AngieW in Texas Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 My 17yo tried every OTC acne treatment. We tried everything posted on these boards as well. She did honey wash, apple cider vinegar wash, bentonite clay masks, acne free (proactive knockoff), a couple of neutrogena products, and acne.org products. She also took 50mg zinc daily and eliminated dairy products. The only thing that worked at all was the acne.org products, but they never got her clear. I took her to a dermatologist two months ago and she started her on a topical cream (epiduo), which did nothing more than the acne.org products (although at least it was one step instead of three). Just this week the dermatologist had her add in doxycycline in addition to the epiduo and I'm finally seeing a difference. She isn't producing nearly as much oil as she was. I'm curious how long y'all were on doxycycline for acne. I forgot to ask the doctor how long you usually end up taking it. We have 3 months worth of prescription. The discount card she gave us is good only for the first 3 months and brings the cost down to $25/month. Even with our insurance, it will cost $155/month after the discount card expires. I don't know if there's a cheaper version or not. She may have just prescribed this particular version because the discount card brings the cost way down. My 14yo was also prescribed doxycycline at the same time as my 17yo. She is actually allergic to many of the topical treatments and has had a hard time finding things she can use that don't burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamite5 Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 My 17yo tried every OTC acne treatment. We tried everything posted on these boards as well. She did honey wash, apple cider vinegar wash, bentonite clay masks, acne free (proactive knockoff), a couple of neutrogena products, and acne.org products. She also took 50mg zinc daily and eliminated dairy products. The only thing that worked at all was the acne.org products, but they never got her clear. I took her to a dermatologist two months ago and she started her on a topical cream (epiduo), which did nothing more than the acne.org products (although at least it was one step instead of three). Just this week the dermatologist had her add in doxycycline in addition to the epiduo and I'm finally seeing a difference. She isn't producing nearly as much oil as she was. I'm curious how long y'all were on doxycycline for acne. I forgot to ask the doctor how long you usually end up taking it. We have 3 months worth of prescription. The discount card she gave us is good only for the first 3 months and brings the cost down to $25/month. Even with our insurance, it will cost $155/month after the discount card expires. I don't know if there's a cheaper version or not. She may have just prescribed this particular version because the discount card brings the cost way down. That cost seems really, really high. Ask about generics once your 3 month supply runs out. One of my children had the same experience as your dd. I asked how long it would be necessary, and the dermatologist said it completely varies, but that people tend to forget to take it for a day or two, and will notice they don't have a break out like they used to, so maybe they will skip another dose or two--and realize that they don't need it anymore. She said she's hardly ever taken anyone off the prescription, they just realize on their own they are past the point of needing it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZooRho Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I'm so sorry the stuff can be expensive. My son was on Accutane, I think it is even more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Doxycycline has a $4 generic version at Walmart. We found the generic to be just fine. I had one kid who took it for about 6 months and then was done, another that moved on to the strong stuff after six months, and DD19 is back on it now for the next two months before she moves on to stronger drugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Just filled my son's script and was shocked at the price. Apparently it is currently on the 'Limited Availibility" list which makes it pricier even though it's a generic. At Fred Meyers it's on the 4$ list but the current price I paid was $45. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 The coupon card was for the brand name. Most likely Doryx, Adoxa or Oracea. These will be expensive, but sometimes are a great option because they are time released and are easier on the stomach. It can often take 2-3months to really notice a big difference. It takes time to clear up the current skin lesions and then to have the preventative effects take hold. The generic had a big shortage issue this fall. The bottles of 1000 that we used to pay under $100 for are now well over $1000 (I work in pharmacy). There used to be several companies that made the med but one or more of them had suppy issues, which made the remaining companies run out of stock as all the pharmacies clammored for the remaining inventory. The shortage at the companies with inventory, resulted in drastic price inflation. Many companies that had the med on the $4 lists, can no longer honor that price because those 30 pills are costing the pharmacy $30-100 before the standard markup. Price continues to fluctuate rapidly in our area so it is hard to say what you will pay in your area. Let the pharmacy know if you are ok with capsules and/or tablets as the price can fluctuate between the two. It has nothing to do with the pharmacy, it is the drug companies raising the price that is causing the price to jump. Once the supply issue is resolved the price will plummet again and all will be well in the Generic Doxycycline price market. This will not affect the brand name pricing though so you will not notice a change there. Once the coupon is done, you may ask the pharmacy to give you the price for generic. The issue may be resolved and your pharmacist can ask your doctor to allow you to get the generic. You may or may not notice a difference on the generic. It is worth a try though expecially if you are paying over $100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 I will definitely ask the pharmacist about the generic when we are getting the last $25 refill. For my 17yo, I can already see a big difference even though she has only been taking it for 5 days. She has already been on epiduo for 2 months before starting the doxycycline as well. I haven't seen any difference for my 14yo yet. She has also been taking doxy for 5 days, but she doesn't use a topical. The prescription was for Doryx. I think the double scoring of the tablets is pretty weird. They are HUGE. Kids who have a hard time swallowing pills will struggle. I have to cut it in thirds for my 14yo. My 17yo can swallow it down dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisa in Florida Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 My ds took a generic version for a couple of months last summer, but it did nothing at all for his acne, so we stopped it. It was actually free at Publix at the time, although I read that it was dropped from the free list last fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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