special offer

Generic Name: Minocycline for Acne (minocycline)

Minocycline for Acne Reviews

"This medication worked absolute wonders for me! After having tried several topical treatments on my adult acne, with little to no result, it wasn't at all like teenage acne that I had experienced in high school. This acne came in my second year of university and lasted until my fourth and final year, which was when I decided to take action. I was prescribed minocycline. Although results will vary with EVERY person, my results were almost instantaneous! I took the pills the first day, went to bed. Took them the second day, went to bed... when I woke up I had almost NOTHING on my face. It was amazing and has stayed away. I was also lucky enough to not experience any side effects! It has been two years since, and the acne hasn't returned."


"Minocycline made me super sick. I thought I had COVID but got two negative tests. I stopped taking it and started to feel better in about a day. Made me tired, nauseous, chest pain, headache, weird around the tonsils. Also didn't help with the acne the way other antibiotics have."


Solodyn (minocycline) "So over winter break, I gained a HUGE allergic reaction from an acne face wash that made me break out with acne ALL over my face. BIG CYSTIC PIMPLES. Yeah, it was really bad. I was embarrassed, I didn't want my family to even see me. I was ashamed. My mother took me to the dermatologist that Friday, and I was prescribed Solodyn. I got a two-week prescription for free. I've had an amazing experience so far, it's only been a week, exactly a week from today that I've been on this medication. ($35 for a 3-month medication) I don't regret it at ALL. The only side effect it has had on me is tiredness after school. My acne has cleared about 90% if not more. I HIGHLY recommend this product to anyone with a very ugly acne breakout."


"I LOVE minocycline. I used to have HORRIBLE acne all over my cheeks that would lead me to cake my face with makeup every day and I hated it. Then I tried minocycline and my skin was flawless within a week. I completely stopped wearing makeup because my skin looked great. However, last week, I ran out of my refills of the prescription, so I had to see my dermatologist and he gave me doxycycline and I HATED it. Every time I took it, I would vomit and it made my acne MUCH worse. I'm going back to minocycline tomorrow and hopefully my skin will clear up again."


Minocin (minocycline) "I never had problems with acne as a teenager or young adult. I'm 47, and I started getting terrible, very painful cystic acne about 6 months ago. It covered the entire surface of my chin and some around my nose and mouth. I was mortified and depressed because of these horrific, awful lesions on my face. I would do everything possible to avoid interaction with people. I hated going anywhere other than home, and even at home, it was hard to let my man look at me. I had no clue I had cystic acne. I thought it was just hormonal changes. I couldn't take it anymore, it wasn't going away no matter what I did. I went to the doctor, and he put me on Minocin twice a day, and within a week, my face is 98% clear. I can hold my head up again with confidence."


Solodyn (minocycline) "I've had acne since I was 14 years old, and I'm 18 now. So I've been suffering for 4 years now. I've tried everything to get rid of my acne. I had some cystic acne and just regular acne, but it would be all over my face and leave bad scarring. It was very embarrassing. I finally decided I would do something about it. I went to the dermatologist and she prescribed me Solodyn. My face cleared up within a month, I have never seen my face this clear before. It's like I never even had acne, all that's left is scars, though. But this medicine, from my experience, works great, and I didn't experience any serious side effects. I highly recommend it."


Solodyn (minocycline) "I had pretty bad acne and tried many topical creams with very little relief. Solodyn really helped with my acne pretty quickly. But what I noticed is that if I missed a single daily dose, I would start to get really deep acne within 24 hours. It was frustrating because, when I was getting low on a prescription, I had to make sure to go to my dermatologist immediately. It also dried my skin out quite a bit. My advice to anyone considering it: 1) make sure to be very consistent with when you take it, 2) start decreasing your dose as soon as you start seeing some improvement (break pills in half but still take daily, then 1/3 daily, etc.), 3) drink lots of water and use face lotion to hydrate your skin because it really dries it out."


"After one week or two, I was taking 2 minocycline pills a day (one in the morning and one at night) and I immediately saw the difference. I have been suffering from pretty bad cystic acne for a couple years and my skin had never been that cleared. After 3 months of usage my skin was still amazing as I was not getting any pimple, like nothing AT ALL. After 3 months, he told me that he could only prescribe one more month because of the acidity and the effect it could have on my body. I was only taking 1 pill a day for the last month and I could immediately see that my acne was starting to come back, although not as bad as before taking the medication. Then, I stopped taking the medication and my skin has never been that terrible after 2 weeks. I though I had maskne because of wearing masks every day, but the mask is not the problem as stopping wearing it didn’t stop the problem. The minocycline is a good solution on the short term but not the long term as the acne came back even worse than before."


