pills for acne?

Question

my mom said she used to take pills to make her face clear up..


i was wondering what they are called, how long it will take to clear, and how much it costs.
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Answer 1

tetracycline used to be a popular med for acne.

It doesn't work on everyone. MAKE SURE YOU TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR before taking this stuff. My doc wouldn't even prescribe it to me.

Answer 2

Just saw something really interesting on the Ellen show this morning. Her guest said for a pimple crush 1/2 aspirin and lemon juice and apply to pimple overnight. Do not use toothpaste. I used lemon juice like an astringent on a whim. It really helped clean up my face. I never knew if it was the extra cleaning-to get the lemon juice off -or if there was actually some medicinal quality to lemons. Apparently there is. Also she said that just before you put on your make up or go out you can use visine (the one that takes the redness out of your eyes) and it is supposed to take the redness out of the pimple. I haven't tried it but she seemed to be an authority. The best thing you can do is take excellent care of your skin and keep it very clean. Get a routine going while you're young and your skin will benefit from it for the rest of your life. Be careful with pills until you know all the side effects. What you do to your body when you're young, you pay for when you get older. And I'm sure older seems very far away. It isn't. It happens so very fast.

Answer 3

The pills are antibiotics and generally used for severe acne. Don't look to pills for the "quick" fix. Antibiotics have a "down side" which is why doctors do like to prescribe them. Noxzema, Phisoderm, Stridex, to name a few, are good in keeping your face clean. Used at least twice/day, will help. Avoid picking/popping as doing this can scar your face. The mix of oil and dirt on your face causes bacteria to infect the pores on your skin. Keeping your face clean is the most important thing you can do to reduce the breakouts.

Answer 4

When I was a teen and was getting alot of acne I was perscribed Tetracycline. I dont remember how long it took for the acne to go away once I started taking them..Its been to long ago.

But heres a list of other pills also used for acne....(All Perscription)

Tetracycline
Tetracycline is the most widely prescribed antibiotic for acne. The usual starting dose is 500 mg twice a day continued until a significant decrease in acne lesions is seen. The dose can then be decreased to 250 mg twice a day or discontinued. The main drawback for this antibiotic is that it must be taken on an empty stomach to be the most effective. For a teenage boy who eats frequently, this can be very difficult. Tetracycline should not be given to pregnant women or children under 9 years of age.

Erythromycin
Erythromycin is a very commonly used antibiotic for acne. It has several advantages over tetracycline. First, it has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness in lesions, in addition to killing bacteria. Also, it can and should be taken with food - a benefit for teenagers. The dosage of erythromycin varies with the type used, but it is typically prescribed as 250 - 500 mg twice a day. It can cause stomach upset and nausea, but can be used in pregnant women.

Minocycline
Minocycline is a tetracycline derivative that has been used effectively for decades as a treatment for acne. It is especially useful for pustular type acne. While the absorption of minocycline is decreased with food, it is not as significant as the decrease seen with tetracycline. The usual starting dose is 50 to 100 mg twice a day. Major side effects of minocycline include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, skin pigmentation changes, and tooth discoloration. The skin and tooth changes are seen more often in people who have taken minocycline for a long time.

Doxycycline
Doxycycline is often used for people who do not respond to or cannot tolerate erythromycin or tetracycline. The dosage of doxycycline is started at 50 to 100 mg twice a day. It should be taken with food; otherwise it can cause significant nausea. Doxycycline is more likely than tetracycline to increase sensitivity to the sun, or cause sunburns.

Clindamycin
Clindamycin is very useful as an oral antibiotic for acne, but it is most widely prescribed as a topical antibiotic. The starting dose is 75 to 150 mg twice a day. The major side effect of clindamycin therapy is serious intestinal infection called pseudomembranous colitis caused by the bacteria, Clostridium difficile.

Side Effects of All Antibiotics
All antibiotics can cause candida vaginal yeast infections in women. Tetracycline seems to be the antibiotic that most frequently has this side effect. All oral antibiotics can also lessen the effectiveness of birth control pills,

I also Included in my source a link to some Over the counter natural (pill form) ways to clear acne.