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
September 1, 2023
It didn't work
Used it after my acne vulgaris got worse (i was using Epiduo).
I used it for a small amount of time and it helped a bit but i needed to switch to trifarotene.
August 11, 2016
Did stop me breaking out for some time, but had continuous heart burn as a side effect, and stopped and acne came back
Yea i dont use many oral treatment for acne, so this was the first, and to my surprise, it was effective at stopping my breakout for period of time, after a month or so, I noticed that I am getting heart burn more regularly, my acid was coming up in the throat and just an uncomfortable feeling, so decided to do some research and it was a common side effect with this medicine. I thought because my pimples have stopped breaking out, and im getting this annoying side effect, and also the fact that its a antibiotic which can be dangerous as i may gain immunity, I dropped it. My heartburn stopped, and after a month my acne came back. Start taking tetracycline, heart burn came back right on the day, went to GP, told me that tetracyline gaves me heartburn so give me another oral acne medication, and he does, but what he literally gives me is another form of tetracyline, so my heartburn came back again. Anyway i start breaking out now, and now i got Erythromycin, lets see how that will work out.
Also regular heart burn apparently increases the chance of throat cancer by 70%, so yea didnt wanted to take the risk.
September 9, 2014
Eh....
I gave this 3 stars because it did help clear up my skin, but I think it was making me really sick. I loved that it cleared up my acne with out any scaring but my happiness was short lived. There are a host of side effects from Tetracycline. I gave up on the antibiotics and felt instantly better. It may be worth it for some people but not for me.
December 19, 2013
Helps break the acne cycle
Cons:
Nausea
Not a permanant solution
Interrupts eating schedule
One thing I have always noticed is that acne causes more acne. If you have a few days of clear skin, it's easier to keep it clear than after a bad breakout. Tetracyclines help break that constant breakout cycle and give time for your skin to recover. i would not call this a miracle pill, but it does help acne clear faster and breakouts are less frequent and severe (fewer cysts etc). I wouldn't say that it cleared my acne completely, but it did help. The biggest downside is that you have to take the pill(s) on an empty stomach, i.e two hours before or two hours after a meal. this means if you wake up for work, you have to take the pills right away and wait two hours to eat....and no more bedtime snacks either! It also causes nausea and general fatigue, although this does wear off after a few weeks. I guess the biggest problem is that it is not a long term solution....I did not have a worsening of acne after coming of tetracyclines, but I know many people do.
April 28, 2012
Pros:
Works effectively after a few weeks
Inexpensive
Cons:
Slightly inconvenient to take as it shouldn't be taken with a lot of food or any dairy
May stop working and will have to try something else
Other possible side effects as with any antibiotic
May be hard to stick to dose guidelines if you have an irregular schedule
Not a permanent fix
I took Tetracycline 500mg capsules for about a year and a half, it worked great for most of the time less so if the dose isn't taken exactly as perscribed or if doses are missed. I struggle with cystic acne and this pretty much cleared it up and it made my overly oily skin more managable. It can be very inconvenient to take at times, especially with not being able to eat within hours before or after taking the medication. I didn't really have any side effects except at times some mild stomach discomfort/nausea.
All in all I would recommend it however I would like to drive home that this is a temporary fix and isn't a solution for long term.
April 5, 2012
Pros:
Clears acne after a few months need to be patient
Cons:
Dry skin,
Nausea for the first week or so
Thirst
Initial breakout
Will probebly stop working eventually and you will move onto another antibiotic
I hate to be a downer, I have hormonal acne/adult acne and basically this and dianette and others have cleared my acne up perfectly but once you come off the meds it ALWAYS comes back with a vengence basically its meds for life which to be honest im not that bothered with its just annoying when the antibs stop working and u have to go on somethin else.
Even with accutane it can come back :( but hey a few pills a day for clear skill im up for that!
February 22, 2012
Pros:
When initially taken it did clear my acne for a good 6 months.
Didn't have an initial breakout.
Only had to take once a day.
Inexpensive
Cons:
Large, hard to swallow plastic tablets.
Would repeat on me for about 2 hours after taking them.
Occasionally felt naseous.
Built up an immunity to it.
I would say Tetracycline is often one of the first antibiotics your given if you have bad skin. I used it for about a year and spent about 6 months clear but started to notice it wasn't working as well as it did before after a while. I had no remission of my acne afterwards, once I stopped the antibiotic, the acne came back. I didn't really like the tablets as they repeated on me with some strange taste and sometimes made me feel sick but I stuck with it whilst they were working. I was never told not to have dairy whilst on it but I always timed my dairy intake as far from the tablet as possible because it would make my stomach gurgle etc. Basically its a good first antibiotic but son't be surprised if you build up a resistance to it and need something stronger.
November 1, 2011
Pros:
Reduced number of large cysts
Easy to remember to take
Some reduction of back acne
Relatively cheap
Cons:
Had no effect on blackheads
Easy to take, and a good step up from benzyl peroxide. But, ultimately, did not make a huge difference, despite taking it for over a year.
September 20, 2011
Pros:
Does help A LOT with first few months
Cons:
troublesome taking it twice a day.
If you stop the acne comes right back.
Good for someone with mild acne, but not for someone with bad acne.
August 14, 2011
Pros:
Cleared acne up during course of treatment
No side effects
Cons:
After I'd finished my 2 month treatment the acne came back and much worse aswell.
Even when I was on it, it never cleared up my back or chest.
Takes a while to notice the difference.
Damn. I was so looking forward to this treatment. After suffering with acne for 6 years and dealing with the awful years of secondary school and stupid expectations my self esteem finally took an all time low. The doctor pescribed me with this (1 a day). After a month and a half my skin was glowing; all that was left on my face was acne scars and maybe the odd pimple. I thought i'd found my miracle treatment. For the next month or so, while I finished the course of drugs, people began to notice me and really comment on how good my skin looked. Honestly, I'd never been happier with peoples positive interactions with me. Anyway, aftter 3 weeks of finishing the tetracycline my acne came back and far worse. Evenmore disheartening was the fact I was getting used to having a clear face. Once again self esteem took an all time low and I really began to hide away Anyway I have surrounded myself with a good group of friends and I guess thats all that matters. Despite the fact that tetracyline didnt work for me, it doesnt mean that it wouldnt for others. I'm pretty sure it would in fact. If you do try it, just bear in mind that it probably will come back first time, several courses may be neccessary. Good Luck. And just remember that acne doesn't need to consume your life, like I let it do with mine. By the way, I've now been on tetracycline twice, and my doctor doesnt think its worth repeating, so we are looking for alternatives.
Pros:
Helps clear acne
Does not cause dryness
Acne heals faster