How will taking penicillin to combat acne negatively impact my health?

July 7, 2005 9:18 PM

For the past few days, I've been taking some penicillin (500 MG) to treat a sinus infection. While it's not doing much for the infection, it's done wonders for my complexion--My face is probably the best it's looked, ever. What I'm wondering is if I could continue to take penicillin (perhaps in a lower dosage) while also taking a pro-biotic supplement to help balance out the negative effects and remain healthy. If the answer is a flat no, might any of the topical antibiotic acne medications work as well?
posted by incomple to health & fitness (13 comments total)

No, it's not a flat no (more like a qualified one). There's more qualified medical folks than I here, but antibiotics are commonly prescribed for acne--just not usually penicillin. Tetracycline was usually what was prescribed when I was going through this; there may be different stuff out there now. I'd personally recommend the supplement based on my experience, but most (not all) doctors seem to have a less accepting view of them, for what it's worth.

There are also non-antibiotic medications for this as well. If you can, a visit to a dermatologist would do you well.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 9:26 PM on July 7, 2005

There is an antibiotic or two (I don't remember which ones) that are prescribed for people who have acne. They are taken long-term and many people benefit from them. I'm sure your dermotologist would know which one,. but I just can't remember... It's certainly possible to take some of them long-term, but I would talk to your dermatologist about them.
posted by kamikazegopher at 9:48 PM on July 7, 2005

Tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline... these are the popular ones and I've been on them all. If you responded well to penicillin then go talk to a dermatologist and they'll work out a routine that is good for you with the proper medications.

It's also worth mentioning that being on these antibiotics sometimes require close monitoring of certain factors in your blood. For example, they are always watching my white blood cell count because for years minocycline lowered it almost outside their healthy range. Expect to have some blood work done every 3 to 6 months (depending on the medication and the dosage).

You don't want to self-lower your dosage of penicillin, especially before you've run through your current treatment. All that does is foster penicillin resistant bacteria and may cause you to relapse worse than you were before.
posted by sbutler at 12:00 AM on July 8, 2005

Ohhh... and as for the topicals, I've been on various strengths and combinations of benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and tretinoin. I rather like the benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin, they really work for me. But I am less sure of the benefits of tretinoin, and it's expensive if you don't have insurance.
posted by sbutler at 12:08 AM on July 8, 2005

I used the topicals with great success as a teeanger. Acne cleared up in a few weeks and has never returned. I'd personally be wary of taking low doses of antibiotics for long periods for various reasons.
posted by fshgrl at 1:49 AM on July 8, 2005

I used tetracycline as an acne-ridden teenager with no ill effects, and it worked. None of the topical stuff ever worked for me. As far as I know, antibiotics are usually prescribed as a last resort after trying topicals. Ask your doctor about it; your doctor might suggest trying topicals first, but should be able to prescribe you antibiotics.
posted by chickenmagazine at 7:16 AM on July 8, 2005

I was on Pennicillin VK 250 mg twice a day from age 8-18, and had fabulous skin, even in those awful teenage years. I was on it prophylactically to fight off strep and other infections, because I'd had my spleen removed and this would help bypass all the usual childhood infections that my mangled immune system might not be able to handle. Then I went off it at adulthood, because I was told my body was old enough to be able to fight off things better on my own, and whammo!, suddenly in my early twenties I had acne.

I had no side effects whatsoever from all those years of pennicillin, and took no other supplements apart from a multi-vitamin, so given my currently constantly-broken-out-and-blotchy skin, I miss it. A dermatologist prescribed me doxycycline (trade name: Doryx) a year ago, and it did very little to clear up my skin and made me very nauseous--it was very strong stuff. I've been trying, without success, to find a doctor to let me just go back on the damn pennicillin!
posted by Asparagirl at 8:08 AM on July 8, 2005

I developed a very unpleasant sensitivy to minocycline after taking it for a long time. I now use a home recipe of topical erythromycin(with my doctor's approval). Pharmacists are a great resource for all your legal drug questions.
posted by theora55 at 9:12 AM on July 8, 2005

These are all great suggestions/advice. Now that I'm getting health insurance, I'll cross my fingers and hope a dermatologist is covered. Thanks everyone!
posted by incomple at 10:01 AM on July 8, 2005

I'm on septra, an old antibiotic, for acne and it works pretty well.
posted by callmejay at 10:39 AM on July 8, 2005

From the other side, the sinus side, penicillin is also not typically used. Instead, Levaquin and Zythomax are the current antibiotics of choice (and, given the poor blood flow to the sinuses, for relatively long terms (21 days for Levaquin)). There is also recent interest (originated by the Mayo Clinic) in the use of anti-fungals.
posted by rtimmel at 1:28 PM on July 8, 2005

I took doxycycline off and on for several years in my late teens/early 20s. It worked very well, but it often triggered frequent yeast infections, so I didn't stay on it continuously -- usually just for a few months at a time. I used a topical antibiotic too (the name of which I forget), which smelled horrible and didn't seem to work very well. My acne's been under control since my mid-20s (so for about 10 years), though certainly have had some ups and downs -- when I get a particularly nasty zit now, I use a combination of tea tree oil and a dab of good ol' Neosporin, and that seems to clear things right up.
posted by scody at 4:35 PM on July 8, 2005

I used minocycline for a really long time...probably 10 years or more, at varying doses, and it worked wonders for me.
posted by fabesfaves at 3:17 PM on July 9, 2005