Minocycline and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Cat...
• September 19, 2017

For Acne "I had hormonal acne when I started taking minocycline. I am 25 years old and a woman - if that is relevant to anyone. I was hesitant to start this medication since I read bad reviews on it, but I had no issues with it whatsoever! Cleared up my skin in less than a month, and acne did not return since. I stopped taking it after 30 days. I got a couple of spots here and there, but nowhere near as bad as I was. The only thing is don't take it right before going to bed because when I did that I would wake up feeling hungover and dizzy. If I took it in the morning or around lunchtime, there were absolutely no side effects. If you are hesitating like I was, my advice to you is to try it!"

• Van...
• November 19, 2014

For Acne "I've got to say this medication has helped my cystic acne a lot. I am 22 years old and have been suffering with acne for two years now. I would get cystic acne all over my cheeks, and it would hurt so bad. I got prescribed this medicine, and the first week my skin went through a purging phase and it was breaking out a lot, but no cystic acne. Now on my second week, I'm getting bad side effects. I'm extremely dizzy all the time, lightheaded, and confused. I don't know why I'm getting these side effects now, but I am miserable."

• MsL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 19, 2014

For Acne "I was prescribed first the Z-pack and took that for 5 days and then to continue by taking one minocycline 100 mg capsule (once a day) for adult cystic acne. I was feeling fine the first week on minocycline, but the second week, I had to completely take myself off the minocycline because I was miserable. First, it was sinus, then sinus headaches with blurry vision on and off. Then my joints started hurting, especially in my hands and lower back. I also felt dizzy when moving too fast from one position to another and started to feel like I was under a haze all the time."

• Cry...
• November 22, 2013

Minocycline for Acne "I have been on and off Solodyn, and it works awesome every time! I am 43 years old and started breaking out around my mouth. I was convinced it was adult acne. I never had acne in my younger years, so I figured now it was my turn. I went to my dermatologist, and he prescribed Solodyn. I noticed results as early as one week. I do get very dizzy and tired, so I take it a couple of hours before bed. It is very expensive, so make sure you get the discount card from your dermatologist."

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2015

Minocycline for Acne "I've just started this medication, and so far, so good. So far, all I have noticed is that my pimples are coming to a head, and my cysts are starting to level, and also, blackheads and whiteheads are vanishing. I'm on the 80 mg Solodyn, and I'm guessing that's very high since most people here are on like 65 and 50 mg. I do get very dizzy, lightheaded, my stomach kills, and I have trouble focusing for about two hours after taking the antibiotic, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. I have sensitive skin, and I like how this doesn't make me peel as much as the previous topical medication I was on (Ziana). I'm still supposed to use it, but I like the results I'm getting without it. I would recommend this for sure."

• Mel...
• October 27, 2011

Minocycline for Acne "I tried a lot of products to get rid of my adult acne. The doctor put me on a topical cream for the first 3 months, then wanted me to take Solodyn 45 along with the cream. My face looks perfect. I started getting side effects the last 2 months since the doctor gave me Solodyn 55. Now I have problems breathing and a little dizzy. I am only 30 and very healthy, and this is the only pill I take, so I think it had to be the upgrade on mg that is causing my new problems. I stopped the pills but am still using the cream. Hopefully, I won’t get the acne back. I would recommend this, but make sure you pay attention to any changes in your health and stop taking it then."

• tho...
• July 14, 2011

For Skin and Structure Infection "I have been taking minocycline for 2 years for scleroderma/generalized morphea. At first, I had a step down of prednisone for 2 months with it. It's stopped the spread of the morphea dead in its tracks. Now my skin is starting to clear up. Still have some bad spots that are clearing slower. For the side effects, I take a 0.05 mg clonazepam, and it gets rid of all the side effects. I had the vertigo and anxiety so bad."

• PlN...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 5, 2015

For Acne "After exhausting all options, this did the job. I had severe facial acne, and now (3 months later on 100 mg/day) I'm 100% clear. I saw a difference in the size of inflammation overnight. I experienced vertigo for the 1st month, but you eventually reach equilibrium. My only concern is: will it continue to stay clear? *Fingers crossed*"

• Loa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 10, 2019

For Acne "DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. My doctor put me on it for acne, and for the first two days, it wasn’t bad. Then I woke up with an allergic reaction all over my face that put me in the hospital. I was having horrible diarrhea and nausea and was even dizzy to the point where I couldn’t stand. This went on for three days straight and continued for three more after I stopped the medication. My dermatologist didn’t warn me how bad these side effects were and made me feel crazy when I told him about them. He even suggested taking it again to try to see if I would get 'used to it.' I don’t recommend this medication to anyone, it’s dangerous and scary."

• gra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2013

For Acne "I'm not perfect with my eating and exercising habits, and alas, along with teenage hormones came acne. They're not horrific, but bad enough to be irritating and painful the week before menstruation. I used to take doxycycline, but even from the beginning, it gave me really bad nausea and headaches. I haven't noticed anything too bad with sun exposure on the minocycline, but have had more drowsiness and am currently experiencing headaches and dizziness. It cleared up everything along with my use of a Clarisonic and a benzyl-based topical cream. Definitely try it if other tetracyclines didn't work out for you. This one, despite the side effects, is doing the trick."

• new...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2014

For Acne "I was put on this for acne. The first two weeks, I dealt with dizziness and exhaustion. The day I reached two weeks, I broke out in terrible hives and severe joint pain that landed me in the ER. I really wanted this medicine to work but could not continue it."

