hey guys i started on minocycline and differin gel last week and at first i had the initial breakout which i think everyone has but now my face is looking better than ever. Im not getting any new acne just getting rid off the acne i already have. So fingers crossed it helps clear my acne completely

I took this drug three years ago (somewhat against my will) and it caused me to develop secondary Pseudo-Tumor Cerebri, which is a condition that affects your body similarly to the way a brain tumor would, without an actual growth being present. Unfortunately, I had to go through three months of hellish, intense migraines (which I never had previously), nausea/vomiting, dizziness, and even vision loss before doctors finally figured out what was wrong with me. Conspicuously, my menstrual cycle has been very abnormal ever since I took this drug (although any connection it actually may have can't be proven).PTC is a very rare side effect, but know that if you take this drug, it is a possibility. If you have ANY sudden and unusual headaches after starting this drug, go to your doctor right away and mention this disease. I'm not here to bash this drug or be disrespectful, but certainly I am NOT a fan of it.

Hi All:

I started taking minocycline a few days ago. It's relatively too soon to rate it or give an objective opinion, but since I have to rate to post this comment...I'll give it 3 stars for now. However, I will try to post again in a few weeks with a better update.

After my second day on the antibiotics, I experienced some dizziness/feeling light headed and extreme nausea. I was directed to take one pill twice per day when this occurred. I had to leave work from being so sick and called my Doctor regarding my adverse reaction. He said it was quite normal and a common complaint among people who take minocycline. Since I paid a lot for the medication, I was willing to keep using it, however once per day rather than twice. My Doctor said that was fine. I now take one pill per day at dinner time with food and I have not experience any drastic symptoms as before. Maybe a wee bit of dizziness, but nothing scary at all. I read some of the posts on here and there was an individual who mentioned something about not being able to eat an hour after or two hours before you take minocycline. I would recommend talking to your Pharmacist about this. I did speak with mine when I filled my prescription and she advised me to take minocycline with food if I have a sensitive stomach, which I do. Just make sure the foods you eat when you take minocycline are not dairy products (cheese, milk, etc.) as these sort of foods reduce the effect of the antibiotic.

Another thing, women...yeast infections... yes, I know, very yucky. These sometimes occur when taking antibiotics. I was very apprehensive to take antibiotics for my acne since they interfere with your body's PH balance and off sets the good bacteria in your stomach. I also did not want to deal with a possible yeast infection. Anyway, I drink a lot of water on a daily basis and have continued to do so. I've been drinking a little bit more than the normal 8 tall glasses per day. So try to do the same! Take a probiotic in conjunction with minocylcine, but not together! I bought Acidophilus (which promotes good intestinal health and restores the good bacteria balance in your stomach) the other day and have been taking 2 pills per day (1 in the morning and 1 at night). Also, remember that dairy products binds to minocycline and disrupts the effect of minocycline, therefore, I would recommend taking Acidophilus 4-5 hours before or after you take minocycline. It can be taken on a empty stomach as it's just cultured bacteria and calcium. If you've got a terribly senstitive tummy, then you can have some fruit or a light snack with it. No harm done. Proper hygiene is paramount too! I've been very careful to stay away from carbs (sugar, breads, etc.) all of which foster the growth of candida (yeast) and can lead to an infection quite easily.

This might sound like a lot to go, but it's really not. Just remember:

drink a ton of water
keep your skin clean and don't forget to use moisturizers/sun block (minocycline may cause sensitivity to sunlight and you'll burn faster if you're in the sun!)
take a probiotic (Acidophilus) if you're concerned about yeast infections and bacteria imbalance in your body...

...and best of luck to all of you out there taking minocycline!!

God bless.

not a good medication AT ALL. it may be good for clearing skin but taking it for a year is really detrimental. it eventually threw out the balance of good bacteria in my gut, and my immune system became shocking. it took me 6 months to get over glandular fever, and now i have candida overgrowth! seriously, it's not worth it. it's dangerous just like any long term medication. im now off the pill and mino and my skin is much the same and when it was ruining my system.

I had to get off the minocycline, it does work, but I began feeling worse and worse. Had to drink coffee all day to keep going, joints hurting and emotionally depressed. I've switched to doxycycline which doesn't seem quite as effective, but I sure feel a lot better and skin is clearing up slowly. I dread the day when the bacteria build up a resistance to these antibiotics, because the pimples do keep coming back about 2 to 3 weeks after I stop taking the antibiotics...so I imagine this protection is not going to last forever.

