Some more background about subantimicrobial (sometimes referred to as SD – Subantimicrobial Dosage) doxycycline and rosacea. A dosage of around 50mg per day is enough to see a benefit in rosacea symptoms but also low enough to not affect gut flora or cause other antibiotic related side effects. SD doxycycline can also be take safely for longer periods of time compared to higher doses of doxycycline.
Subantimicrobial Dose Doxycycline for Acne and Rosacea, From SKINmed, 2(4):234-245, 2003
Conclusions: The tetracyclines have been used effectively for decades for the treatment of acne and rosacea at doses of 50-200 mg daily for doxycycline and minocycline and 250 mg twice or four times daily for tetracycline HCl. Reports of serious adverse events and the increasing rates of bacterial resistance to tetracyclines at standard doses in patients undergoing long-term therapy have prompted interest in new therapeutic approaches for their use in acne and rosacea therapy.
Lesions of periodontitis and acne are mediated by a somewhat similar inflammatory response. The efficacy of clinical trials and subsequent approval of SD doxycycline in adult periodontitis was the impetus for the study of its effect in acne. Results from the study of SD doxycycline in acne are promising and should encourage further research into this new strategy for treating acne. A 50-patient, open-label experience trial with SD doxycycline in the treatment of rosacea also provided evidence of the utility of the drug. The use of SD doxycycline can potentially avoid the adverse events of standard-dose, long-term therapy with tetracyclines for acne and thereby enhance patient compliance. In addition, widespread adoption of this dosage as part of a maintenance therapy for acne and rosacea will limit exposure of patients and their microflora to doxycycline and may slow the steadily increasing rate of resistance of P. acnes and other organisms to the tetracyclines.
SKINmed is a peer reviewed outreach journal specifically written to be of interest to Dermatologists and serve as a teaching, didactic resource of clinical content for non-Dermatologists.
4 comments ↓
I have used Oracea for 2 months for Rosacea, I am clear.
I wake up thankful every day.
Great to hear Rhonda. I wish you all the best, that it continues to work well for you !
I have tried absolutely everything to control my papo pustular rosacea. Nothing has worked for any length of time. All topicals including Metrogel and Aczone worked at first then like everything else seemed to contribute to the problem. Most soaps and lotions cause immediate breakouts and deep pimples.
My PCP and dermatologist seem to be reticent to prescribe Doxy on a permanent basis so I scraped together all of the doxy I could get my hands on and I have been taking 100mg Doxy once per day for the past 45 days and am almost completely clear of lesions and breakouts. I am going to discuss a permanent ongoing regime with my doctor. And if they won’t listen I’ll go to one that does.
Since the generic Doxy works very well I see no reason to pay the extra costs of a name-brand pharmaceutical.
Good for you Jim.
All the best for getting a solution with your doctor. One more benefit of generic doxycycline is, as you say, the price !
davidp.
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