"I've always had clear skin until I got pregnant when I was 29. Suddenly, I had cystic pimples on my chin almost constantly. When I had my baby, it didn't get any better. I was tired of having the painful bumps on my face all the time, so I told my doctor about it, she prescribed minocycline, and within a week, I noticed a huge improvement, my chin has totally cleared up!"


"Started minocycline over a year ago to get my acne under control. My acne remained cleared. But what I didn’t realize was this medicines contribution to my debilitating mental health. Before I made the connection to the minocycline, I thought I was developing depression on my own. Life became such an effort, I didn’t want to leave my room, I cried almost every night, and I experienced unsettling moments of feeling like I didn’t actually exist. Then my dermatologist told me I could go off of minocycline as my face was looking good and it’s not good to be on long term (I was on this for over a year, but these symptoms began to develop early on). Well I have never felt so good. Being off the minocycline I feel like I have just woken up from a year of not really being conscious. Also, upon stopping it my acne came right back. But I will never put another minocycline pill in my mouth. If time had gone on and I had not stopped the medication, I worry for how I may have ended up."


"I've been taking 100 mg 2 times a day for 3 months now. It has cleared my shoulders, back, chest pretty well, as well as my face being mostly clear too. It works best if you take it consistently. I am a very busy 16-year-old girl with sports and school. If I skip a dosage, I notice a few blemishes on my shoulders appear. If you get on this and you don't see a difference in a month, call your doctor and ask if they can up your dosage. If you follow the regulations and take it as directed, it works pretty well. I recommend it to anyone who is struggling with finding a face wash to work for them."


Solodyn (minocycline) "I really like Solodyn as my acne treatment. I have been using this medication since March 2015, but after a couple of months of using it, my acne disappeared. I was on Proactive for 2 years, but no luck. Solodyn is truly a great antibiotic pill for acne. Please do yourself a huge favor and try it! Everyone deserves to go through life with clean skin! God bless."


"I had hormonal acne when I started taking minocycline. I am 25 years old and a woman - if that is relevant to anyone. I was hesitant to start this medication since I read bad reviews on it, but I had no issues with it whatsoever! Cleared up my skin in less than a month, and acne did not return since. I stopped taking it after 30 days. I got a couple of spots here and there, but nowhere near as bad as I was. The only thing is don't take it right before going to bed because when I did that I would wake up feeling hungover and dizzy. If I took it in the morning or around lunchtime, there were absolutely no side effects. If you are hesitating like I was, my advice to you is to try it!"


Solodyn (minocycline) "My acne was terrible. I felt like I had tried everything and that my next option was going to have to be Accutane (something I really did not want to try!). I tried like 4 different dermatologists before I was finally recommended to try Solodyn, and within 2-3 months, my acne began clearing and not coming back. I took it for about 6 months, and I had a few pimples (but they were nothing like the ones I had before) and some scarring. I started slowly going off the Solodyn by taking half a pill every day and then every other day until I just totally stopped. It's been about 6 or 7 months since my last Solodyn pill, and my skin still looks great. I usually will have one or two small pimples, but I usually just spot treat with Epiduo."


"I had cystic acne from the age of 15 that all but ruined my life. I developed cysts on my face, chest, back and other places! I lost a lot of time from school as I was too embarrassed to show my face. When I was 20 my doctor introduced me to Minocin and I felt re-born! My acne cleared up within a week or so and I regained my confidence. I was so terrified that my acne would return that I took the drug without an interval for about 7 years. I'm not aware of any particular side affects and I'm now a healthy 61 year old."


Solodyn (minocycline) "I started taking this less than a week ago, but will be stopping it because of the side effects. It has helped my acne, but the side effects don't make it worth it. I constantly feel nauseous, have headaches, feel feverish, and am unusually exhausted."


Solodyn (minocycline) "I was able to get my first bottle free, and the rest is covered by insurance with $35 out of pocket monthly. Yes, it is more on the pricey side, but having taken it for an entire month, I noticed a difference in less than a week. This stuff has been a miracle for me, and I finally have clear skin."


"I've got to say this medication has helped my cystic acne a lot. I am 22 years old and have been suffering with acne for two years now. I would get cystic acne all over my cheeks, and it would hurt so bad. I got prescribed this medicine, and the first week my skin went through a purging phase and it was breaking out a lot, but no cystic acne. Now on my second week, I'm getting bad side effects. I'm extremely dizzy all the time, lightheaded, and confused. I don't know why I'm getting these side effects now, but I am miserable."


"I've been on this medication for about four months now, and at the age of 25, having suffered from acne since I was a teenager, I am completely clear! Seriously, I barely even need foundation anymore. I occasionally get a little spot here and there, but that is nothing compared to my moderate (but always consistent) acne before! I read some of these reviews, and I can honestly say I've had absolutely no side effects. I also use this pill in conjunction with a benzoyl peroxide lotion in the morning and a cream called adapalene at night before I go to bed. But seriously, this medicine has changed my life!"


