Doxycycline for Skin or Soft Tissue Infection User Reviews

• MLA...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2019

"Doxycycline was the only thing that worked for my perioral dermatitis (which I got from using triamcinolone on my face - huge mistake!). I tried metronidazole at first as it's a more conservative treatment, but it did nothing for me. Doxy cleared it up in about 11 days, but I continued to take it for a month to make sure it didn't come back. It hasn't come back and it's been about a year."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 28, 2024

"Don’t listen to the bad reviews! I’m a severe medicine-phobe and emetophobe and listened to all of the reviews at first. I was terrified to take it because I am sensitive to medicines. But when my only other option was inpatient admission for IV antibiotics, I opted to try it. It has been a week and I am still on it for a few more days, but my abscess is finally healing! I made sure to eat something with every dose, even if it was just peanut butter crackers or rice, something that would sit well in my stomach. I had some minor nausea, headache, and weakness for the first couple of days, but now I’m adjusting and having no side effects at all despite being on 100mg twice a day for ten days. I am grateful for this med! Every person is different and reacts to things differently, and more people write reviews on bad experiences over good ones, so please don’t be afraid and give it a try! I’m a highly anxious person so the good reviews helped me a lot. I hope this helps you too!"

• So...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2020

"I was on a dose of 200 mg a day of doxycycline for two months, 100 mg/day for one month, and now on 40 mg/day for another month for a bad case of perioral dermatitis (40-year-old female). Tried elimination diet, herbs, and everything - and it didn’t work, but this (with some creams, elimination diet like 80% of the time, and tons of emotional processing) cleared my skin up!! I am totally sun sensitive, so I try to stay inside (yay quarantine). I take it with a FULL stomach, and I have no side effects. Also, I take the BEST probiotic from the vitamin shoppe. The doctor is weaning me off gradually to avoid rebound... Wish everyone the best!!!"

• bbr...
• November 27, 2016

"Had a serious case of cellulitis and didn't go in until suffering 7 days of intense swelling/pain in my right calf. Prescribed doxycycline 100 mg twice daily. Didn't pay attention to no calcium or the option of taking with or without food. First pill taken with food, no upset tummy. Second pill taken with food and a cup of coffee loaded with cream, so I reduced its effectiveness considerably until I read up on it. Third pill took without food, felt urpy for about half an hour but I wanted the full dose and suffered it out by hydrating with lots of hot tea and water. It's the third day of usage and I finally feel some relief. Pain in leg is less intense. Swelling is nearly gone! I can finally stand! Happy I got it!"

• Sus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 27, 2023

"I had terrible side effects from doxycycline. Slowly recovering since going off it 2 weeks ago. After 4 days of 100 mg daily for my dermatitis staph infection, I almost passed out. All of a sudden, my head got so heavy and exhausted, and pressure all over my head and behind my eyes. I went to sleep, but my mind felt like it was racing and all confused, like you’d feel if you had a concussion and fever. I woke up in the morning, and my brain felt like it had not slept at all. Brain extremely fatigued. I also had chronic nausea, tinnitus, dizziness, foggy head, confusion, and high anxiety and irritability. It honestly felt like I had suffered a traumatic head injury. I will never take doxycycline again."

• Anonymous
• June 25, 2016

"I was prescribed this for perioral dermatitis and skin infection. My whole head feels so much clearer and inflammation in my body that I didn't know I had (due to a shoulder injury). I have lost all inflammation, and I've gone down a pant size. I used to have to take omeprazole for stomach acid. After 3 days, my insides opened up and no more omeprazole or my anxiety meds. I believe in this medication. It helps with everything."

• Ste...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2020

"30-year-old male prescribed 100 mg doxycycline hyclate (daily) for perioral dermatitis. Received a four-week supply from the dermatologist. Dermatologist and pharmacist both echoed the recommendations available online (take with food and water, do not lie down after ingesting, watch out for sunburn). Four days into treatment with no adverse effects, visible improvement to dermatitis evident. Seems to be working."

• Poz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 8, 2020

"I was prescribed this drug, doxycycline, for a sinus infection I’d had for weeks. Having read all the reviews, I was dreading taking it. However, despite everything I read, I did proceed with the initial week's course. Apart from suppressing my appetite, not such a bad thing, I feel fine on this medication. My infection started to feel so much better 48 hours in, and although I had to take a second course to completely clear it up, I would recommend this medication. I honestly feel it’s like most drugs, some people are more sensitive than others. I often struggle to find medication that agrees with me, but do not be put off by all the negative reviews."

