Acne.org Products
Oral Antibiotic
Efficacy
56%
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 doxycycline can reduce severe acne in the short term, and as far as oral antibiotics are concerned, it’s usually the go-to, 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 Doxycycline? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
December 3, 2009
Cons:
-Nausea! Eat something with it, You'll get very nauseous if you don't..
-I've noticed that my skin is a bit more oily than before.
-Found that I had a few more breakouts than before (with Proactive) during the first weeks. (Also on Tretinoin & Triaz)
As long as you can tolerate waiting a few weeks for results to appear (AKA stick with it), I would highly recommend Doxycycline as an addition to your acne treatment. (Although I mentioned that I initially had a few breakouts, they could be due to the fact that my doctor also put me on Tretinoin which can irritate the skin at first.)
July 16, 2015
Great product overall
I have had acne my whole life but it didn't get that bad until last summer when I broke out horribly along my cheeks and my forehead. It was so embarrassing that I didn't want to leave my house. I went to my dermatologist and she prescribed to me doxycycline. I was on it the whole summer and it worked wonders on my skin. It helped reduce the size of my pimples and cleared up the ones I had. Apart from that I still have scaring but my dermatologist took me off of it a couple months ago because she told me that this form of treatment is not recommend to take over a long period of time because your kidneys suffer.
I am back on it again and what usually happens is that I'm on it for a month or two and then I stop for a month and return back to it
The month that I take a break from the medication I have occasional breakouts but not as bad as before
March 19, 2012
Pros:
-quite a big improvement in skin complexion
-less oily face throughout the day
-fairly quick results
-reduction in acne
-reduces redness / inflammation
-increased my confidence
Cons:
-can't take antibiotics forever
Just 4 days into doxycycline, i can already see an improvement in my skin with less rednes and inflammation and my complexion looking a whole lot better than before. I was prescribed 50mg taken 2x daily for 3 wks and 1x daily after 3 wks. Now, I know you can't stick with antibiotics forever, so while our acne may improve in the course of our doxycycline, we shouldn't abandon a healthy diet, hygiene and proper skin regimen.
So far, I have not suffered any side effects. I take doxycycline immediately after breakfast and dinner with a full cup of water.
For all those with acne, I recommend getting a prescription from your doctor, but remember THIS IS NOT THE SAVIOUR OF YOUR ACNE. Yes, it may drastically improve your condition, but be sure to still treat your skin with proper care.
Good luck!!
March 4, 2012
Pros:
Amazing stuff. This antibiotic is simply superb! Within two days my acne started to clear up and now (two weeks later) I don't have a pimple on my face!
I've tried various pills (yasmin, dianne) which work okay.. but never give amazing results. I've also tried other antibiotics (bactrim, mino) which just didn't work at all.
Cons:
Upset stomach/ headache if taken on an empty stomach or just before lying down. I take 1 pill (100mg) a day just after lunch and never have any problems.
Try it! Seriously. I thought it would take at least a month to work but it's cleared me up instantly! I also use in conjunction with yasmin, but that wasn't doing much for me and I've been on it for over 6 months now. My acne (light/moderate) was really getting me down to the point where I didn't even want to leave the house for work or uni. Thanks to doxy I'm now acne free and just have a few red spots I need to get rid (probably with microdermabrasion). Highly recommended!!
October 17, 2011
Pros:
Works well with painful inflamed blemishes
Cons:
Must be taken with food. Otherwise, you'll suffer from fatigue and barf.
need to wear sunscreen.
It did take a month and a half to show any signs of improvement but it really helped me. I was on a crusade to heal my acne holistically but failed so I started on this and im very impressed with the results. I have serious skin issues with a combination of sometimes dry, flaky, oily skin and this calmed everything down. Did not help with scars but definitely ended breakouts. If your concerned about choosing pills to clear up skin vs. holistic methods choose this antibiotic in a low dosage and get your life back.
