Long term antibiotics for vanity reasons

[SillyBub]

I'm sure I know the answer to this but hoping any pharmacists/doctors can tell me otherwise!

I'm 2 weeks away from ending a 6 week course of Doxycycline for legitimate anti malarial purposes following a holiday to a malaria area.

Since starting them, I have not had a single spot and despite being 46 years old, I've had facial and arse (nice) spots since puberty started. I've never been without one. It's amazing!

My teen DD and DS have been pretty much spot free too, not that I or they have commented on this.

Tell me why buying more off the internet for long term use for me (NOT DD and DS) is a bad idea and I will do the right thing even though I want to stay this way forever.

Thanks!

You obviously don't have much contact with people with Chlamydia ! Surprising number of youngsters on it .

Also, for skin. Mine was bad for years. Nothing would clear it. The best thing I've ever used is La Roche Posay effeclar 3 step kit. You have to be consistent and use it 2 times a day but it does work. It probably took about a month for me to see real results but now my skin is great

Long term acne sufferer here from age 12 to 40!
Doxy is prescribed by GP for acne. I've been given it many times!!

Go see your GP and explain as you have in your OP.

There are loads of online pharmacies where you can get acne treatments which are now available without a prescription. Eg. zineryt and differin etc.

Also I recommend bioderma sebium range. Face wash and hydra cream they are fab.

Good luck #skinmatters
X

You have to pee in a pot every month and be on two forms of contraception these days

What this has shown you is that your skin is signalling that there is an imbalance in your body's gut biome. It is possible that the acne will not return or that it might be worth exploring this further with your doctor. As someone who has seen the whole body benefits of listening to the signs your body is sending you... I would suggest you consider a gut cleanse...

Whilst I agree with this I would argue that for some people their skin condition can absolutely warrant antibiotics

Agreed - agricultural use, incomplete course taking, inappropriate prescription (not to mention that they're over the counter still in many countries) are more urgent in terms of correction.

A small number of acne prescriptions are probably beneficial enough to earn their usage.

If a medical professional has prescribed them , then they should have weighed up the risks vs benefits . However op posted

Tell me why buying more off the internet for long term use for me (NOT DD and DS) is a bad idea and I will do the right thing even though I want to stay this way forever.

So buying from an unregulated source and using antibiotics long term not for the short term use they were originally prescribed for is utterly against all principles of antibiotic guardianship.

This leads to anti biotic resistance and is a global threat. Speak to your GP who will prescribe the correct anti biotics for spots if needed ( Doxycycline is not usually the correct one(.

Speak to your GP. There are several prescription only creams/lotions available for acne. They may also prescribe long term antibiotics if they think it's appropriate.

Antibiotic resistance is a problem. However, miss use and not finishing courses are as much as a problem (if not more) as over prescribing. Antibiotics for OP's skin problem would be a minimal impact.

Slighlty off the op's original question. Drug companies also need to put more efforts into R&D towards antibiotics. They are no where near as profitable long term as medication that people need to take every day, potentially for the rest of their lives. So there's less research into potential new antibiotics. Except where governments organise grants for that purpose alone.

My gp prescribed a low dose antibiotic for a skin condition. I ybink about 6 weeks worth. Talk to them.

I meant it was not much used for inflammatory or cystic acne, not that it wasn’t prescribed full stop! I would’ve thought that was obvious seeing as we are discussing skin not STIs.

Sorry that was to @Lollygaggle

Nooooo.
Have you read anything about the dangers of wiping out you gut microbiome?
You will cause yourself damage.

The way it read to me was it was not an antibiotic used much so someone reading might think it ok to self medicate with it.

Go and see GP and explain what you said in the OP. Antibiotics for your acne might well be a good idea. My teenager takes them. But GP or dermatologist can prescribe the right one and right dose.

I am on lifelong antibiotics as cellulitis is a part of my condition. I have been taking them 3 years so far, so doctors do prescribe them longterm. Explain to your doctor and tell them how you feel they may be able to help.

I never said it was, I said it as an example that that family of antibiotics are commonly used for acne treatments (and still are for acne and many other things). However different ones are preferred for different uses, which OP does not have the medical knowledge for.

As for roaccutane were any of my warnings off-base? It may be effective but it is a nasty drug. It does have depression with and without suicidal thoughts listed as a side effect. I've seen it happen. More than once, only in boys as they seem more willing to prescribe to them due to the second half of my warning not being a risk! It is listed as known to cause foetal abnormalities. While it may be warranted for some situations, it certainly isn't required for a few spots. Tetracyclines and other first line treatments are also hugely effective in most cases and do not have either of these issues. Someone having a little acne asking for roaccutane is akin to a minor infection and going straight in with vancomycin or another last resort. It's not scaring people to make the risks clear.