• Del...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 21, 2021

"I have gotten dry eye syndrome the last 3 years, and this medicine is the only one that helps me. My eyes get extremely red and painful, and sensitive to light. The pain is so bad at night it wakes me up. My eye doctor has been prescribing this, and it works. I take it for 90 days in the 50 mg dose. It makes my arthritis/joint pain much more bearable too. It seems to have an anti-inflammatory action of some kind, and it even helps with my chronic sinus problems. It makes my whole body feel better."

• San...
• April 8, 2020

"I developed cellulitis on my right calf. Based on my medical history and a previous cellulitis case that required two courses of cephalexin, my doctor suspected that it was caused by MRSA, and I was given a doxycycline hyclate prescription. I was rather hesitant to take this, since I'd heard that doxycycline isn't the best for cellulitis and due to side effects from other antibiotic classes (azithromycin made me too dizzy to walk; Cipro made me have unrelenting diarrhea). But lo and behold, I developed only minor side effects on this drug (gas, occasional dizziness), and my infection started to look significantly better about six hours after my first dose. Avoiding calcium and iron was a bit of a pain, but I'm just glad that my infection was vanquished."

• jtp...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2012

"I took this medication for an infection I acquired after a cut in my finger. It basically works by 'STOPPING' the growth of bacteria. You have to take it with a lot of water to ensure it is totally flushed through your esophagus and DO NOT lay down within 45 minutes of taking it - or it can work its way back up into your esophagus and thus might cause a small ulcer there in time. As for its effectiveness in curing the infection, it worked just fine."

• Moh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2022

"Had Folliculitis Decalvans (scalp folliculitis), more many years. Tried everything from medicated creams, antibiotics, steroid shots, healthy diets, vitamins, medicated shampoo, and more. Nothing worked! I experimented on a sub-microbial dose of doxycycline, which is already marketed as Oracea, but I couldn't afford it, so I took generic doxycycline at 20 mg twice a day, which is the same thing. It's too low to work as an antibiotic and doesn't lead to resistance or changes in gut flora, but still provides a high anti-inflammatory effect as this antibiotic does. It is safe for long-term use, use it forever. In 1 week, I noticed a drastic change in scalp pustules, weeping, and redness. This is amazing."

• kly...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2023

"Absolutely not. Never again. This antibiotic made me feel like I was flirting with death. I could not eat, I could barely drink, my head hurt so bad I was sobbing, I couldn't breathe without panting, I got a fever of 101. I felt delirious and overemotional. It barely helped the problem, kind of worked against me because my body was having to fight not only the infection but the medicine as well. I put this on my allergy list. Also, if you have idiopathic intracranial hypertension, it increases pressure in the head. Please talk to your doctor if you suspect you have this condition before taking tetracyclines. I did not know this beforehand."

• Bil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 20, 2019

"Three days into taking doxycycline for a skin infection, and I have terrible heartburn and constantly feel nauseous. My doctor's directions said to try and take this on an empty stomach. DON’T...unless you enjoy vomiting. Even when I take it with food and drink plenty of fluids, the nausea and heartburn come roaring in a few hours later. Trying to clear up a cyst that recently developed on my scalp. I am super self-conscious about it, and to be honest, I’d rather have the cyst stay there forever than endure another day of this medication."

• Agd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 17, 2019

"I was prescribed 40 mg doxycycline once daily for 8 weeks to treat perioral dermatitis that would not clear despite months of trying everything else to clear it. On the positive side, it's been four weeks, and other than a little redness, the dermatitis has cleared. There are many negatives, though - I've basically felt under the weather every single day. I have no energy and no appetite. Despite eating less, I have gained 12 pounds in 4 weeks. Now I know that people often want to blame medication for weight gain when it's likely not the culprit...but I have weighed the same for about 12 years, give or take 1-2 lbs. This is crazy. I feel like I'm wearing a fat suit at all times, and it's very uncomfortable. To the point where I don't know how to manage the next four weeks. I read a research paper online that stated 100 mg doxy is given to malnourished children to cause weight gain, so I guess this isn't a figment of my imagination."

