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
April 23, 2010
Cons:
made me suuuper dizzy and feel terrible.
i had bad side effects of major dizziness causing nausea. i stopped after a week and am now on birth control.
February 19, 2010
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Cheap if u have insurance, cleared skin alot better, acne is better controlled after using cleansers, it seems to work 50% better than before
Cons:
2 months and its till there, also causes redness for a few hours but its gone later only sometimes though not all the time
Its not bad im on my 3rd refill and last right now if it wont work then im gonna go for something else. I dont rec because its still there like 30% left but it did get better.
January 3, 2010
Pros:
Cost $1 with insurance.
Easy to get a prescription for.
Cons:
This made me break out with cystic acne!! Worse acne than I ever had my entire life! I started getting blotches of acne(like 6 pimples in one spot) on my back, face, shoulders. I threw it away!
This stuff is definitely not for everyone.
January 21, 2013
Pros:
Completely clears acne
no side effects when taken short term
got rid of cysts & nodules
Cons:
it gets worse before it gets better
The first three weeks it pulls everything to the surface, the last week it clears. give it a month
November 8, 2011
Pros:
Cleared up 95% of my acne
Cons:
I started off taking 50mg 2x a day, but this made me dizzy and nauseous. I went down to 1x a day and had no more side effects.
I'm 26 years old and have been seeing a dermatologist since I first started getting acne at 12. This is the first medication that has consistently worked for me.
January 30, 2011
Pros:
Does the job for the time being
No side-effects
Reduces redness
Cons:
The pros are gone as soon as you stop taking it
Antibiotics are not healthy
Not a lasting solution
Minocycline gets the job done when used properly. I have mild-sever acne and after trying everything for years, I finally decided to give it a try. Yes, i still had a few pimples here and there and 1 or 2 cystic acnes a month, but overall it cleared my pimples and redness like no other topical product has ever done. I was taking 100mg twice a day for 6 months. The bad came as soon as I stopped taking it. After a week my face broke out like crazy. Hopefullly my body will be able to adjust itself and go back to how things were or else I have no choice but go back on it.
January 12, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Clears up acne fast
Cheap with the discount coupon (only $10)
No side effects (atleast I haven't had any)
Cons:
Few months after stopping intake, acne start resurfacing :(
After delivering my baby, I started getting huge bumps and lesions all over my face, neck, back and chest.. went to a dermatologist.. was on several medications..like doxycycline, clindamicyn, Muprocin.(can't even remember names).. condition worsened.. doc suspected MRSA.. was also admitted to hospital for few days due to rashes from one of the medications.. was given IV antibiotic(don't remember name but they said it is a very strong medicine)... condition improved a little but still few old lesions were there and new bumps were emerging... so changed doc... new doc prescribed Solodyn saying tht infection looks more like a severe acne prblm than anything else... started seeing effects within first month itself and within 2 months I was acne free.. Solodyn is really a wonder medicine for me.. stopped solodyn after 2 months... was acne free for 4 months and then saw 2-3 acne again on face so took solodyn for one more month and was clear again within 15 days of taking solodyn... was 5 months without solodyn and without acne. 2 weeks ago, I saw eruption again along my jawline (that's where it always starts)... so rushed to doc today to get my prescription again... will use solodyn for 1 more month... am quite positive that it will work again like it always has for me :)... For those of you who have tried lots of medicines and lost hope, pls try this one too... I have had no luck with so many but solodyn works like a charm for me..
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.
December 20, 2010
Pros:
-Skin got less oily
-Redness gone
-Acne on my cheeks and nose went away
-Didn't experience any side-effects
Cons:
-Didn't clear up my acne on my chin/ forehead.
-When I stopped my acne came back
I've had acne since I was 12, only on my forehead. When I got older the acne spread all over my face and instead of some pimples I had so many of them really close together with a lot of redness. It is pretty severe. But I know people who have/had it worse.
Because of that I didn't go to a derm, I thought it was for people with severe acne, and that mine wouldn't be bad enough to do something about it. So I tried the Clinique system first for 3 months. Didn't work. I became pretty depressed about my skin ( I didn't go to sleepovers anymore because of my face, I wouldn't go swimming and I woulnd't do things that would cause sweating ( and so my make-up smearing).
I finally went to the dermatologist and they said I should have come sooner. Since I had pretty bad skin I was put on Minocycline + Retin A. I had to do this for 6 weeks.
The first weeks it became worse, but it did clear up gradually. BUT it only cleared up the minor pimples on my face (around my nose and on my cheeks) and my forehead cleared a little. My chin was stil horrible.
My derm didn't want to stay to long on a medication when it didn't do anything anyway, She said that after 6 weeks I should see improvement and if I didn't we would try something else. I am on accutane now for 2 weeks and it became worse some days ago, it is now starting to go away. I was getting pimples on cheeks again so I know now that that wouldn't have stayed clear anyway. I do reccomend this, but to people with a milder form of acne, when you have some pimples and want them gone, but not when you're entire face is covered with pimples and redness. My acne was to severe for the medication. I really hope Accutane will work!
November 11, 2010
Pros:
- no side effects
- easy to take (pill size)
- reduced inflamation
Cons:
- hard to remember to take all of them, i.e. one in the morning and one at night and have to be close to 12 hours apart
- didn't really clear up my acne, just reduced inflamation
ok well i went on 2 courses of minocycline (Minomyicin and Akamin was the brands i used). The first course, which i didnt fully complete cleared my skin slighty, more just controlled breakouts. I had to stop taking it because i went on other antibiotics becasue of sickness and then never went back on it. I was on it for approx 4 out of the 6 months. Acne did return about 6 months later so the doc prescribed me another course. This did not help at all. To a degree, it did reduce inflamation in the last half of the sixth month but acne will still obviously there. If u want my advice, I wouldn't dick around with antibiotics, just go on Accutane (isotretinoin), I am on it at the moment and already seeing wicked results, 55 days in and have no active pimples, just has to heal now. Im 19 years old, bout the only guy who has acne still at uni and really wish i had got on accutane earlier. Goodluck anyone who is reading this! dont let your acne get you down!
Pros:
didn't use it long enough to see any.