Tapering oral antibiotics

February 17th, 2006

Most oral antibiotics for acne treatment are dosed at twice a day with a few extended release pills being only once a day. These medications can take 4-6 weeks at times to show their full benefts. But what should you do when you achieve great results?

The important thing with oral antibiotics and acne treatment is that you gradually taper the pills. There is a common phenomenon in acne treatment that if you simply stop the medications cold turkey, you may get a rebound effect with flaring of the acne.

So, if you’re on a pill twice a day, it’s best to first cut down to once a day, then go to every other day, and then stop. Each “step” down should occur after two to three weeks at the previous level. During this taper, if new breakouts occur, you should increase the dose back to the prior dose that allowed you to maintain good results.

Eventually, you will be able to stop the oral pills and just use the topical medications.

Entry Filed under: General Acne News