Oral antibiotics are one of the most effective therapeutic measures to combat moderate and severe acne. More precisely, they are the powerful medicines especially for treating acne caused by Propionibacterium acnes. Their immense antibacterial potency makes them the strongest enemy to fight and flatten the bacterial growth inside the clogged skin pores. And the most promising factor is that in this healing process they only kill the bacteria selectively, without doing any harm to the adjacent cells and skin tissue.
How and Why Oral Antibiotics Work With So Much Efficiency
P. acnes, the bacteria responsible for the pain and inflammation, are easily eradicated with much efficiency by antibiotics more than anything else. However, any remedial procedure involving any form of antibiotics should not be administered without proper guidance of a physician, since medical proficiency is highly required to determine what antibiotics are necessary for healing any particular case of moderate or severe acne. Sometimes, after prolonged application these bacteria develop a kind of resistance against that particular medicine. Once again it is the physician who only can determine to replace the old medicine with a new one so as to obtain similar outcomes as well as nullify that bacterial resistance against the new medicine. Therefore they work in two ways by reducing the number of bacteria as well as healing up the infection.
Commonly Used Oral Antibiotics
Three types of antibiotics are generally prescribed for oral consumption to fight against unyielding cases of skin rash.
Erythromycin
Erythromycin comes both in the forms of common and long-acting capsules and tablet. Usually it is prescribed to be consumed twice or thrice a day during or after meal. This prescribed dosage is generally carried on for a week or so. The power and dosage, however, can vary depending on the severity and individual case history. The most promising benefit of this
oral antibiotic is that intake of it can even be continued even during pregnancy. There is some restriction in taking certain drugs along with erythromycin. Consult your physician for the best guideline of which drugs you should avoid as long as you are under treatment.
Tetracycline
Oral intake of this antibiotic is in common medicinal practice for years. And it has been proven to be an equally effective remedial measure in curing inflammatory acne. As in any other form of antibiotics, the dosage and strength of tetracycline is always determined by the concerned physician as per the severity of acne. Unlike erythromycin, tetracycline can not be taken during pregnancy. It is prescribed to take in empty stomach and especially never with any milk products.
Tetracycline derivatives
Minocycline and doxycyline are two derivatives of tetracycline which are also widely used as an unbeaten antibiotic remedial agent in curing acne. These
oral antibiotics are highly potential bacteriostatic drugs which inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Doxycycline is remarkably useful in treating inflammatory acne, but there is always a risk of growing sun sensitivity just as other antibiotics. Sometimes feelings of nausea might become prevalent, and therefore it is advisable to consume it along with food or milk. Medications like cholestyramine should be avoided since they can diminish the absorption of doxycycline in the gastrointestinal tract.
Minocycline on the other hand is useful especially in those cases where other antibiotics have failed or been neutralized by bacterial resistance. Antacids should be avoided in order to promote the absorption of this antibiotic. And it is always safer to follow cautions while consuming this drug along with anticoagulants. Compared to other antibiotics, minocycline is relatively less susceptible to microbial resistance. But this
oral antibiotic is more likely to generate serious side effects and that’s why the implication of minocycline must be carefully administered.
Side Effects
The side effects generated by any kind of antibiotics can lead to any kind of mild or serious impact. The most common side effects generated by erythromycin are mostly related with digestive malfunction like diarrhea, vomiting, stomach upset etc. Tetracycline even could initiate similar consequences in addition with skin redness and / or sore mouth. Diarrhea, dry mouth and sunburns are quite likely to happen as side effects related with doxycycline. Candidiasis or yeast infection is found in some women who had been exposed under administration of doxycycline. Sore mouth, skin redness and diarrhea are common side effects of minocycline.
