Doxycycline for Severe Acne
New York (USA), January 27, 2012
Doxycycline, a derivative of tetracycline, is a common prescription medication for inflammatory acne. This antibiotic is effective in lessening the impact of the bacteria responsible for clogging skin pores and causing acne.
Body hormones increase secretions of sebaceous glands. Increased oil secretions clog skin pores leading to an overgrowth of normal skin bacteria-Propionibacterium acnes. This bacterium destroys the inner lining of your skin pore. This destruction allows dead skin cells to accumulate within the skin pore. The inflammatory response is acne.
How Does Doxycycline prevent Acne?
Doxycycline stops production of protein necessary for the growth and development of Propionibacterium acnes, bacteria responsible for causing acne. Lack of protein disables this bacteria and it slowly dies.
Dosage of Doxycycline
Take 50 to 100 mg of Doxycycline twice a day with your food. Acne response to doxycycline treatment is visible within three to six weeks. Some patients experience increased acne before it starts subduing.
Side Effects of Doxycycline
Mild side effects of Doxycycline include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, dark, or swollen tongue. Doxycycline increases your sensitivity to sun causing sunburns if exposed to sunrays. You can continue with doxycycline medication but inform your physician about these side effects.
Serious side effects of Doxycycline include severe headache, changes in vision, genital sores and itching, sense of confusion, allergic reactions like swelling of lips, face, and difficulty in breathing, liver damage causing abdominal discomfort, severe fatigue, and unusual bleeding, blood problems like easy bruising, fever, etc. Discontinue doxycycline immediately and consult your physician for alternative treatment.
Who Should Avoid Doxycycline?
No one under the age of eight should take this medicine as it adversely affects growth of bones and teeth. Nursing women should avoid it for the same reason. Pregnant women should also avoid this drug as it could cause birth defects. Liver and kidney patients should avoid this drug as it could cause severe adverse reactions.
Effectiveness of Doxycycline Treatment
Doxycycline is among the many oral antibiotics effective in treating moderate to severe acne. There have been numerous studies and research over the last two decades to analyze effectiveness of this antibiotic. Results prove its effectiveness among patients with severe and moderate acne.
A study took place at the University of Florida over a period of six months and results reported in 2003. Twice a day treatments of doxycycline significantly reduced the number of inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions in the patients with moderate facial acne.
Sometimes, continuous usage of the drug makes your body immune to doxycycline and hence, effectiveness reduces or becomes nil. Therefore, you can have doxycycline with benzoyl peroxide to reduce such drug resistance.
Does Doxycycline Interact with Other Drugs?
Yes. Doxycycline reacts adversely with other antibiotics like cefixime, antiviral drugs, and antacids like sodium bicarbonate, bismuth salicylate, etc. Oral contraceptives, calcium and mineral supplements, also react with doxycycline. Other drugs interacting with doxycycline include warfarin, tiopronin, lithium carbonate, etretinate, desmopressin, cholestyramine, etc. Laxatives and vitamin supplements containing calcium, iron, or magnesium reduce the effectiveness of doxycycline.
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