Minocycline treatment for Acne

Minocycline to treat Acne

Minocycline is a drug well known for the treatment of acne by both killing the bacteria responsible for acne and also reducing the skin inflammation caused by it. Acne is termed as a skin disorder which can be treated, that occurs when the skin cells inside your skin become plugged with oil and dead cells. It often leads to the emergence of various kinds of acne like whiteheads, blackheads or pimples. These dreadful monsters usually are seen on the face, forehead, chest, upper back or shoulders. Acne appears on the skin especially when you are a teenager, but it can affect people of all ages.

Acne lifestyle

Operative treatments are available in the market, but acne can be stubborn and will not leave you until you have a continuous skin diagnosis and treatment and also there is a need for change in the lifestyle. These pimples and bumps go off slowly from your skin and it is often seen that when one begins to go away, others seem to crop up on your skin.

Based on its severity, acne can often cause emotional distress and the appearance of scars and spots on your skin. Teenagers are mostly the victim of these dreadful monsters. It is better to start the treatment earlier so that the risk of such problems is less.

Signs of acne

Signs of acne vary as per the severity of your condition of the skin:

• Whiteheads also known as closed plugged pores
• Blackheads also named as open plugged pores
• The appearance of small, red and tender bumps (papules)
• Pimples also called pustules and papules that are filled with pus at their tips
• Big, hard, painful lumps beneath your skin (nodules)
• cystic lesions that is painful, pus-filled lumps inside the surface of your skin

Symptoms of acne

The symptoms of acne starts with a pore that appears to be plugged and sometimes full of pus, this can then lead to the formation of a lesion on the skin. This can range from the appearance of non-inflamed bumps, blackheads to the swollen, red pimples and eruptions. The most acute symptoms are observed when you are suffering from cystic acne, which can even make your face full of scars.

Minocycline and  its usage

Oral minocycline is termed as an antibiotic that is used to treat a variety of conditions including the acne. But primarily it is used to treat urinary tract infections and pneumonia. It is also beneficial for people who are always anxious about acne. Minocycline is used to treat a wide range of infections. It is also used along with some other medical drugs to treat the acne that has become severe. This medication fits into a class of drugs that are said to work by stopping the growth of bacteria. Since it is an antibiotic it is only used to treat bacterial infections and it is not fruitful for viral infections such as common cold, flu, etc. You should also be careful while using antibiotics as taking any antibiotic when it is not needed by your body can lead it to not function for future infections.

A class of antibiotics known as tetracyclines is found in oral minocycline, which works in your body by preventing the bacteria from building the proteins they need to grow inside your body and cause such skin problems.

Your medical practitioner might prescribe minocycline in case you are prone to inflamed acne and that hasn’t reacted to other antibiotics, such as doxycycline. Similar to minocycline, doxycycline also belongs to the tetracycline family, but it is somewhat milder and has led to fewer side effects for the body.

Usage of Minocycline

This medicine works best when you take it on an empty stomach. this medication is taken orally by mouth or as per the direction of your physician. The dosage is taken usually after every 12 hours and it should be taken care of that it is taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal. Take this medicine with a full glass of water unless your medical expert has directed you otherwise as per your health conditions. It might lead to stomach upset, on such conditions you can take it with food or milk that might prove to be helpful. But still, take the help of the doctor or any pharmacist if you may take it that way.

Most of the time for the treatment of acne, your doctor will likely prescribe a kind of minocycline called Solodyn, since it comes in the form of a slow-releasing capsule. This capsule will work well for acne as for acne treatment you require fewer antibiotics in comparison to other bacterial infections.

Consumption of minocycline 

You can consume minocycline generally at any time of the day but however, it’s best for you to drink it with a full glass of water so that with each dose there is no irritation in your esophagus or stomach.

Never take the dosage of this drug more than what is prescribed by your doctor as this can probably increase the risk of its side effects and will cause you more problems.

If you are using the capsules, gulp them as a whole. Do not take this medication right before bedtime as lying down after taking this medication is not recommended at all.

It should be taken care of that this medication is gulped 2 to 3 hours before or after taking any food products containing the nutrients like aluminum, calcium, iron, magnesium or zinc. These products react with minocycline and can thus prevent your body from fully absorbing the drug and thus lead to worsening of the acne treatment.

The quantity and span of treatment are dependent on the medical condition of the patient.

Treatment with minocycline 

For the best results of this treatment, you should take this antibiotic regularly and after even spaced timings. To help you remember the timings of dosage, use the alarm and take this medication at the same time every day.

Continuity in taking this medication until the full prescribed amount is finished is very important, even if symptoms disappear after a few days.

Stopping the medication too early may lead to the return of the infection and this will cause more problems.

Tell your medical expert if your condition lasts for more than a week or it is worsened. So that the treatment could be checked by the medical expert.

Some benefits of minocycline for acne

Minocycline is a drug well known for the treatment of acne by both killing the bacteria responsible for acne and also reducing the skin inflammation caused by it. Minocycline is a medicine that is responsible for only curing the active acne, not the scars caused by scratching this acne.