I have been taking this for about two weeks and I whent tanning with a friend on new years eve. Today (NEW YEARS DAY) I have a rash on my wrists and on my armpit as well as my butt and it is ITCHY!! I hate it but I don't know if this is a reaction to my med. or not. does anyone know about this?

ive taken this for a month, cleared acne completly.. but still have scars and red spots... how do i get the scars to go away? i use differin xp and am on diane 25 birth control... have been on the pill for 5 months. should i wait another few moths with minocin?? will it improve scarring at all ? should i just stop beating around th ebush and go on accutane?? wtf

I've taken these for 6 months and they've done absolutely f all. I'm so disappointed, a waste of 6 months. The NHS in England is f useless. It's a jungle out there with how many millions of "treatments" but is there actually one that works? I guess we'll never know.

Well, where do I begin?? I my skin broke out and I went to a dermatologist and she gave me a script for Minocycline... approx 4 wks later, I started seeing a black donut out of my eye, other than that no other vision in my Left eye. I went to the eye dr. and immed was referred to a retina specialist. I had "pseudotumor cerebri" which is a side effect of this lovely medication! I had too much fluid on my brain pushing on my optic nerve behind my eye making me lose the vision in my eye! I had a spinal tap to relieve the pressure in my brain. I was having SEVERE headaches, barely able to function too... Anyway, I had to see a neurologist and I was taking so many meds that they all interacted and caused 5 kidney stones. Then, I had 2 kidney stents.... I still take meds for migraines that I did not have prior to all this. So, just take this med with caution!!! It has cost me over $80,000 in medical bills, CT scans, surgeries, meds etc... PLUS 1 year of being VERY sick. Please be careful. Read your med insert, Pseudotumor cerebri is a listed side effect. Google Pseudotumor Cerebri & Minocycline and read about it... It is scary! I think I would rather have Acne than take this med! Debated on whether or not to post, but decided that you all needed to be informed how DANGEROUS this med really is. Good luck & God Bless :)

I've taken Minocycline for about 2-3 years now and my skin is SO much better. I still get acne before my period and occasional, insignificant whiteheads. There definitely is a case of dizziness and a short headache (they usually last about 5 seconds) after standing up. I have noticed my teeth are SLIGHTLY discolored but nothing whitening trays can't fix. I think this medicine is great and but i only rate it with three stars because I find it inconvenient to work taking the medicine around meals (especially breakfast since you either wait an hour after taking it to eat, or two hours to take it after eating, and I just don't get up that early!) and the headaches/dizziness (which actually just started maybe 2 months ago) is starting to get on my nerves. I hope this helped.

I am really glad I stumbled upon this page! I've been taking Minocycline for about two weeks along with Clindamycin and Benzoyl Peroxide creams for my acne and I haven't notice much of a difference yet. I've been on Doxycycline in the past and it has worked, but for some reason, Doxycycline wasn't working for me this time around. My dermatologist prescribed Minocycline and has suggested that I go on birth control to combat my acne. I will be seeing my GYN for the birth control next week, so as for now, it's just the Minocycline and the creams. Will update soon!

I have been on Minocycline for 3 months already and I have to say that I love it! Sure the first month and 1/2 I didn't really see much of a difference. I actually thought it was getting worse before it got better but it could have just been me looking at my face constantly. Don't let this stop you from taking the medication. Continue it even if you feel like it is not working. Antibiotics usually takes a good 2-3 months to get into your system. I never really had bad acne but pimples here and there and worst of all blemishes that just would not go away. I have also been taking Yaz and I have to say that taking birth control and minocycline work wonders together but it can have different affects on people. If you feel like this antibiotic is not working for you, just weigh it out. Trust me with time ad patience you WILL see a huge difference. I am telling you this from experience and I will continue taking this medication.

just like some of you, I have been on minocycline for 3 weeks and experiening dizzyness....how long does this last. my dermotologist wants me to take this for 2 months....what are the causes and dangerness of this dizziness

For those with Cyst acne- I can tell you I took Acutane for 4 months 10 years ago and my face stayed clear until just recently- and I did another short-3 months of accuntane. Some people have some reactions to it but for those with cyst acne that will not move-STOP taking antibiotics-they don't work Accutance changes your skin and you no longer have cyst- it really orked for me and I had back acne and painful cyst for most of my life!

