, could the reason this did NOT work was because i drank wine with 95% ginger ale, affect the way this medicine was supposed to treat my skin? everything i drink bothers my stomach; icea tea, soda, water, juice makes me nauseous for dinner. so i finally found something that worked and i couldn't choose, so i did both lol
now, my 2 weeks later, and my skin is like a 12 yr old. it's HORRRIBLE!!! i'm also taking a cream, which would burn my face bc i guess it was exfoliating, and in the morning i was it off with another exfoliating thing. and NOTHING IS WORKING! this is the 2nd dermo i've been to in 5 years. one was too old, just taking my money, and this guy is not using tough medicine. help?
August 29, 2011
My health insurance covered it when I used it, all it did was make the fluids in my blemishes yellow. I got frustrated with the recurring yeast infections it gave me and stopped taking it. Maybe if I had taken live cultures/more yogurt my body would have adapted better but having acne and constant yeast infections just didn't seem worth my time.
August 16, 2011
Pros:
Dangerous drug....stick to topicals
Cons:
Hives, drug induced lupus, hepatitis, read all warnings carefully if you are considering using this drug. It is widely prescribed but not enough people are informed of the risks.
I would not take this drug nor recommend it to anyone. 20 and 22 year old males took it for 2+ weeks and ended up in the ER with severe hives, breathing issues, swollen and red joints, etc. Still dealing with the side effects and possible drug induced lupus reaction. Beware! They were prescribed 100 mg. two times a day.
August 10, 2011
Pros:
None
Cons:
Nausea, Dizziness, Vomiting
I took it twice a day 100mg for almost a week and it made me sick and throw up a lot. I hated it and it didn't do much good for me.
August 9, 2011
Pros:
cleared up acne a bit but no major effect
Cons:
head ache.
terrible anxiety
worst iv felt my whole freakin life!!!!
so im only 15 and have had bad acne for about 4 years iv tried all the creams lotions you name it! so i decided to go to the doctor he put me on Minocycline 75m/g twice a day! and let me tell you it messed me up hardcore! iv never felt worst i have very bad anxiety i get nervous radomly and very deppressed. some nights i couldnt fall asleep because i would cry for litterly NO REASON! feels like i just lost the lust for life.. i hear the side effects are worst on females and i am fairly small so that might be why. but anyway i would NOOOT reccoment this! i have stopped taking it a few days ago (iv taken it for 2-3 weeks already) and im starting to feel a little better but im hoping it complety goes away because idk how i could live any longer like this.. it seriously is terrible! if you wanna take this go over ever little detail with you doctor. and also once u stop taking it. the ance comes back. :( thanks for reading i hope i helped someone that either experience the same or is planning on trying this,
Pros:
None