Oral Antibiotic
Reviews
3.3
586 Reviews
Oral Antibiotic
Efficacy
69%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
1
2
3
4
5
Note: Should never be used on its own and for a maximum of 3 months.
Oral Antibiotic
Side Effects
Medium-High
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.
Read All About Tetracycline
Compare To Other Treatments
5
16.3%
4
33.3%
3
23.6%
2
15.3%
1
11.4%

Used Tetracycline? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars
April 11, 2024
Not a good idea
It worked for a bit then stopped working as my body got used to the antibiotic. Overuse of antibiotics is dangerous.
September 19, 2021
Utterly useless and toxic

Tried it for 2 years in teenage years.  Utterly useless.  And only found out later it attacks sperm count and that can be transferred to next generation (boys can also have low sperm count).

Try Accutane before this.  Headaches and didn't help skin at all.  Not at all.

April 26, 2017
TOXIC! Yes i want to scare you! Dont take the risk. I got tinnitus
Dont take this it is toxic to your body! I used it for 5 weeks. Now i have had severe tinnitus for over a week. I didnt break out as much as normally when i took, but IT IS NOT WORTH THE RISK! I took it because i thought i wouldnt get any side effects, which i didnt for the first 5 weeks but then i suddenly woke up with tinnitus, and i have always taken care of my ears and never went to concert. IT'S A SYSTEMIC treatment, it affects ALL parts of your body! The antibiotic will react wherever it can beside your skin. That is the danger. I know I'm trying to scare you, and that is because you have no idea of the consequences before you have the side effects yourself. BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE. Acne will eventually go away but the side effects can be permanent! Even if it cleared my skin completely, with the tinnitus i have right now, it is not worth it! I dont have any silence, my ears are hurting, i cant rest or sleep properly. Use topical drugs, not systemic drugs like this! Im a medical student and i researched the drug a lot and i thought the chances of serious side effects were minimal. I went and talked with my GP. I asked him thorougly about the side effects because i was aware how systemic treatments can have serious side effects. He told he had seen a lot of patients take the drug and there was never reported any side effects. It was after this talk my GP that i gave up the skepticism and bought the drug. DO NOT BUY IT EVEN IF YOUR GP ENCOURAGES YOU! In the end he is not taking any risks, you are!
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February 13, 2017
PLEASE READ: Dangers of Overusing Antibiotics
I was perscribed tetracycline, doxycycline, etc. for 3-6 months each course. While I was on these antibiotics my skin was perfectly smooth. Naturally, I wanted to upkeep this level of improvement so I continued to use these antibiotics. Because of the overuse of antibiotics I have developed a skin condition called "pityrosporum folliculitis." There's is a delicate balance of bacteria and fungi/yeast on our skin. Which, for the most part, is there to benefit the human body. By overusing or inappropriately using antibiotics, this balance can become disrupted and cause an overgrowth of the fungi/yeast. This imbalance resulted in "acne-like" bumps all over my neck, chest, and back. I was genuinely devastated and spent an entire summer seeing a psychologist because I felt so depressed over it. This condition is not curable, it is ONLY treatable. There's not a day that goes by that I wish I had explored other alternatives to heal my acne. I have been able to keep it under control for the most part but like bacteria, yeast can become resistant to anti-fungal medications. So please do not try to "fix" your acne with a temporary solution that can lead to long-term consequences. *For the record I am not against taking antibiotics when necessary but doctors should not be allowed to prescribe them for acne.
