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Tetracycline User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

Brand names: Achromycin V, Ala-Tet, Actisite, Brodspec Emtet-500 Sumycin 250

Tetracycline has an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from a total of 64 reviews on Drugs.com. 56% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 28% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Tetracycline

Commonly mentioned side effects
  • Use...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • January 9, 2020

For Acne "Tetracycline had the same effect as doxy, complete waste of money and time for me. Have been on two courses of this drug, and all it did was make my mild acne worse and did nothing to help whatsoever. Antibiotics don’t help acne, if you’re lucky enough to get improvement from them, don’t expect it to be permanent. I have now been on four courses of antibiotics, and after coming off my last course of doxy, I’m now on probiotics to fix issues caused by doctors giving me antibiotics for acne - it has left me with even more problems than before I started."

1 / 10
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  • Swi...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • July 24, 2013

For Acne "I have been taking this for over a year. Recently, I was late picking up my prescription, and after a couple of days, I noticed the difference that it makes. It does not get rid completely of my fairly mild acne, but it stops it from feeling as sore, and I only have spots now around the area of my face that is particularly bad (around my mouth). I have not experienced any side effects."

8 / 10
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  • Abi...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • January 24, 2021

For Acne "I had some bumps on my skin, and the doctor prescribed me tetracycline. After using it, my face exploded with acne. Terrible acne. Very red, huge, with whiteheads, and very deep into the skin, and with very big sizes. I kept using the medicine for over a month, and it kept getting worse and spreading. It ruined my face."

1 / 10
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6 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • Tyr...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • January 1, 2021

For Acne "I’m in the UK, so my prescriptions have been either free or £9. I’ve tried tetracycline for acne 3 times now, including my current cycle. I’ve had 3 months of lymecycline tablets each time. I’d say the results have also been the same each time. The acne gets slightly worse for the first month before becoming very minimal in the second. I tend to find that after finishing a course, my acne is greatly reduced for a good 6-9 months after before creeping up in intensity again. I am currently a young adult and have had a course in my teens. My type of acne is widespread: face, shoulders, back, and chest, but with small pustules and never was cystic. I also have combination skin naturally. One particular side effect for me is heavy dryness/flakiness on my face, hands, and lower legs, but it’s manageable by moisturizing and goes away after the course is complete."

8 / 10
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  • Heb...
  • December 22, 2016

For Acne "I've been on Tetracycline for about 10 months. I tried different face cleaners, then went on to topicals including TAC2O. But nothing worked. I started this and my acne did start to clear up, acne on my chest went away completely, back acne was almost gone, and my face was 10x better than it was before. The only problem for me was that even though my acne wasn't terrible around my period, I would spike dramatically, and my entire face would break out. But for the most part, my face did stay mediocre, having between 4-7 spots rather than my 15-20."

7 / 10
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  • mir...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • March 6, 2017

For Acne "Loved the results from tetracycline. Was on for 3 months and had the best skin I have ever had. Cleared up my chest and face within a week. Unfortunately, within a month of being done with the prescription, I started to break out again. Going back to the dermatologist tomorrow to ask to go back on."

10 / 10
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  • Ola...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 24, 2020

For Acne "I had acne on my scalp for many years. I've been prescribed to use Tetralysal for 3 months, twice a day. After the first pill, I got success! New pimples stopped popping up at all. I was extremely happy, also, I got no side effects. BUT, after approximately 8 weeks since I started to take Tetralysal, acne returned back to me (I still had 4 weeks left until the course was complete). Now I'm waiting for a new doctor's appointment and extremely disappointed. I don't really know what to think. Did I become resistant to Tetralysal?"