Propionibacterium acnes is the bacteria that is the main culprit of causing the acne of most people’s skin. Sometimes it is found deep inside your pores, that’s why it causes the acne. Consuming the minocycline for curing these monsters will gradually help your body to kill this bacteria and provide you clean and clear skin.

Minocycline not only kills the bacteria but also has anti-inflammatory properties that mean it can help your skin to reduce redness and puffiness caused by an inflamed acne. Your doctor may also recommend some other treatment as well or can add some medicines with this drug, such as a topical acne cream, to use as per the condition of your acne.

For how much time do I need to take these antibiotics?

The normal period of recovery from bacterial infections by taking the help of oral antibiotics is about six to eight weeks. That’s why you need to be patient enough to see the results as you won’t see results right away. Even if you aren’t observing any changes in the skin conditions than also it’s mandatory not to skip this antibiotic and you should keep taking the minocycline as per the direction of your doctor.

Sometimes, there are cases when the bacteria become hostile to antibiotics because of the overconsumption of antibiotics. This can also happen when you are not taking the antibiotics long enough for them to completely wipe them off from your body. In this case, the bacteria acquire the ability to tackle the antibiotic treatment and thus making them very hard to destroy.

To avoid such cases, your skin expert is most likely to prescribe the minocycline for not less than three months. And if your skin acne improves before time then they might lessen your dose or shift you over to some other topical antibiotics.

Side effects of minocycline

Side effects from Minocycline antibiotic may range from mere mild to the most severe ones. Following is the list of possible side effects of minocycline:

• diarrhea
• color of your urine might change
• ringing in your ears
• Mouth always remains dry even if you are taking adequate liquid.
• Excess loss of hair
• Continuous sore throat
• nausea and vomiting
• swelling or inflammation in tongue
• inflammation and itchiness especially in genital or rectal areas
• feeling numb or continuous tingling in your skin
• Color of your skin, nails, teeth, or gums, etc. might change due to the overdosage.

This antibiotic is quite dangerous as over time minocycline might get accumulated in your body, leading to skin problems that usually look like dark discolorations. While these discolored patches formed in your skin usually goes away with time but it can take quite a lot of years. You may seek emergency treatment with no more further delays if you experience any of the following symptoms due to this medicine:

• Blurry or foggy vision
• unbearable headache
• pain in joints
• Appearance of sudden rashes
• Swelling or inflammation in the face
• yellow-colored skin or eyes that are accompanied by dark urine
• pain inside your chest
• escalated bleeding or bruising in the skin
• Trouble in breathing or even swallowing the food
• seizures
• bloody or watery diarrhea
• hives
• acute nausea and vomiting

Drug interactions are also the main problem as it may modify how your other medicines will work especially when you are thinking of taking antibiotics like minocycline. It can increase the risk of serious side effects if not taken care of. Keeping a record of all the products you are using or in the future will use inclusive of prescribed and non- prescribed drugs and herbal products and sharing it with your medical expert and pharmacist will help you a lot.

Also, never start, stop, or change the quantity of the medicines you are taking without letting it noticed by your doctor. Doctor’s permission and approval should be given the topmost priority.

Here are some examples of medications that may interact and react with this drug such as retinoid medications that are generally taken orally that is by the mouth (such as acitretin or isotretinoin) and strontium.

Who should not take or avoid using it

Minocycline is the antibiotic that is not suitable or it may not work for everyone. If you are already taking certain medications, tell your doctor about it as those medicines can make the minocycline less effective for you. It might react inside your body with those medicines and can escalate the risk of serious side effects.

Before consuming the minocycline, convey your doctor first, if you are already taking these medicines such as

• penicillin
• pills taken for birth control
• medications for migraines
• retinoids like isotretinoin
• antacids that are containing nutrients such as aluminum, calcium, magnesium, or iron

Also, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding your baby it should be taken care of that you first inform the doctor before starting with any antibiotics and should avoid taking minocycline as it can prove to be dangerous for your baby.

In addition to pregnant women, children who are under the age of 8 should also be careful while taking the minocycline or other tetracycline antibiotics.

Dizziness is one of the side effects of this medicine. You may constantly feel dizzy or sleepy after taking this medicine. Consuming Alcohol or marijuana with these antibiotics can make you feel even dizzier. So, you should not drive, use the complex machinery, or do any work that requires some alertness until you are sure that you can do it safely. Limit the consumption of alcoholic beverages and drinks.

If you are hypersensitive to the sunlight or sun then this medication should be taken with the advice of the medical expert only as it can make you more sensitive to the sun. Bound your timings in such a way that you spend less and less time in the sun. That’s why sunscreen should always be there in your pockets if you are going out in the sun and also taking this medicine. One can also wear protective clothing when outdoors so that the sun does not harm our skin or make it tanned. Consult your doctor with no delay if you are sunburned or started having the red skin blisters due to it.

Conclusion

At last, we can conclude this article by saying that Minocycline is an antibiotic treatment that can aid you to treat inflammatory acne, especially for adults. Not only it kills acne-causing bacteria but it also eases redness and tenderness. If you have seditious acne that is not at all responding to the other treatments available, have a consultation with your doctor that whether the minocycline could be an appropriate option for you or not. It totally depends upon the skin’s health and the degree of problem you are facing otherwise.