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March 12, 2018
March 6, 2016
Watch your reaction to this! Take the side affects seriously
( this might pop up twice- had a problem posting) So at 38 I am fed up with the cystic acne. Have tried various BC pills and topical medication. YAZ is the only BC that will even start to touch the large cystic acne I get on my neck, chin and behind the ears. So I was given minocycline to start. I started feeling dizzy and inebriated. It was like I was drinking continuously the entire day. I was slurrying words and having to concentrate on just walking. I have 3 kids/ won't do. The second day I contacted my primary care and the nurse advised I stop the drugs and come in. The doctor said she she didn't NOT believe I was having symptoms but she said she wanted me to try the drug again. That just because my body wasn't used to it didn't mean I was allergic. She sent me home with doxycycline as well in case I couldn't handle the first after trying it again for a few days. After 2 days I was again unable to function. At this point I was doubting myself about my side affects and feeling terrible about the cystic acne that is destroying my skin. So I switched to the doxycycline. Right away I stopped feeling dizzy and thought "this just might work". Last night ( the 2nd night taking doxycycline) I went to bed early feeling worn out ( I am a runner and running a marathon next weekend so I thought maybe it was my training). I woke at 12:39 with a large welt the side of a silver dollar on my side. Showed hubby and we took a picture- went back to bed. Woke up at 4:30 because I felt terrible- was covered with welts all over my body the side of my had and raised a quarter to half and inch. My cheeks, lips and right eye were swollen and my throat was tight and didn't feel right. Went to the ER - attending told me that I am severely allergic to ALL tetracyclines. I was give three types of medication, an epi pen and an inhaler. I was told to go back to primary care and get allergy testing now as well. I am frustrated with my primary care doctor for disregarding my symptoms ( she said maybe I have vertigo- have never had that before). Frustrated with the adult acne and now this. Please be careful when you take these medications and watch for appropriate reactions. Sometimes I feel they are vague in listing the side affects. How much is acceptable before your body goes over? In my case the doctor said it was the swelling face and throat... I selected yes for recommending this treatment bc I know it works well for some people/ I just want everyone to be aware that side affects can be serious
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November 12, 2015
I had an allergic reaction to this
My chest broke out in hives.... but glad My body rejected it. Unfortunately the dr. then put me on doxycyclin. They kept me on it for YEARS! (high school) as soon as I stopped or if I didnt have it on hand my face would EXPLODE. Wasnt curing anthing was only covering up the problem. Keep in mind these are also meds that are typically given to people to treat respitory infections. I wasn't sick..., I had acne! Later i learned my acne was triggered by food intolerances. FOOD! Simple as that... I still resent not being more aware when i was younger and that the Doctors were as sh*tty as they were. Thankfully I still have my liver!
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May 26, 2015
3 months no difference
Been on this drug 3 months hasn't done a thing! My acne has probably got worse if anything where it is practically being left untreated due to this drug not working which is really effecting my self esteem! May work differently for different people but to me it has been a massive waste of 3 entire months!! Also have had headaches, dizziness and a lot of unexplained mood swings for the first two months! Back to the doctors Monday to see the next step..
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January 25, 2014
Such a naive treatment, you really need to read this.

