Acne and Doxycycline

Doxycycline is one tetracycline that surely is worth considering as a potentially effective oral antibiotic that can treat acne. Mainly Doxycycline is used for the treatment of bacterial infections including dermatological and genito-urinary infections, cholera, pneumonia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, typhus, anthrax exposure, syphilis and brucellosis, but also is used for the treatment of inflammatory acne. It also is quite effective in preventing malaria.

Acne Products and Doxycycline

Here are some of the extensively used brands of Doxycycline in modern market today. The list also includes concentrations of the tetracycline in the products:

• Generic doxycycline capsules, tablets & liquid form (50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, taken twice a day)
• Periostat tablets (20 mg, taken twice a day)
• Adoxa tablets (75 mg, 100 mg, taken twice a day)

How To Use Doxycycline For Acne Treatment

Just as the other tetracycline’s, doxycycline also is taken once or twice in a day, normally depending upon the dose prescribed to you. If you have been prescribed a dose of fifty-milligram variant then you would have to take it twice a day and if the prescription is of one hundred-milligram variant, then you only have to take it once.

Though the Doxycycline can be taken with food but its better to eat something prior to taking this tetracycline. It will save you from upset stomach. It can be understood as eating before taking the medicine makes you less prone to painful reactions of prescription drugs.

You need to worry about dizziness and some other side effects, which could have been documented with minocycline, because the same has not been noted with doxycycline.

Side Effects of Doxycycline on Acne

The only problem with Doxycycline is that it is photoxic, hence you need to avoid taking Doxycycline when you are expecting to go out in good old sunshine. This phototoxic characteristic of doxycycline may not endear it to folks who are in constant touch of outside world.

If we compare phototoxic potential of doxycycline with other tetracycline’s then we would like to say that it has the most dangerous and severe reaction to the sun. Hence you must consider sun protection with it although severe reactions such as anaphylactic shock are very rare.

It should be known that subantimicrobial doses of doxycycline are being evaluated for their anti-inflammatory action and not their antimicrobial effect. The concept behind this is quite simple and that is: The use of powerful dose for eliminating bacteria can give birth to a new generation of more resistant bacteria.

Doxycycline Alternative Acne Treatments

If you are not seeing the expected results with tetracycline than switch over too less powerful antibiotics. You can try the following antibiotics:

• Erythromycin
• Amoxycillin
• Azithromycin
• Clindamycin
• Cephalosporins
• Trimethoprim Sulfasoxazole

Where their tolerance is an issue its better to use erythromycin which is a popular alternative to tetracycline drugs. It is best for the kids below the age of ten and this is because it’s less powerful and doesn’t damage the natural hue of the teeth.

On the other hand the patients that are pregnant mainly use amoxicillinon. Isn’t it great to treat acne through oral antibiotics without severe side effects?

Azithromycin on the other hand is given through pulse therapy, which means you need not to take the drug daily, just few times a week will do it for you.