• Can...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 10, 2020

"Very effective in treating perioral dermatitis. I had no side effects compared to minocycline, which gave me chronic migraines and vertigo. However, the dermatitis has returned again, and it's been 5 months since I finished a 3-month treatment. Very frustrating."

• Bou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 31, 2013

"I've been taking this medicine for a form of dermatitis under my nose on my lip. It's working great-no problems with the nausea symptoms as I take it with a lot of water. I have been pounding probiotics to avoid the yeast infection, which has totally worked! The only side effect I'm noticing is vaginal dryness, which may be linked to the general 'drying' out other folks have experienced with this medicine-frustrating for sure. Hate to take any medicines, but this is working well."

• she...
• September 9, 2011

"Worked very well for my skin infection, however, it did cause severe nausea about halfway through my course of therapy. It would happen about half an hour after taking the medication. If I took it about 20 minutes after taking Dramamine (the meclizine kind), the nausea subsided. No other side effects and very effective."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 24, 2020

"If you suffer from migraines (especially with aura), proceed with CAUTION with doxycycline! I was prescribed this med as a preventative measure after a routine cyst excision. I wish I had never taken it. After just 2 doses, I suffered my first migraine with aura in months. I was losing my vision, and it was terrifying. Please avoid if you have neurological sensitivities such as migraines."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 28, 2018

"I've been taking this drug for 5 days now for folliculitis. The 1st time I took it, I was violently sick within 5 minutes. I've been suffering with headaches and nausea (feeling really drunk, room spinning) for these 5 days. I've found my skin is so tender and feels really raw and very dry. Day 5, and I've woken up to vaginal dryness, which I'm guessing is due to this being a bacterial antibiotic, so it's pretty uncomfortable. I haven't noticed any improvement, but it's only day 5. I was prescribed a 60-day course. Hope it works, as I've been struggling for nearly 10 years with this skin infection."

• Flu...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 9, 2020

"I take this doxycycline on and off for various skin complaints. The first time I took this, I was vomiting within 20 minutes. So now I only take this with meals and have been fine. After a few days, I do see a lot of improvement."

• msg...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 10, 2018

"There are 2 types of doxycycline: doxycycline monohydrate and doxycycline hyclate. I have taken both for perioral dermatitis. The 1st time I took doxycycline monohydrate with absolutely no side effects. The 2nd time I took doxycycline hyclate because my perioral dermatitis didn't go away. From the beginning with doxycycline hyclate, I had side effects of severe fatigue, feeling shaky, headaches, achiness, tingly fingertips, painful carpal tunnel, pain in my neck, numbness, and tingling in my right arm, elbow, and up to my armpit. This medication gives you a feeling of being very ill. I will be putting this medication on my RX list of 'do not prescribe to patient.'"

• Ren...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2014

"I took this medication for a skin infection. 100 mg twice a day for 10 days. Towards the end, I would get severe nausea after taking it, but I never threw up. The medication worked great and cleared up my infection, however, I am starting to get concerned it may be coming back on my arms this time. Before, it was on my face and scalp. I have suffered from KP my whole life on my arms, so I'm hoping the skin infection and medicine may have temporarily made it flare up worse than normal. I did get the beginning signs of a yeast infection on days 4-5, so I had my doctor call in a prescription to treat it. I took it immediately and continued the antibiotics. The yeast infection was gone within 24 hours. Overall, no complaints."

• dsw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2022

"BEWARE. If your child is taking the drug, please watch for changes in moods or emotions. This drug has a commonly unlisted side effect of suicide and thoughts of death. I had these feelings even though I've never, ever, been like that in my life. That's after only 6 days of taking. It took me nearly 8 days after taking for the symptoms to clear up. Do not take unless necessary."

• Bra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2018

"This medicine wasn't so effective for my staph, which is why I can't give it a good rating. However, for those of you who are worried about side effects, I experienced absolutely none. I took it with a big meal and 12 oz to 14 oz of water. I also was very careful to remain upright (didn't lean back or lay down) for at least 2 hours after ingesting. The doctor recommended that if I experienced nausea, I should take a pill called Gravol one hour before. Luckily, I didn't need it. For reference, Amoxicillin slightly messed up my lower stomach after about the 3rd or 4th day (probiotics did help), and Azithromycin gave me slight nausea about 45 minutes after ingesting, so it's not like I have a stomach of steel or anything. It seems people who post reviews are mostly those who had a bad experience, which is understandable. But for those who worry like I do, it was absolutely fine."