Doxycycline for Acne User Reviews

• User
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2020

"I was prescribed doxycycline 100mg x 1 a day for three months, which was for my acne. Please persevere! After two months, my skin had made no improvement at all. I was getting new spots every day, and these were now causing scarring. I felt so down at the fact that it had done absolutely nothing for me! I started exploring other options and considered coming off this antibiotic but thought I’d stick it out for the final month. I’m so glad I did, as I’m now on my final week of the third month, and my skin is practically clear! The only thing I now worry about is whether my acne will come back after finishing the course... but we will see."

• Griff
• October 2, 2020

"I have been taking doxycycline for about a month and a half now and finally see improvement in my acne. I have been taking pictures every week, and the first month was horrific. My acne got way worse, and I started to get a little depressed. I still have acne and whiteheads, but I can see a difference in my skin, although I have acne scars all over my cheeks. I will update next month."

• Taylor
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2020

"I started doxycycline in late July 2019 for acne. At the end of the 1st week, my acne looked as if it dried up (meaning there weren’t any pimples, only acne scars). If you never used to wear sunscreen, well, you would need to, especially during the first months; your skin is so sensitive. Waxing is a no-no, and exfoliating is a big no (learned the hard way, lol). It also causes nausea; it is very important to take it while eating or right after a meal to avoid nausea. The scarring eventually goes away in 2 months or so after use (my experience). For quicker results, my doctor prescribed a skin lightening cream for spot treatment. After 6 months, I was off Doxycycline and I just use Retin-A and Deriva C alternatively. I don’t have any “active” acne, well, except the occasional 1 or 2 pimples that appear during menstruation."

• ktano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2019

"This stuff is a gift. After struggling with acne for years without response to topical medications, I was prescribed this by my dermatologist. At first, I was a little hesitant because of the reviews (people talking about the purging phase, side effects, etc.), but after being on it for about 2 weeks, my skin is almost completely cleared up. Better yet, I haven’t had any of the side effects, and I didn’t experience a purging period. The reviews are worrying, but don’t knock it till you try it, seriously."

• Patty
• February 18, 2020

"I used this drug for annoying moderate acne. It started off weird. After 2-3 weeks my skin looked like it was starting to clear up. It stayed like that for about a month. Then at the end of the 2nd month my skin was the worst it’s ever been. Now, I thing that was the purging stage because I stuck to taking it everyday, twice and now I’m in the middle of my third and last month taking it. My skin looks amazing and it’s the best it’s ever been. I would recommend this drug, but make sure u ride with it and trust it because it does take a while to see results."

• Celina
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 2, 2020

"So I'm almost 29. Ive had acne for nearly 5 years. I thought I could cure my acne by just trying new creams, washes, scrubs but finally gave up and went to the doctor. She recommended doxycyline (3 months) and adapalene gel after telling me it looked like severe acne. I was a bit hesitant to take medication as I was afraid it'd come back. She told me the only the option was to see a dermatologist which was about $200-$300. I finally decided to take the meds and use the gel and honestly that was the best decision ever! I started to see a difference on the first day. 2 months in and I feel so confident with my skin. She said if I wanted to repeat it I could. But I'll try and attempt to get off it after my 3rd month. My scarring is still a work in progress but there is a considerable improvement"

• BigDawg
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2020

"I posted my review on my 8th week of doxycycline a while back ago under Bigdawg- December 20, 2019. YOUR ACNE WILL GET BAD!!!! February 2nd will be my 3 month mark and so far my acne is clearing up. Just be patient all these side effects are normal. You're not going to magically wake up and have clear skin or any side effects so bring your self to reality. YOUR DR SAID 3 MONTHS for a reason not no 1 month or 2 months. Stick to it and be patient it works!"

• Cody
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 8, 2019

"I’m writing a review because I feel like most people come on to let people know their bad experiences to warn them. But I have nothing but good things to say about doxycycline for acne! I have been on doxycycline for 10 weeks now. It is awesome! I have had zero side effects, and my face is clearer than it’s ever been. Completely clear actually. It did take about 6 weeks to start seeing a noticeable difference but I would absolutely recommend it 10/10. I even had someone comment on how nice my skin is! I would have never thought that would happen to me!"