August 14, 2011
Pros:
skin appears less oily from first day.
acne scars seems to be fading.
reduces redness and size of pimple were they look like a micro zit =)
Cons:
initiated a bad break out on right temple, but healing up quick. nausea the first time, but fine after. hearing seems to go out every now and then, seeing shadows from nothing causing the shadow (like an acid trip)
I was acne free all through out high school( c/o '08), just the occasional zit every few months. My 1st year (2009) at UNF I started breaking out, wasn't bad but never had this many pimples, I ordered pro active, got it 2-3 days later and the first week it seemed to work, that following day my face was covered with zits/pimples. I quit that, tried Clearasel 30 day kit, got worse, tried Murad, skin was flackey and broke out more, by the end of the year I became anti social. I couldn't make eye contact with anyone cause I would think there just looking at this horrible acne on my face. Summer came ('10) and my parents thought it was a prank.. It was horrible, my mom took me to the dermatologist and I got prescribed minocycline (50mg) 1 morning/1 night with Aczone cream gel. 2 months into it my acne was still bad, started to get hyper pigmentation on both high cheek bones were it looked like I had 2 big bruises, my eye color (dark brown) seemed to be atleast 5 shades lighter, I told my derm and she told me to stop taking it. I was then just hopeless and didn't re enroll that fall cause I just felt horrible. I continued to wash my face just with basic face wash and it was helping a little. After months of hiding my mom took me to the Derm again and she prescribed me Doxycycline 100mg 1morn empty stomach/1night empty stomach. I just started bout a week and a half ago and it has made a HUGE change already, from having bout 30 zits/pimples all over my face, I have maybe 3 tiny ones recovering on my temple. The scaring is drastically going down and all my friends and family have noticed my skin clearing and confidence coming back up, heres my regime CeraVe face wash morning, wait 30 min, Duac Gel/CeraVe moisturizing lotion spf30, night CeraVe face wash, 30 min CeraVe moisturizing cream, Tazorac Gel 0.1%! Everything works different on everyone, worth a shot, just have high hopes and never let acne take control of your life.
June 25, 2011
Pros:
-Clears acne well
-(When I was one 2 a day) cleared facial redness
Cons:
-Hard to remember to take sometimes/timing after I eat is sometimes awkward
-Not being consistant can cause a very minor relapse (maybe 1 or 2 zits)
I take one 100mg once daily (a half hour after dinner). Although it is recommended to be taken 2hrs after you eat, my dermatologist said a half hour is ok for me (and I never get nauseous this way). I've been taking it for over a year, and I have close-to clear skin. At one time I might have 1-3 active pimples, but most of the time they are hormone related or caused from my hair products around the sides of my face. I would say my skin in pretty clear.
I was taking it twice a day, but I was uncomfortable with the amount of antibiotics this meant, and I saw that one was just enough to control my acne. After about a year, I wouldn't say it has decreased in effectiveness. It seems to do its job if I regularily take it.
June 24, 2011
Pros:
Cant believe it acctually helped...
Cons:
none really sometimes feel sick
stay out of sun for long periods of time!!! got a really really bad sunburn lol! :)
I had tried so many diffrent things. tetracycline, bp, retin a, and some other topicals, proativ, even took diffrent vitimans and nothing ever worked or even helped. I was proscribed this about 1 1/2 months ago. started with about 30+ pimples, some cysts that hurt like a bitch. now i have about 5 pimples none cystic, none hurt at all. just have alot of scaring :P i would really recomend this!!!
April 29, 2011
Pros:
Cleared red spots
Scars seemed to disappear
Cons:
Sun sensitivity
Stops working immediately
I took doxycycline after being diagnosed with lyme. After researching the pill, I realized it was the reason my acne was clearing up, not my new facial wash. I'm looking into getting some for an acne treatment but I spend a lot of time in the sun so I'm concerned about that. Because it wasn't for acne, the dosage was probably a lot higher than necessary.
January 30, 2011
Pros:
-Gets rid of acne
-Easy to swallow
-Easy to break
Cons:
-Can upset your stomach at first
-Can be costly
-Can't take it forever
-Doesn't help scarring
I love this anti-biotic acne treatment. I had acne since 5th grade and in my junior year of high school my parents brought me to the dermatologist and this is what she prescribed me. After just a couple months I was only getting a couple breakouts and eventually my acne disappeared (even though I still got/get regular zits every once in a while). It affected my stomach at first, but you adjust. My dermatologist paired this with Epiduo though, since you can't take this forever. I had to go back on it after a summer of stress and dirt too, and it worked again. I think the combo works beautifully, and now I am now working on my scarring. The pills are easy to break in half when you're weaning off of it. The cost can be annoying but ask your derm for the card they make to make the cost lower. All in all I highly recommend it, just be careful when it comes to your stomach.
Pros:
-Does an excellent job at clearing & preventing acne, AFTER about 3-4 weeks.
-It's easy, 1 pill/day.