Well first of all I have to say rg2122,ITellItLikeItIs are real @$# holes. Having a few occasional pimples from sweat or wearing to much makeup is a heck of alot different than the confidence battle people with severe acne go through, not to mention having cysts on your face are pretty damn painful. Having bad acne doesn't make you ugly, being some little ignorant hood rat makes you ugly.Next on my list though, I haven't taken minocycline yet as I am allergic to a few antibiotics. I had an experience much like navi530 ( on Amoxicillin )
where I was hospitalized due to constantly throwing up for about a week. Upon being in the E.R for what I thought was a horrible stomach flu or food poisoning they said my white blood count was so extremely low that I was in high danger of a brain hemorrhage and my mother (who was told before I) was instructed to try and keep me as calm as possible as to not increase my heart rate or blood flow. Which wasn't the case when told that kind of news. Along with that I had ulcers inside my mouth that started bleeding, and my blood veins had constricted to much that the nurse had to stick me like 15 times before they could hit it. That caused me to bleed horribly and instantly along with my hands,arms,foot swelled like a baseball glove where they stuck me. ( Thus leading me to get ill worded with the nurses) So naturally I am a bit scared to try antibiotics for my acne which at times is pretty severe on my face. Its been a constant issue since 12, and I always have a constant of atleast 3-5 rock hard deep under skin cysts on my face along with several black and white heads. My upper back isnt much better. I did take Tetracycline along with a benzoyle face wash for a few months with little results, but luckily without side effects either. My "backne" did seem to clear up pretty good though. For now as my new job insurance has yet to kick in I've been using topical face washes and have been visiting the tanning bed weekly to dry out my skin. Which I know over time isnt very healthy but it does seem to work moderately with exception of the week previous and following my period. (hormones are acnes worse enemy I think) And well living in Florida I cant say I dislike having a nice tan, atleast it makes my acne less visible because I'm getting dark. I'd love to hear some more updates on the people using this, as I have read its a good alternative to tetracycline as far as risk of side effects go. Keep me updated.

i took this medicine for about 7 to 8 months. It worked for me in a way but i still had acne..it never would completley go away. I've bin on soo many acne pill in mi life its crazy, nd this wun seemed to be the only one i saw a difference with. Well anywaiz i wasnt to happy with the fact that i still had acne so i made a dermatologist apointment and he told me that if your on this pill for too long, your skin can start to blotch, he said that it wasnt likely but possible for me to look like i fell into a bucket of bleach. So i stoped that medication for about 6 weeks and he put me on duac and amoxicillion. Neither worked nd duac just burned my face. so i went back and he put me on differin and miniocyline...now i noe minocycline will work to an extent but i praay that this differin shit isnt gonna completely ruin my face..

find minocycline a bit inconsitent..seemed to work well for me this time last year but ive been using it for seven weeks now along with adapelene cream with no improvement and the worse thing is i seem to be developing thoose big cysts that swell really bad and make you so deppressed..ive been to the doctor twice in the last two weeks and he says ive got to stick it out...

hey ive been in football and basketball and my face gets a little pimple here and ther ad i take that stuff and its gone in less then 2 weeks so whoever says it dont work ur probley just ugly and the acne just makes it worss..peace out

i was taking Minocycle and it left me with a really bad reaction. i had been taking it for over 2 and a half months. i started gettin pain in my left kidney area a little while after. i went to the doctor a couple times and was told it was ONLY a kidney infection or inflammation. i started to get really bad joint pain and usually woke up crying jush cause i coudnt even take off my clothes to take a shower! i thought the pain woud wear off, but i had no clue it was the medicine. a while later, i went to urgent care and was gunna get an mri a week later, but the next day i was so weak and throwin up.. so i went to ER... they told me my white blood cell count was at like 1600 and i coud have an hiv or somethin.. by that time, i was soo scared and freaking out. so that nite, i still coudnt eat and had my doctor admit me to a hospital for fluids and nausea medicine. i came home 3 in the morning & also missed a final!=( on a wednesday, i had a cat scan thing done (duno if thats wat it was) and totally had to drink horrible fluid. the next day, i had to go take a blood test to see if my count was going up.. on friday, i was called over to the doctors and found out my wbc count was at 400 & i was admitted to the hospital.. i was out after 2 nites and 3 days, but was in isolation... a couple days ago my wbc was at 1700.. but i stil have the worst pain in my joints.. i barely have an appetite now.. and over this sickness, i lost approximately 20 pounds. taking this medicine, with the reactions it gave, was not a good choice. we never kno wat we will be allergic to, but my doctor did not help in noticing it was the medicine till it was too late. i learned my lessons with this BADDD reaction and jush cant wait to get back to my normal self..