2 / 10
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  • Sat...
  • August 23, 2017

For Acne "I have taken pictures of my face before, after 3 months, and now after 6 months. My face has cleared about 60%, and I don't get those inflamed acne that can't be cleaned out either anymore. After 3 months, I was given the topical cream that contains Adapalene, supposedly found in Accutane, and that helped with any breakout on the way, but also made my face a bit dry. (Avene is a great mid-range cream for during the day, unless you're putting sunscreen on as recommended.) I haven't noticed many side effects, but on one occasion, I went out mid-day and hadn't put the sunscreen on. I got light sunburn, but the redness was present for an unusually long time, about a month? GP has put me on for another 3 months, so let's see."

9 / 10
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  • My...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 17, 2021

For Bacterial Infection "I suffer from ingrown hairs in my bikini area, resulting in painful boils in my bikini, upper thigh, and lower buttocks areas. I am severely allergic to the popular amoxicillin in any of its variants. The doctor prescribed tetracycline twice daily. I’d say 3 to 4 days I noticed results, and by day seven all the boils were gone. Didn’t notice any side effects besides stomach pain, as the one time I’d take it without having something on my stomach made me very uncomfortable."

10 / 10
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  • Pat...
  • August 12, 2016

For Acne "I'm 16, and it worked wonders! Treated my chest, back acne, and especially the acne on my forehead! Still get one or two pimples on my face, but it still looks just like it did when I was a little kid. Didn't really treat it on my chin. All in all, looks good. Although it delayed my period for a month and a half, and I've been on it for a month and a half, apparently, a lot of antibiotics do that. Gonna go ask my doctor about that on my next appointment."

9 / 10
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  • Sel...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 4, 2016

For Acne "I used tetracycline hydrochloride ointment together with betamethasone valerate for the terrible breakout I experienced last year (based on my doctor's prescription). I must say that the combination worked well for my acne, except that my face became very fair, almost white (I am black, by the way), and the acne scars became very conspicuous. I was advised to stop the treatment by my doctor. My face returned to normal after a while, and the scars disappeared almost completely. Unfortunately, the breakout is back, and I am planning to go back to this treatment as every other regimen isn't giving the desired result."

8 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • June 14, 2022

For Bacterial Infection "I got giant hives from head to feet. My eyes were closed because of the swelling. Panic attacks, slept most of the time. Cried when awake. Serious depression. All this lasted for almost 6 weeks. I was never taken to a doctor. Since this happened, I take antidepressants. These were prescribed to me by a psychiatrist I saw because I needed help with the depression. This was 3 months after I took the tetracycline. I cannot live without my depression medication."

1 / 10
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  • Big...
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • September 6, 2021

For Acne "I've taken this for about 15-20 years. It was prescribed for a painful skin condition that is mainly contained on the back of my head, not sure what it's called. Anyway, I've never had any issues with the tablets, I still get mild acne, but it's not particularly painful. Recently, I've decided to give it a break to see how it goes. So far, a bit of blurred vision, and my skin seems OK... which is fine. My aim isn't trying to rid myself of things I need to take, it's just dealing with legacy medications I no longer need. We all have medications we don't react well to. For me, it's beta blockers and stomach acid reducers. It's not the medication's fault, it's just my body. For example, I take Famotidine for GERD, and it's two weeks of absolute nightmare when I start... proper pain and nausea, constantly debating ringing an ambulance... but after the two weeks, it's alright. It's better than being really ill for 8 weeks when, for the sake of 2 weeks of pain, you get 6 weeks basically alright."

10 / 10
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  • Lol...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 21, 2021

For Acne "Tetracycline worked while I was using it. While taking tetracycline, I experienced joint pain and a sunburn from extra sensitivity from the drug. After finishing the treatment, my acne started coming back within one week."

3 / 10
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  • Lia...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • September 19, 2021

For Acne "Please don't use this. It will work like a miracle for the first few months and then nothing. People are stuck with this medicine because their dermatologist recommends it. Not only does it affect your liver in the long term, but it also causes you mood swings, and it doesn't work."

2 / 10
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  • Ale...
  • October 2, 2019

For Acne "I'm an adolescent that has been taking tetracycline for nearly 4 weeks now, but no remarkable results. No side effects except a little bit of stomach ache, so I suggest taking it after lunch or dinner."