• Meano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2021

"I have always had acne but it got significantly worse in the past 6 months and I felt like I needed to see a derm finally (I am 23). At the point of this review, I have been on doxy for only about two weeks, but already I am seeing a huge improvement in my skin. I haven't really gotten any new acne except a few small pimples that are nothing compared to what I have been getting. I am also using adapalene gel in the morning and tretinoin at night. I will say personally I MUST take the doxy with food - when I dont, it makes me severely nauseous even to the point where I throw up. The nausea would normally subside in ~45 minutes. But when I eat it with a full meal it is totally fine, just have to remember to do that. Will try to provide an update once I am done with the full 2 month treatment!"

• nuuuru
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2014

"All I can say is that it changed my life. I had severe acne but this year January I started doxycycline. In March stopped because my face was now clear. Till now, no doxycycline, no acne. Am really happy."

• Naners
• May 17, 2021

"I had horrible mixed acne. I had cystic acne all along my jaw line and then white heads in the hollows of my cheeks. It was AWFUL! My acne was awful and was caused by the IUD I had. After removing the IUD the acne didn’t go away. Keep in mind I’m nearly 30 and never really had acne before this. I was put on 100mg Doxy with a topical Bianca treatment 2-3 times a week cleared my skin up completely. The Bianca is still working away at the scarring but it has improved my skin tone and scarring by about 80%. Cerave face wash morning and night with a light mosturizer after, as well as the Bianca 2-3 times a week is my skin routine and it’s perfect for me. I highly recommend Cerave. It really helps restore the skin barrier. Damaged skin barrier = acne for sure! Luckily I had zero side effects. Just make sure to avoid dairy with the doxycycline and take on a full stomach!"

• Sara
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2020

"Been on this medication doxycycline for almost 4 months. Side effects were pretty brutal at the beginning (nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity) but now my body has adjusted to the medication. I have seen major improvement in my skin. I'm not getting any breakouts or big pimples like I use to get before I started this medication. I'm taking this medication along with clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide, this combination has been great. Right now I only have a few bumps on my forehead. I recommend eating before taking this medication tho :P"

• scass
• December 23, 2019

"About 8 months ago, my skin suddenly went from clear to having huge, painful hormonal breakouts. My doctor recommended doxycycline so I started taking it. It took around 2 (very frustrating) months to start seeing a difference, but ever since then my skin has cleared up. I still occasionally get breakouts, but from things other than hormones (diet, not washing face, etc.). Reading through these reviews, this doesn’t work for everyone, but I recommend at least trying it, especially if you are dealing with hormonal, cystic acne. Things I’ve learned: -don’t take it before lying down -don’t take it on an empty stomach -take it with a large glass of water and eat afterwards -from extensive internet research, it seems like doxycycline normally takes 8-10 weeks before you start seeing a difference and 12 before the full effects -works best when combined with differin gel (available at a drug store without a prescription), moisturizer and a gentle cleanser"

• Doctor
• September 3, 2020

"I am doctor and took doxycycline 100mg for acne on face and back. It works and clears up skin in about two weeks. However, major complaint is that it causes skin darkening/hyperpigmentation. I have brown complexion and spend less than 5 minutes a day in sun but still turned several shades darker after just three weeks of taking it."

• momof...
• August 4, 2014

Monodox (doxycycline) "My 15 year old daughter started on this 2.5 weeks ago. Week 1 we saw no change. Week 2 the acne was significantly worse (the medicine paper warns that this may happen). As soon as week 3 started, like magic her face started to clear. We are happy with the results and hopeful for continued improvement."

• Dinaxo
• October 30, 2014

"I've been taking Doxycycline 50 mg once a day for my acne for about 3 weeks now and I'm finally seeing results. My skin is looking so good and better than ever. I'm so happy I can cry. The first 2 weeks seemed to almost make it worse but I didn't give up and I'm glad I didn't. I recommend it!"