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2011

For Acne "My dermatologist prescribed 100 mg minocycline, twice a day. Once I started taking the pills, I got really dizzy during the day. So I decided just to take one pill at night before I go to bed instead of 2 a day. My skin has cleared up a lot, and it has only been 6 days. Either take this pill one hour before eating or 2 hours after eating, or you will feel sick. Plus, drink a lot of water."

• LBA...
• September 10, 2013

For Acne "I'm rating this a 6/10 because it was incredible for my acne. After a week, my skin had never looked so clear in 10 years. It was seriously amazing. But, unfortunately, it made me unbearably dizzy. I had to stop after two weeks, and I was so upset about it, but I just could barely function. I've been taking doxycycline now for a month, and it works half as well but doesn't give me any side effects. I'm bummed out about it, but it's worth trying in case you don't have the side effects I did."

• Anonymous
• September 18, 2011

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "I have been feeling very dizzy. It makes me feel lightheaded, weak, and tired. I was having perioral dermatitis, and so far it's actually working, but my skin is still hyperpigmented from the previous itching and flaking of the dry skin on my chin. I noticed that if I don't eat at least an hour before taking the pill, I pass out completely, and I feel lethargic."

• pcl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 23, 2019

For Ocular Rosacea "Only took this medication for four days before I had to stop. Adverse side effects included headache (which the dermatologist mentioned might happen), but then I also started to get dizziness, confusion, heart racing, and nausea. The symptoms of ocular rosacea would never be worth these side effects."

• gjr...
• September 6, 2009

Minocycline for Acne "I used this medicine for less than a week. It really improved my skin, but I had some bad side effects, which included being dizzy and lightheaded. I also had stomach cramps and very bad diarrhea. I tried taking it with and without food."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2010

Minocycline for Acne "I had very good results from Minocin as far as my acne was concerned. My face started clearing up and was looking almost back to normal. I did experience the dizziness and frequent yeast infections while on this but thought it was worth it. After about 3 months, I was feeling very bad, my joints all ached so bad I had decreased my activities and almost stopped dancing. My parents were having me worked up for arthritis, and I was having blood in my stool suddenly. My mom talked to a doctor at work and found out it was the Minocin that was causing all the joint pain and probably a lesion in my bowels. I immediately stopped it and am now back to normal and have bad acne again."

• Cri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 2, 2014

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "I was prescribed this because I had an infection in my ankle due to an impacted metal. While I waited for surgery to remove it, I was prescribed this for a period of two weeks. I was extremely dizzy and weak on it. Thankfully, the podiatrist that ended up doing the surgery changed me to another antibiotic that had no side effects and kept me infection-free until the surgery could be performed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 27, 2016

For Acne "I went to the dermatologist because of some minor adult acne on my chin and was prescribed minocycline 100 mg once a day. Well, come November 1, it will be 1 month in, and the very couple of acne I had on my chin has tripled, plus I now have it on my cheeks, which I never had a problem with before. Plus, I have had some side effects as well, including dizziness, nausea, and yeast infection. It was prescribed to me for 3 months. I will stick with it for another 2 months and see what happens. As of right now, I am disappointed, but am hoping to see positive results in the next 2 months."

• Anonymous
• September 9, 2011

Minocycline for Acne "I really like Solodyn. So far, it's gotten rid of my acne. The only thing that I don't like is that when you stop taking it, you start to break out a lot. But so far, no really bad reactions, just dizziness and vertigo, but that's why I was recommended to take it before bed. It helps."

• Anonymous
• September 9, 2011

Minocycline for Acne "I really like Solodyn. So far, it's gotten rid of my acne. The only thing that I don't like is that when you stop taking it, you start to break out a lot. But so far, no really bad reactions, just dizziness and vertigo, but that's why I was recommended to take it before bed. It helps."

• Bbk...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 9, 2016

For Acne "Be very careful with this medication as it may lead to pseudotumor cerebri, which is a very serious side effect (though pretty rare) that can cause permanent vision loss. I was only on the medication from the end of November through the middle of January; I was taking it twice a day. At the beginning of January, I started to have constant horrible headaches, then tunnel vision when standing. I then started having severe head and neck pain, dizziness, my vision would go in and out, and I felt an intense pressure in my head. I eventually ended up spending well over a week in the hospital, had 3 spinal taps due to very high ICP, and in the end, I had a VP shunt in my brain with a tube to my stomach that I'll have for the rest of my life."

• FG0...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2016

Minocycline for Acne "I have had on and off acne for about 8 years. During August-October 2015, my skin was breaking out into big, painful cystic pimples. They were mostly on my chin, but some on my forehead as well. I was prescribed Solodyn 80 mg in October, and by January, I had absolutely no pimples on my face. It gave me some side effects, such as headaches and light dizziness. I also felt slightly nauseous, but nothing too serious. It really cleared up my skin. This is the first oral product that has cleared my skin up in 8 years, and I have tried pills such as doxycycline (did not work). I swear by this pill. I stopped taking it in February because my skin was great. But now I am going on them in generic form because my acne began to come back in April."

• ale...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 27, 2021

For Acne "I had very bad bumps on my forehead for about 3 years and acne on my chin, and in almost a week on minocycline, my skin has never been so clear. I have experienced some side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, and headaches, but I would rather deal with them than experience what my skin was before."

• Anonymous
• July 4, 2017

For Acne "I randomly started getting bad acne on my cheeks and chin a year ago. After using Epiduo, it got a lot better. Recently, at 18, I've been seeing some flare-ups, so my derm prescribed this antibiotic for me. After just a couple of days, I was pleased that the drug was preventing any new breakouts (it wasn't really clearing up the existing spots, though). I started noticing that I would get extremely dizzy really easily. After a week on this pill, I cannot stand without feeling like I'm going to throw up, and my acne seems worse. I will never take minocycline again!"