uhh? ive been on this for almost 2 weeks now and it feels like my face has gotten worse. I am currently taking it with azelex (azelaic acid) and im still waiting for positive results. Im taking other people's word for it though, and giving it time.

This stuff sucks. I have seen no improvement.

I have been usung this stuff for years and my skin is flawless & my entire body is smooth. I only get occational breakouts when im on the rag :) If you dont like this product your probably ugly beyond your acne. have a super swell day!

this is so weird.i just called my doctor and told her i was dizzy after taking the med..she said it had nothing to do with minocycline, but i swear it does! i haven't been this dizzy in my life! (aside from my last pregnancy).....im on my 2nd day so far.....lets see where this takes me...

Hey I had acne for like 5 years. I am a good looking guy but this acne totally just kills me and my confidence. Its not bad I just have little ones mainly on my forehead and get maybe 2 or three on my cheeks a month. I started taking minocyclin with diferin gel & Duac morning gel which my derm prescribed I was just wondering when you people started to see the change. Becuase its been like 17 days and I still have the same acne I had before. its funny becuase the first three days I took it almost made my face totally clear but then it went back to the old... did that happen to you. Like should i see results after 20 days or can it take months?

This drug was fairly effective for me. I had quite severe cystic acne and it cleared that up completely. My skin is now completely smooth. However, this medication odes little to nothing for post acne scars and marks, and it also works very, very slowly. it took me about 3 months just to get to the point I am at now.

have been on this for 4 months now along with isotrexin gel. i have to say the first month it actually got worse! i went back to the g.p. who told me to stick it out. it has def improved 95%, although i have only 2 months until i finish the course. i am worried of the acne returning really bad when i stop! i still get the odd pimple around time of cycle but i put the gel on and they are gone the next morning!

I've been on minocycline for about a year and honestly I think its done very little. I have seen no big change in my skins appearance.

i had bad acne & was prescribed minocycline. i took it for about 7 or 8 months. i started getting small black pen like marks on my face (reaction) and had to stop taking it. about one month after my face & back started breaking out really bad. i just started doxycycline. we'll see how it works..

This drug for me was amazing!!! i quite bad acne and it cleared it up COMPLETELY for about a year!.... and then i became immune.my spots began to come back and are very severe at the moment. i'm on dianette (contraceptive pill) at the moment which seems to be taking its time. but i dont regret going on minocin mr because even though it was for a short time it worked wonders!

I had mild/moderate acne for a few years and have tried a number of treatments, eventually i went privatley to see a derm and he put me on minocin along with differin gel. These have worked amazingly for me, i no longer feel embaressed about my skin as it is completely clear, it has also boosted my self esteem and i feel much happier about myself. i have been using it for almost 3 months now on one tablet a day (100mg) however it does take at least 2 months to make a difference and in my case did get a lot worse during the first month which made me very depressed but all i can say is put on a brave face and stick it through because it really works.

My dermatologist prescribed Minocycline for cyctic acne,the first day I took it I started to feel dizzy and lightheaded but because the label on the bottle said this would go away during treatment, I continued to take it, On the 4th day, I was so dizzy and lightheaded, the room was spinning (I was at work) and I was confused and literally walking into walls, My vision went completely blurry. it was the scariest feeling ever!! I had to call my husband to pick me up and take me to the emergency room, where the drs told me it mustve been side effects of the minocycline, I stopped taking it that day and havent had any in my system for 6 days now, but Im still dizzy and my head feels like it ways a ton, I also have had a severe headache since stopping the meds, Im taking Antivert that the hospital had given me to counter act this medicine, but Im almost out. I hope the side effects go away soon. I will NEVER take Minocycline again!!