• Sab
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 16, 2020

Acticlate (doxycycline) "DO NOT TAKE THIS. I was prescribed Acticlate in 2015 and took it for about a month for my acne. It gave me permanent BLIND SPOTS. It’s been 5 years and they’re still present. I have read other people who this has happened to. Look up “doxycycline blindness”. Obviously medications are different for everyone, but I was perfectly healthy and not expecting to go blind."

• zombri
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 24, 2020

"I used doxycycline off and on about 2 years. Each time it would help my skin but when I stopped taking it, my face would break out in horrible, cystic acne. I stopped taking it about a week ago once again. Broke out all around my nose, chin, forehead and cheek area with painful acne. Not going to use this drug anymore."

• Jayda
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 30, 2021

"I started taking doxycycline after I got bad acne on my neck and back after getting B12 injections. I was taking doxycycline for 3 months. My skin definitely purged and got worse while on it, but you need to stick with it and it gets better. I have been off it for 2 months and my acne hasn’t come back (here’s hoping it doesn’t come back as bad as it was)! I had no side effects while taking it."

• October
• October 4, 2013

Doryx (doxycycline) "I am 37. After my last child was born, I started getting these really deep, painful pimples all around my mouth and nose. According to the dermatologist I have a type of acne that's actually some kind of hybrid between rosacea and acne. The pustules hurt so much and they looked so gross. I was wearing a ton of makeup to hide them but even with all the cover up, you could still see my skin looked terrible with huge bumps and crusted over scabs from the ones I popped. I tried all sorts of OTC stuff before I finally went to the dermatologist. He put me on Doryx and within a week, the pustules were all gone and I have not had any new ones in the two months since I started this medication. I can't believe how quickly, and how well, it worked."

• Jay
• December 17, 2014

"I have been taking the doxycycline for about 1 week now consistently and I have seen tremendous change. One thing about is medication is that you must have patience. It will get worse before it gets better! In addition to taking the doxycycline I also used adapalene to control the breakouts that the doxycycline pushes out. This is coming from someone that has dealt with acne for years and has never found anything that works."

• heroo...
• May 30, 2016

"I would just like to say thank you to Doxy for saving my life. I have extreme depression and anxiety, and that was only made worse by my acne which covered almost all of my face and was spreading fast. I tried every over-the-counter medication, every face wash and even attempted laser therapy. I almost took Accutane, but heard the terrible stories online about how bad the side effects were and more. Even my doctor tried to convince me to take Accutane, but I'm here to say if you have horrible red blotchy acne that is very congested, please try Doxycycline. It took 3-4 months, and when I look in the mirror now I actually kind of want to cry because of how much it helped me. Doxy + Spectro Blemish Cleanser & Moisturizer saved my life."

• anon
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 31, 2020

Vibramycin (doxycycline) "I got off minocycline a month and a half ago after 6 months of successful treatment with it for my acne, & no side effects (mild to moderate inflamed acne here). Acne started coming back so my derm put me on doxycycline (I use azelaic acid 15% once a day topically too). I've been only 4 days on doxy 100mg twice daily & my skin is completely clear again. Zero side effects with this as well. The inflammation subsided in just 2 days. It has saved my skin once again. Tetracyclines work so well for me it's hard to get off of them."

• james
• September 3, 2014

"I could say that I would recommend this to people with mild to severe acne. I have been on doxycycline for a about 1 month and a couple of weeks close to 2 months and my acne has improved so, so much. I'm supposed to be on this for three months and I'm already close to flawless acnefree skin but of course with a combination of Epiduo, chemical peels and a gentle cleanser. Overall Doxy has been great and with no doubt would suggest it."

• Teresa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 15, 2013

Doryx (doxycycline) "I had tried every combination of topical skincare routines for years and had had no luck with clearing up my acne. Doryx cleared up my acne almost overnight and I have been taking it for several weeks and have been almost completely clear--I can't even remember the last time I was!. Very satisfied!"