What oral drugs are usually prescribed?

Please consult with your doctor before you start taking oral medications.

• Antibiotics – This may be used on top of the skin (topical) or taken orally (systemic). Types like doxycycline and erythromycin kill bacteria on your skin and cut down on inflammation. That is particularly good for inflammatory acne, which is when having tender red bumps and pus-filled whiteheads. Topical antibiotics are limited in their ability to penetrate the skin and clear more deep-seated acne, whereas systemic antibiotics circulate throughout the body and into sebaceous glands. However, systemic antibiotics often cause more side effects than topicals, but they can be used for more severe kinds of acne. Clindamycin and erythromycin are antibiotics that are also anti-inflammatory drugs and are effective against several types of bacteria. They are often combined with benzoyl peroxide or a topical retinoid and applied directly to the skin.

Other oral anti-inflammatory antibiotics often used are doxycycline, minocycline, and tetracycline, all of which are quite effective in many cases of acne.

Antibiotics do not address the other causative factors in acne and may take several weeks or months to clear it up. Antibiotics are often used in combination with other drugs that “unclog” follicles. Many oral antibiotics for acne should not be used during pregnancy. A person may become resistant to effects of antibiotics, hence, limiting its usefulness.

• Oral contraceptives – For women, birth control pills can clear up your skin. Pills that contain both estrogen and progestin work, like Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Yaz.

• Spironolactone – This medication is another hormonal option for women. Created as a blood pressure pill, it stops your hormones from making too much oil. This medication is not FDA-approved for acne but is especially helpful for women who have acne that worsens around the time of menstruation and menopause.

• Clascoterone (Winlevi) – a newly approved topical treatment for moderate to severe acne which is considered an alternative to spironolactone. It targets the hormones that cause acne. Just how it works is not quite understood but it has been found to reduce acne in both males and females over the age of 12.

• Isotretinoin – described as the most effective therapy. This drug is the only drug that intervenes in all of three of the causes of acne. It can often even clear severe acne that hasn’t responded to other treatments. However, the product can have side effects. It can cause severe birth defects and must never be taken by a woman who is pregnant or who is not using contraception. In addition, it shouldn’t be taken by a woman who is nursing. Isotretinoin is more popularly known as Absorica, Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis, Sotret, Zenatane.