I've never had a history of bad acne problems, until about a year ago when I started to develop severe acne on my scalp; namely, the back of my head. Tried Oxy pads on my face and scalp, but it didn't help at all. The acne on the back of my head just kept coming back after it healed, and at times it really hurt. Then the doctor prescribes Minocycline, and I've been taking two a day for the past month. My scalp acne is almost completely clear now, and it was only when I ran out of medication that I felt one little zit begin to come back. This stuff definitely worked for me, though I'm afraid of being forced to rely on this stuff for several months. During the first week or two on the medication, I felt dizziness and lightheadedness, but only a minor case and all it did was force me to take naps in the day. I've had one strange side effect, where three zits appeared on my left thigh and buttocks, but that was short lived and haven't encountered any zit occurrances since. I was surprised seeing all the negative reviews on here when this product worked for me (presuming things don't get worse when I stop using this stuff).

After months of contemplation my mum finally let me start taking this medication. I'm 14 turning 15 and I 've been taking it for about 2 months. I take it twice a day straight after meals and it's really helped, however, it hadn't cleared my face completely. I've also realised that acne comes back during the normal times (stress, menstruation, etc) but overall its worked well. I haven't had any side effects either but its still winter so i haven't had a chance to test sunlight tolerance but i'll just wait and see.

This antibiotic is working very well for my mild-moderate facial acne that I've been battling since I was 13 (I'm 22 now). I take 2 a day and noticed a difference in 3 weeks. I'm in my 2nd month now, and though I still have one or two pimples on my cheeks, it's about 95% better than it was. I'm also on sironolactone, an androgen blocker, so that may also be helping, but I've been on minocycline in the past before. This is much gentler than doxycycline for me, which gave me esophagul ulcers, and seems to be about as effective.

I have been on minocycline now for about four months and would reccomend this product to others. I was perscribed this med in conjunction with differn gel (which i do not use) but have had success with just the minocycline. It took about two months for it to really start working so if you have just started, be patient. I still get occasional zits (mostly around the time of my cycle) but for the most part my skin has improved. I have not experienced any side effects (i take two pills before bed).

Just under 2 years ago I was on Minocycline, I was told to continue taking it for 6 months and not to forget taking it or else the acne would come back really bad. So I took it twice a day, it was not getting beter, infact I felt it was getting worse but continued to take it. On the fifth month it was the worst I ever had and decided it was not working for me and got off the medication. I did not get any side effects though but it clearly did not work for me, i'm still looking for something to help my acne.

almost a year ago i was put on meds to help me get over the flu. before, i had acne on my upper and lower back, all over my face, some on my neck, and even on my arms and within the first few days of taking the medication, my acne was almost completely gone. i told my mom and she thought it was a reaction to the meds i had been taking. we went back to the doctor and asked if the medication had anything to do with my skin. apparently, it had something similar to minocycline in it so he put me on minocycline. he warned me of the side affects like yeast infections, and, allergic reactions to the sun (made it clear that its VERY important to stay out of the sun) the minocycline worked great for me especially because i had acne in places that were just too hard to treat with a cream or gel. now that winters come back around i've noticed my skin isn't as great as it was last winter when i was on the minocycline. i think i've built a tolerance to it but i dont want to get off it because when i don't take it for even a day i can tell. a while ago my dermatologist switched me to dinocycline. my mom assures me that it's exactly the same as minocycline, but i know for a fact that my skin's is better on minocycline than dinocycline so we switched back. since i've been on the minocycline i've had no bad side affects. i take a multi vitamin for teens, vitamin c, take certain things for my immune system, so maybe that has something to do with it? i was also in the sun all summer, and got very dark while i was on minocycline and my skin looked better than ever. i know the sun is bad. wrinkles, cancer and so on... but being in the sun and on minocycline at the same time had no side affects that weren't normal.

About the 3rd week on minocyclin I started swelling (hands, feet, female area, lymphnodes). I didnt realize I was actually having an allergic reaction until I started having hives. I went to the doctor who gave me prednisone...and about on day 4 I relapsed and the swelling and itching got worse...I ended up having an alergic reaction that was worse than the first. I feel like I have really literally crawled out of the grave after taking a strong antihistimine for 2 days and now I am on 40mg of prednisone... Please pray I dont relapse again, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I would have rather had my arm cut off than to have dealt with what I am still dealing with...

