Oral Antibiotic
Efficacy
69%
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 to only some people, and may lead to side effects and strains of resistant bacteria. Studies do show they can sometimes 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 Tetracycline? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
December 5, 2012
Cons:
Made me tired, dry lips and skin.
250 mg twice a day
August 11, 2012
Cons:
Made face worse than ever
Doesn't seem to work
You can't just go off of it
Dries face and makes skin sensitive to sun
I started taking the Minocycline (tetracycline) Antibiotic orally with the Retin-A .025% topically in the beginning of June. for the first week it did not do anything, and then in the second third and fourth weeks, my acne became by far the worst it has ever been. When my grandparents first saw me, they asked what happened to my face... and you can imagine how awesome that made me feel. I got a bunch of acne on my chin, around my mouth, and around my jaw (and I never had acne here before). But my doctor said it would take 6-8 before it would work so I kept at it. About three weeks ago, I switched my topical cream to Epiduo and it seems to have slightly improved my skin. I do not recommend this because once you go off minocycline, you will break out all over again.
December 29, 2011
Pros:
Clear for 6 max months only
Cons:
Much worst than before I took this! Developed Cystic acne after this too
I developed digestion problems
Used for a year, stopped working after 6 months
DO NOT TAKE THIS!!! I wish I could go back to before I took this and try natural diet and supplements as my skin has never been the same.
I also now suffer from digestion problems.
December 4, 2011
Pros:
Very inexpensive
Cons:
Did not clear acne
Difficult-to-take capsules (inconvenient and VERY bad-tasting)
Many side effects that I thankfully did not experience. Difficult to swallow those nasty capsules twice a day (on an empty stomach--requires timing), finally quit after it did not help my acne four months down the line.
December 3, 2011
Pros:
cleared up acne, but not worth long term results and potential intestinal damage
Cons:
was on it for a few years, then doxycycline, then minocycline. after stopping, acne immediately came back. ended up getting GERD, terrible bad breath, and ended up needing hemmorhoid surgery. then OCD got really bad. now spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars in ayurvedic treatment which is finally working. spend more time focusing on your diet and understand your own food allergies (wheat, dairy,etc). cutting out sugar and low-glycemic carbs is really hard, but helped clear up my acne
long term effects not worth short term fix. look into lifestyle and diet changes. was male in 30s when taking
October 20, 2011
Pros:
I was on this for 2 years and it kept my skin clear until my body got used to it.
Cons:
Had to switch to a stronger antibiotic and then a stronger antibiotic again.
After stopping my antibiotic cycle my acne was worse than ever.
kills good bacteria and will leave you with only one thing-adult acne.
DON'T DO IT
August 11, 2011
Pros:
I experienced NONE
Cons:
I have a SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTION to the drug
enornous hives, itching, swelling of feet, hands, face, mouth, joint pain and muscle pain, with skin sensitive to the touch
I would serious reconsider taking this drug for your acne. If you can do with topicals, stick with those. The side effects I experienced were far wost than my acne has ever been.
August 4, 2011
Pros:
None
Cons:
Made my teeth yellow
Didn't work
I used this product years ago when I was a teen. It didn't work well and made my teeth yellow over the years!
July 25, 2011
Pros:
nothing
Cons:
- had to take 4 a day for 2 weeks in the beginning and i had to plan my meals around the pills which was really annoying
-made my eye sight really bad... it made my eyes go cross eyed randomly
-gave me muscle spasms
-decreased appatite
-DIDNT WORK
This didnt work for me. I wanted it to.... but it didnt. It didnt make my acne worse or better. It was like not even taking anything at all... except for the side affects. I think if I did keep on using this, i would have gone blind because everyday my eyesight kept getting worse. So, i used this for 4 weeks and saw NO improvement and only got bad things out of it. Bad pill. I wouldnt take it again and i dont recommend it unless you want terrible side affects.
June 24, 2011
Pros:
haha none!
Cons:
didnt work..thats all i can say
dont do it, take doxy it works very well! i took this for a damn year with absolutley no results...
Pros:
Nothing