"I'm a healthy 25-year-old female who's been on minocycline for about 3-4 months now. It's worked wonders, and I didn't have any side effects until now. About two weeks ago, I had this awful abdominal pain that landed me in the ER for fear it was my appendix. Everything came back perfect. I've since cut back on my antibiotic and only take it every other day because, through a process of elimination, I think it's the culprit for my abdominal pain. My PCP told me I may have developed acute IBS or irritable bowel syndrome from the minocycline (since it is an antibiotic and will get rid of normal flora). I'm very upset that I have to stop it; I rarely use any cover-up now because my skin is so clear."


"I am a 40-year-old female. I have had acne since I was 14. I've been to a dermatologist and have tried everything from Proactiv to prescription pills, creams, cleansers, steroids, and even several different antibiotics. Nothing ever worked, so I gave up. My health insurance changed at the beginning of the year (2015), so I found a new PCP. She asked me if I'd tried any treatments for my acne. I said everything! First, she put me on doxycycline, which seemed to work but made me nauseous. Then she switched the medicine to minocycline. I noticed a difference the first week! I've been on it for 2 months now, breakouts are healed! I have dark spots where pimples were and put cream on those areas to lighten them. So happy! No more covering up with makeup."


"Minocycline is an amazing medication cleared my acne completely after 1 1/2 months regular use. I experienced severe acne throughout my entire face, and cystic acne deep below my skin on the bottom of my face that was very painful throughout my entire teen years. After trying several face washes, scrubs, gels, and face masks as well as drinking lots of water, nothing happened so I decided to go to my doctor for help. He prescribed minocycline at 100mg once a day, and my acne completely vanished after a month and a half. Before and after pictures are amazing. This medication saved my self confidence and also saved me from having to deal with painful cystic acne!"


"I love this medication. I'm seventeen, and I have been taking this on and off since I was about sixteen. I do not have cystic acne, just a whole lot of pimples a whole lot of the time. I also have a pimple popping and scab picking problem that prevented me from ever leaving my skin alone. I was so embarrassed of my constantly inflamed skin and hundreds (yes, hundreds) of scars that I would hide in my room instead of going out anywhere, even school. It took roughly two months for my skin to improve drastically, but boy did it clear up then. After about six months, everything about me had improved. My appetite was decreased, causing me to not eat as much, my pimples, non-existent, and my dark spots disappeared. I was thin and had perfect skin."


Solodyn (minocycline) "I took Solodyn for three years. I had been on Accutane the previous year, it cleared up my skin well, but then I started to get blemishes again. The Solodyn worked well, though I still had hormonal acne two weeks every month. I was happy with the results. Then, after about a year of being on it, I left for college and started to have very bad stomach issues. Overtime they worsened, but my doctors could not figure out what was wrong. I saw three different specialist, had colonoscopies, endoscopies, scans, tests, labs, etc. but no conclusions could be made. Then, my dermatologist decided to just take me off the solodyn to see if it had an effect. My stomach isn't 100% better, but I can already tell a difference in my health."


Solodyn (minocycline) "I was on Solodyn for 5 years. I am now 19 years old and just quit about 8 months ago. It made my skin FLAWLESS and got compliments all the time. Never any noticeable side affects, although I did quit because I was afraid it was killing my liver and being on an antibiotic for that long is dangerous. Also, the last 6 months I noticed my breakouts were no longer controlled, as if my body was becoming immune to the drug. Now being off it my skin is worse than ever with many, many cysts. Going back to the derm to hopefully find something else that perhaps is not as hurtful to the body (I can dream lol), overall a great experience with it, it just made me sick thinking of what it was damaging internally to my body. Best of luck!"

More about minocycline

  • Check interactions
  • Compare alternatives
  • Pricing & coupons
  • Reviews (563)
  • Drug images
  • Side effects
  • Dosage information
  • During pregnancy
  • Drug class: tetracyclines
  • Breastfeeding
  • En español

Patient resources

  • Minocycline drug information
  • Minocycline (Intravenous) (Advanced Reading)
  • Minocycline (Oral) (Advanced Reading)
  • Minocycline Capsules and Tablets
  • Minocycline Extended-Release Tablets

Other brands

Minocin, Solodyn, Dynacin, Minolira, ... +2 more

Professional resources

  • Minocycline monograph
  • Minocycline (EENT) (AHFS Monograph)
  • Minocycline Capsules (FDA)
  • Minocycline Extended Release Tablets (FDA)
  • Minocycline Injection (FDA)
  • Minocycline Tablets (FDA)

Other brands

Minocin, Solodyn, Minolira, Minocin for Injection, Ximino

Related treatment guides

  • Bacterial Infection
  • Acne
  • Bartonellosis
  • Bullous Pemphigoid