7 / 10
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  • Bre...
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • September 7, 2020

For Bronchitis "Taken tetracycline with a codeine-based cough syrup. The tetracycline takes exactly 3 days to start to work for the bronchitis but feel 70-80% better. The codeine is to ease cough until the tetracycline starts to work. Have used it for 40 years and seems to be the most effective. Side effects: it depletes the fluid and causes joint problems with prolonged use. Knees are a mess, but I could breathe for years."

9 / 10
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  • Jes...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 30, 2020

For Acne "I used tetracycline for about 1 month. For 3 weeks, I took 500 mg a day (one capsule in the morning and another at night) and on the last week, just 250 mg (in the morning), besides, I took them with probiotics (at least 2 hours after the evening antibiotic dosage to not kill the probiotics). So my antibiotics are over, but I'm still taking the probiotics. After 2 days, I've realized that I've broken out a bit, but my face is still red."

7 / 10
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  • M G...
  • August 5, 2015

For Acne "I was prescribed tetracycline for acne by a doctor. The next day of taking the drug, I started to develop diarrhea and headaches. I had it for one week, and I was so down, I could not focus. Dizziness, stomach problems, vision problems, depression, and more then decided to stop. I went to see the doctor and get my blood test done, thinking that there is something wrong with my body as the doctor never told me such side effects if I am allergic to the drug or not. Blood results showed the neutrophil cells are very low. I was worried. After that, the doctor asked me to repeat the test after a week, and results showed the white cells started to pick up. Well, after I did research on this site, I found that YES, tetracycline type of drug is causing many problems to blood count."

4 / 10
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  • Tal...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 16, 2021

For Acne "I tried many things for the acne on my cheeks and a bit on my forehead. Nothing ever worked. I even tried Retin-A. My derm suggested that I go on Roaccutane, but due to personal reasons, I decided not to and opted for tetracycline instead. It worked wonders on my skin. I've never been so happy and confident in my own skin. It cleared up my face completely."

10 / 10
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  • Amy...
  • August 2, 2021

For Acne "I was prescribed this in Dec 2020 and was given a 3-month prescription. In this time, it cleared my subclinical acne, but I started getting closed comedones, which would become pustules and leave scarring, which I had never experienced before. After this, I stopped the medication for about a week, but the subclinical acne started appearing again, so I went back on it. This was around March, and I then asked for a repeat prescription and have stayed on the medication since then. Around April, my skin stopped producing closed comedones/pustules, and it has been clear ever since. I have not stopped the medication - I tried to stop it for 2 weeks to see how my skin would react, and I started getting clogged pores and oily (it reverted to a form of mildish acne, manageable but definitely not as clear as it was while I was on the medication). Along with this medication, I use Epiduo and a simple skincare routine during the day."

10 / 10
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  • Mik...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 6, 2020

"In 1990, I was 20 and caught a virus that even my doctor didn't know what it was. I was sick for 2+ months, in which my doctor had me on all sorts of antibiotics, penicillin, twice on sulfur, and nothing worked. He smiled at me and said there is one drug we haven't tried. It's an old drug but may just work. It was liquid form of tetracycline. It didn't take long, but it cured me. I can only wonder if anyone has tried this medication against the coronavirus."

10 / 10
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  • bec...
  • January 25, 2009

For Acne "I have found tetracycline extremely effective for adult acne. Now my skin is 99% blemish-free. I have not noticed any of the side effects listed."

9 / 10
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  • rlu...
  • November 17, 2011

For Helicobacter Pylori Infection "Tetracycline, along with Flagyl and Bismuth, in large doses for 2 weeks, cured my H. pylori."

10 / 10
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43 Report
  • Pug...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • November 7, 2013

For Acne "Stuff works great. It's my cure-all treatment for my adult acne on my face and back. I've been on and off of it for about 5 years, and it just works wonders!"

10 / 10
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21 Report

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Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or remove inappropriate content. Reviews appearing to come from parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any medication and should not replace the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals.