The Risks and
Side Effects of Prescription Acne Medications
Lesions of the face, neck and back commonly strike individuals during puberty as
well as adulthood and can usually be traced back to a condition known as acne
vulgaris. Historically a number of treatments have been proposed for this
condition and throughout the last few decades oral antibiotics have been the
recommendation of choice for individuals who suffer from moderate to severe acne
and have seen no improvement using topical agents such as benzoyl peroxide.
There are a number of oral antibiotics that are used to treat acne including
minocycline, tetracycline and doxycycline. The efficacy and possible side
effects of these various oral antibiotics has been the subject of numerous
studies for at least the last twenty years in an effort to understand which
products are likely to produce better results with the least amount of possible
side effects.
Doxycycline has proven to be effective in treating acne; particularly in cases
of moderate to severe acne. In a study conducted in Turkey and published in 2005
doxycycline was shown to be as effective as another treatment known as
azithromycin. In the study, doxycyline was demonstrated as providing improvement
in the acne experienced by members participating in the study. Improvement in
the acne was shown to continue up to two months following cessation of the
treatment. It should be noted that side effects related to the use of
doxycycline in this study were noted and included photosensitivity.
A study conducted at the University of Florida and reported in 2003 found that
twice daily treatments of doxycycline ‘significantly reduced the number of
inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions in the patients with moderate facial
acne, was well tolerated.’
The study took place over a period of 6 months.
It should be noted that over the past few years, oral antibiotics used for the
treatment of acne have been shown to be subject to drug resistance. This means
that it is possible, in some patients, for an immunity to the acne treatment to
build up in which case, the drug would no longer be effective. Some studies have
indicated that oral antibiotics, when combined with benzoyl peroxide, are less
likely to be subject to drug resistance. While some studies indicate that oral
antibiotics used for the treatment of acne are well tolerated, there are also
some studies that have recently indicated that such oral antibiotics may lead to
serious medical side effects.
Clin Exp Dermatol. 2005 May;30(3):215-20. PubMed
Comparison of efficacy of azithromycin vs. doxycycline in the treatment of acne
vulgaris.
Kus S, Yucelten D, Aytug A.
Department of Dermatology, Acibadem Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Arch Dermatol. 2003 Apr;139(4):459-64. PubMed
Effects of subantimicrobial-dose doxycycline in the treatment of moderate acne.
Skidmore R, Kovach R, Walker C, Thomas J, Bradshaw M, Leyden J, Powala C, Ashley
R.
Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of Florida,
Gainesville, 32608, USA.
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