I had the same problem as sameasalways........I have been taking it fot 5 days and I am always dizzy and feeling nauseous. The dizziness is becoming too much to bear, but I only have 2 days worth left. It's kinda helping out the huge cyst I have on my face, but I don't think it'll be gone in two days.

I started to take Minocycline about three weeks ago, and three days ago I started to break out in hives that itched horribly. I also experienced sore joints and headaches. The past couple of days I have had horrible rashes and my face is so swollen. I wanted to have my acne cleared up before I went to college- and this medicine definitly did not help me out- I will not use this medicine again!

I stopped taking minocycline about six months ago, after having taken it for six months in conjunction with differin gel. the good news: it cleared my skin, even after having been off of it for all this time. the bad news: it gave me stomachaches, constipation, even a hemhorroid! wtf?! i'm 21 years old, dammit, not some metamucil drinking fogie! it wasn't terrible but still. that and like halfway through my treatment i started to get constant yeast infections, meaning that i had to take pills for that all the time too... which really puts a damper on your social life. then, when i finally went off the minocycline, i'd killed so much of the good bacteria in my body that i got 3 urinary tract infections in three months!!! i've never been in poor health, i exercise and eat well, and my doctor told me it was probably because of the minocycline. now i've spent hundreds of dollars on probiotic supplements and immune boosters and icky plain yogurt from the local health food store to try and get myself back in working order. lame! if only i had known before, i could have adjusted my diet and whatnot accordingly. use with caution!

did nothing, i took it for several months. sometimes i wonder if the allergies i know have to many antibiotics came from long term use of this, plus the other antibiotics i was given over a 3 year period.

I like it alot it really helped me im kind of scared about the side effects and i hope i dont get any

Im taking this stuff with Tretinoin (Retin A generic). Its been about a month now and I'm seeing major improvements. I had pimples all over, my skin was hella bumpy, and worst of all it hurt like hell. I used Differin for a about a month also but it didn't do anything for me but make it worse. Try both minocyline and retin A, it works pretty good. My skin is nice and smooth again. Im now waiting for the red spots from the pimples to go away, but it doesn't hurt no more.

Minocin is the only thing that worked for me.....would love to hear about people who took it for a long time without getting immune.....AND I ALSO HEARD THAT TO prevent or delay resistance you should use more than one drug.....ANYONe knows anything about that????? i though about switching to another antibiotic for a while (even though minocin is still working) , lets say 6 months and then come back to minocin for a while then change again.....Does anyone knows or thinks its a good idea?????6 oli

Well I am 16 and i started getting pretty mild acne about two months ago. So the doctor prescribed me MINOCYCLINE. I've beent taking it about 6 weeks but stopped taking it for about 3 days, but then started again 2 days ago and i don't think i've ever seen my blemishes this bad in my life!!!! As far as side effects i've faced none, but i definetely am not seeing any results, and i hope i see them soon.

hey i have been taking akamin 50 (minocycline 50)and hav also taken roaccutane in the past my acne was very bad before roacutane and it totaly cleared it up but i took it when i was 15 for 6 months and now im 17 getting breakouts again. iam a month into this treatment of minocycline 50 and was wondering if anyone has the answer to my question of how long it will take for my acne to go away again because altho roaccutane works it also has many side affect one such as depression which i got but if you have severe acne i suggest u give roacutane a try but i do not wish to go on it again my email adress is macshepherd@hotmail.com and feedback would be much appreciated thank you.

ive been using it for like probaly a month and its done nothing for my skin.. probaly just made it worse.. i havnt got too many side effects..only headaches. but i would say dont go on it.. if u get the oppertunity to.

Ive Been using it for about 4 years and hadnt had any side affects. I wasn't thinking about side affects until now, because it was clearing my face so nicely. I think im going to discontinue use and see how my face does, because im quite worried about long term side affects. It definitely works though!

Couldn't handle it......made me too sick. Dizzy,nauseas and headache. I tried taking it once a day for a week and building up but no.....still it just got worse. Went off it for two weeks and tried again. Still no luck. Just made me too sick.