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antibiotics for acne


klmama
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Dc has been prescribed an antibiotic for acne, in combination with Retin-A, but after looking at the possible side effects of the antibiotic I'm hesitant to fill the prescription.  I know I need to discuss my concerns with the doctor, but I'm wondering what the Hive's experience has been.  

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Low dose antibiotics for acne is super common. Do you have any specific questions? 

Some people only take them when they have a bad flare, some people take them daily. 

Common ones are Doxycycline and Minocycline, (Tetracycline use to be popular but isn't used as much now). Clindamycin is used for short term skin infections, but not usually for long term use. 

Always drink a glass of water with doxycycline or minocycline and do not lay down for 30 minutes after taking them. You want to make sure they get thru the esophagus. They can both cause sun sensitivity but doxy is the worse offender. They can cause diarrhea but not typically. If they do, just stop taking them.  Long term use and/or higher dose use, is where you are more likely to get complications. 

Oral antibiotics are most common for cystic acne or people with skin that is prone to scarring. There are several  topical antibiotics that are used more commonly for uncomplicated acne. 

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2 hours ago, regentrude said:

One of my kids had several long term courses of antibiotics for acne. There were no side effects, but it also was not helpful in the long term, and after years we finally did isotretinoin and I wish we had done that much earlier.

 

Same. Exactly.

 

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Dd was taking them as prescribed by pediatrician.  We switched primary care, new doctor had a fit.  Apparently what she was taking had very serious health implications (lupus and auto-immune-related).  I'd have to go back and look at my notes to explain this particular antibiotic.  In the end, the antibiotics only contained the acne for awhile, but did not cure completely. She would continue to break out between cycles of the antibiotics, so it seemed pointless anyways.

 We've tried just about every over the counter product...   She now uses this, pricey but this definitely works for her.  They have talked about Accutane, tiny dose, but I'm leery of it.  Once all this quarantine is over, she will go in for another consult.   

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Way, way, way back when my mom finally took me to a dermatologist after every OTC treatment had failed miserably (including the $150 skin care products we bought at Dillard's) it looked like I would have use Retin-A and something else (can't remember what). But the doctor said he wanted to try something else first...birth control pills. Being the girl I was (at the time, lol) I was appalled - I didn't want to go on THAT! People might think I was...you know...not perfect! But he said try it for 3 months. So I did. First month slight difference. Second month major difference. Third month 100% clear skin. Stayed on bcp for about a year and never had a blemish issue again. I don't know if that is an option or if dermatologists would go that route but when I think of what I looked like before/after, I'm so glad I tried the pills.

Just another option/idea if antibiotics are not desired.

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7 hours ago, BakersDozen said:

Way, way, way back when my mom finally took me to a dermatologist after every OTC treatment had failed miserably (including the $150 skin care products we bought at Dillard's) it looked like I would have use Retin-A and something else (can't remember what). But the doctor said he wanted to try something else first...birth control pills. Being the girl I was (at the time, lol) I was appalled - I didn't want to go on THAT! People might think I was...you know...not perfect! But he said try it for 3 months. So I did. First month slight difference. Second month major difference. Third month 100% clear skin. Stayed on bcp for about a year and never had a blemish issue again. I don't know if that is an option or if dermatologists would go that route but when I think of what I looked like before/after, I'm so glad I tried the pills.

Just another option/idea if antibiotics are not desired.

I was going to say something similar to this. Not sure if your dc is female, but bcp worked wonders for me too. Antibiotics did nothing. I suspect my problem was completely hormonal so the bcp worked. 

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In our experience, oral antibiotics is pretty typical short-term to help jump start treatment for a severe case of acne.  It's usually taken in combination with creams such as retina-A, and others.  It's what two of my girls did, and others I know.   I think (? -- I knew at the time, but it's been awhile!) it's used to get rid of any infection that is part of the overall problem.  I think also, as things...oils and such?  (sorry -- I don't know proper terminology!) are being brought up to the surface during treatment, infections can settle on the skin surface.  So, the antibiotic is given at the start of the treatment, and then removed from the daily regimen after a period of time.  Neither of my girls had any trouble with it.  (They took Doxycycline.)

Going on a prescribed skin routine made all the difference for my girls, one of them in particular.  I'm not sure how much one med made a difference over the other...  She was on the antibiotic and three creams, but together they sure worked!  (She's still on two prescribed creams, years later.)

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Thanks for all the responses.  I appreciate knowing your experiences.  The doctor responded to my concerns, so I'm okay with going ahead cautiously.  But yikes, I had no idea how expensive treatment would be before hitting our deductible!   I hope we get there soon!  

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PSA:  I took Doxy for a very short while for ocular rosacea, and it made me extremely depressed, like, it hurts to be alive type depressed.  Thankfully it was such an abrupt change that I realized what caused it, and thankfully as soon as I stopped it went away.  This is not on the warning label for the drug, but it's a fairly common experience if you look on the internet.  I'm not saying not to take it, but to watch out for this.  

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On 5/4/2020 at 11:54 PM, BakersDozen said:

Way, way, way back when my mom finally took me to a dermatologist after every OTC treatment had failed miserably (including the $150 skin care products we bought at Dillard's) it looked like I would have use Retin-A and something else (can't remember what). But the doctor said he wanted to try something else first...birth control pills. Being the girl I was (at the time, lol) I was appalled - I didn't want to go on THAT! People might think I was...you know...not perfect! But he said try it for 3 months. So I did. First month slight difference. Second month major difference. Third month 100% clear skin. Stayed on bcp for about a year and never had a blemish issue again. I don't know if that is an option or if dermatologists would go that route but when I think of what I looked like before/after, I'm so glad I tried the pills.

Just another option/idea if antibiotics are not desired.

BCP is one of the most common ways to treat hormone related acne.  Acne on the chin and jawline are often hormonal. Another sign is if it comes and goes (especially if you can link it to the menstrual cycle). BCP can may a huge impact on acne. Another benefit, is that if you use continual dosing (skipping placebos) you can skip periods and avoid that hassle too! Dermatologists can prescribe it, but they often want the PCP to write it, since the PCP (in theory) knows the patients full medical history. 

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On 5/5/2020 at 1:54 AM, BakersDozen said:

Way, way, way back when my mom finally took me to a dermatologist after every OTC treatment had failed miserably (including the $150 skin care products we bought at Dillard's) it looked like I would have use Retin-A and something else (can't remember what). But the doctor said he wanted to try something else first...birth control pills. Being the girl I was (at the time, lol) I was appalled - I didn't want to go on THAT! People might think I was...you know...not perfect! But he said try it for 3 months. So I did. First month slight difference. Second month major difference. Third month 100% clear skin. Stayed on bcp for about a year and never had a blemish issue again. I don't know if that is an option or if dermatologists would go that route but when I think of what I looked like before/after, I'm so glad I tried the pills.

Just another option/idea if antibiotics are not desired.

My dd was also on BCP for several years.  I'd forgotten about that!  We hesitated at first too.  When she finally went on it, it was right before going away to a Christian summer camp where the campers had to hand over their prescription meds to their counselors.  🙂  But several other girls were on BCP for acne and it was no big deal.  So in the end, I don't know what all made the difference...  I guess everything all together did.  She was on the antibiotics for a few months, and then three creams and the BCP.  Eventually her skin cleared up beautifully, but it didn't begin clearing until the 4-month mark, so the dermatologist thought she had a particularly stubborn case.  (Which she did.  Her acne was really quite bad.  And I think the BCP was added a little later, not initially.  She is now 25 and is still on two prescription creams, though nothing else.)

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