Pros:

Reduces maximum by 50%

Cons:

It is naive for doctors to offer this, many have stopped due to ongoing research of side effects.
Please read.

Please read this if your GP has recommended this treatment, you need to understand and know what I am going to tell you. I've been on this, or I was on this, for about two years. I was also using Benzoyl Peroxide and used Erythromycin (another antibiotic), to treat acne. Antibiotics, at best, kill about 50%-75% of your acne, they will never get rid of your acne as the cause, i.e. hormones, allergies, immune system, is not treated. No matter how much you kill the Propionibacterium acnes, they are naturally occurring on your skin (and perform other functions, like preventing more serious skin infections), and so will only keep coming back, and eventually after long term use (maybe two years or more) will become resistant to antibiotics. MEANWHILE you are destroying your immune system, metabolism and almost everything in your body. The gut contains bacteria, and one of the main warned side affects of antibiotics are diarrhoea, wind, bloating i.e. impaired gut function. The antibiotics demolish the microflora in your gut, and this ecosystem is what controls your immune system, nutrition intake and metabolism. Please do feel free to google any of this, I'm am 100%, have consulted many doctors, read much research, these are FACTS, I will not delve into speculation here. There is plenty of that about on these kind of websites. You either have two acne types as far as I am concerned, you will either grow out of it post-puberty, i.e 19-20 maybe 21. In which case you need to just DEAL with it. Acne is horrible, it ruins self esteem, it feels unfair that you have it, you wish you could be 'normal' like everyone else. But such a high percentage of teenagers suffer from acne, it is not actually such a dramatic thing, and in most cases your acne WILL be gone by your 20's. a) This is the important bit: HOWEVER, if you take antibiotics in your teenage years to try control your skin, you will not clear your skin fully (so you will not be satisfied, believe me I know, you want it all gone, even if there are 3 or 4 spots left, you'll still feel as bad as if there were 9-10. Or 20% back covered in acne, compared to 80%. Any or other similar ratios.) In the process you will have made yourself open to serious health issues in the future, I'm talking potentially many years of weak immune system, diarrhoea, nausea, allergies (milk, egg, wheat) and if you think living with acne is hard - you won't survive with this. This is a very real issue and problem, sure it may not happen to you, but what antibiotics do is they leave you open to stomach infections, and if you get one of those, they can last for years, or permanently alter your stomach function so you no longer can eat wheat, milk, or anything, without feeling severely ill! OR b) you may have adult acne, in which case antibiotics will not make a difference, and you need to take something more considerable like accutane, which WILL cure you 100%, with possible side effects. This is far more preferable to antibiotics, which do not 100% cure you, and WILL cause side effects, and sometimes long term. As for benzoyl peroxide, it may dry your skin, and leave you open to skin infections when you finish using it (damaged skin + not natural bacteria left to fight off infection) but all in all, acne IS a current issue, so I think benzoyls pro's weigh heavier than it's cons. That's me done, I just had to leave this information here, even if its just to settle my mind that I have tried to help others. I used to browse this forum desperately searching for a 'cure', turns out my severe bacne and mild facial acne faded by themselves when I stopped benzoyl and left the teenage years. But now my intestinal dysbiosis lives with me, and I am having to pay £3000 pound for treatment, as well as live with the health consequences. In hindsight it is not worth the risk people, I hope I can get that point across to you. Best of luck
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October 31, 2013
Ineffective with quite noticeable side-effects

Pros:

Cheap

Cons:

I got very weak from lack of dairy after 3 months.
No difference. Used twice daily, religiously and noticed no improvement nor any signs of worsening
Surprisingly it is true, I had become out of character I was quite depressed during these months. Might of been related to feeling weak. ANOTHER THING ide like to add is that im 15, ive never had dry skin nor dry lips. This severely made me shrivel up, luckily i bought EOS lip balm and some pricey mosturizer and cleared it right up :D

I have moderate acne, I had been trying topical treatments, Hundreds of dollars later I still have acne probably worse now. It was bad enough for me to go seek treatment but isn't severe by any means. I was given a few options; 1) General Birth control. 2) Tetracycline. 3) Birth Control + Accutane I really wanted to avoid birth control as im not at a state where I need to be on that. I asked my doctor if Birth control caused weight gain of which i would notice (Im 15 and I weigh 92 pounds) He said it would cause noticeable weight gain. I severely wanted to avoid that so I decided to take the second option and take Tetracycline for a period of 3 months as prescribed by my doctor. I just finished my 3 month period a week ago and it didn't clear anything up. I'm absolutely stumped. I dont want to take Birth Control but I really have no other option. I'm tired of having to cake on foundation and concealers just to barely cover the blemishes and redness. I was really hopeful... I really didnt want to be disappointed because I dont have severe acne... its just stubborn :( I wash my face twice a day everyday for as long as I can remember and I just dont know where to go from here.
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December 12, 2017
what kind of acne do you have?
August 8, 2013
Initially made my acne worse then I noticed no difference

Pros:

It was free

Cons:

Increase in breakout
Increase in redness
Actual pain!

I was prescribed Tetracycline by my doctor and was advised to take it for a month before expecting any noticeable results. My acne was pretty bad so I took it religiously for a month in the hope that my acne would at least be reduced. Not only did it not clear my skin but it made it 100x WORSE. I know they say it has to get worse before it gets better but this breakout was just ridiculous! I stopped taking Tetracycline and started taking these natural supplements and I finally have the clear skin I've always longed for :D ( Apart from the odd breakout but nothing as bad as it was). These are what I took: [link removed]
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.