Posts Tagged ‘tetracycline’

One of the oral antibiotics used for the treatment of acne are drugs known collectively as tetracyclines. These drugs are considered the main oral treatment in the fight against a severe acne outbreak and are the main drugs of choice when dealing with acne of a moderate to severe nature.

They work by inhibiting the growth of P. acnes by attacking the bacteria found in the sebaceous glands. They do not actually kill the bacteria but rather inhibit the growth and have a further benefit in that they provide an anti-inflammatory action. This makes it an important feature of the drug in the treatment of patients with pustules and papules.

You can find tetracycline commonly in three different types: generic tetracycline, Minocycline or Doxycycline.

While improvement of acne is noticeable in most cases in a matter of weeks in people using teracylcines there are some things that should be known about using the drugs. Firstly, side effects are considered low risk from using tetracycline, but they do exist.

A main side effect to using tetracycline is that there is staining to the teeth of children. There are also risks to the bones and teeth of unborn babies and nursing children. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding you should not take these drugs.

Tetracyclines may also stain the teeth of older patients for a temporary period of time and this is more likely to be the case for people wearing braces. It is even more important to practice good dental hygiene whilst taking tetracycline.

Other side effects that may be experienced when using tetracycline may include abdominal upset, rashes, a greater susceptibility to sunburn. In rare cases reactions to taking tetracycline may include hives or other hypersensitivity rashes, severe headaches or drug-induced hepatitis.

The common starting doses of the various tetracycline treatments may be as follows:

Plain Tetracycline which may be available in one of the following brand names – Achromycin or Sumycin – they can be taken in capsule, tablet or liquid form and the dosage is 250 or 500 mg twice a day.

Minocycline may be available known as – Minocin, Dynacin or Vectrin – and may be taken in capsule, tablet or oral suspension form depending on the brand you’re taking. The dosage you might be looking at is 50 or 100 mg twice a day.

Doxycycline may be available known by the brand names – Doxycycline, Periostat or Adoxa – and may be taken in capsule or tablet form a dosage of around 75 mg twice a day for Doxycycline or Adoxa is common while 20 mg twice a day is what you would expect for Periostat.

While a tetracycline acne treatment is effective in producing results in the fight against acne. It should result in the pustules and papules beginning to disappear and prevent new ones from popping up.