Rosacea & antibiotics.

[wishbone]

After two years I've finally decided to treat my rosacea with antibiotics. My rosacea happened to be flaring when I saw an immunologist last week. Among other things, he also convinced me that I really need to start taking antibiotics to treat it and prescribed a two month course of 408mg daily of lymecycline. Currently on my 5th day and the rosacea is worse than it's ever been with inflamed weeping spots and pustules that sting a fair bit. Was wondering if this is normal and skin conditions tend to get worse before they begin to improve when you start taking antibiotics?..the storm before the calm so to speak!

[oldtimer]

nope! Whenever I've had antibiotics for rosacea, it has taken about 10 days or so for it to improve, but it has never made it worse. Perhaps it is just having a really good flare up and hasn't had time for the treatment to start to work?

You might like to look at:

nhs.uk/conditions/rosacea/t...

[wishbone in reply to oldtimer]

Thanks oldtimer.

My RA and rosacea seem to go hand in hand with each other - when one flares the other tends to, and I'm currently having a really bad RA flare. I've been treating the rosacea with ivermectin cream for some time. It says in the link you attached that ivermectin can be applied twice a day so I'll try increasing it temporarily from once a day to see if it will help as the rosacea is pretty bad at the mo.

I hope to start medication for my RA soon. Do you think if my RA is better controlled than it is now the rosacea will follow suite and calm down as well? Didn't think to ask the immunologist when I saw him.

[oldtimer in reply to wishbone]

Unfortunately when I have a flare I also take and increased dose of prednisolone - that makes my rosacea worse as well. I can't say that I have noticed that both flare together otherwise, but difficult to tell as they both happen fairly often...

[wishbone in reply to oldtimer]

They do seem to flare together, but yes it is difficult to be sure, and the immunologist could only say that there is the possibility of a link. Anyway, just hope these antibiotics start working soon.

Thanks again

[Backy]

I've had Rosacea for years, I take Oxytetracycline tablets. The problem with this is 2 a day on empty stomach 12 hrs apart and one hour before food. I took it for 6 months initially, now every time I have a flare for 1 month.It is worse in the Summer when sun is out (ha ha).

[wishbone in reply to Backy]

Hiya Backy,

These antibiotics seem a bit hit & miss with skin conditions. Wondering how long I should give the lymecycline for it to start working. I think the immunologist said 10 days, but can't be sure as I had a shedfull of other more important data to upload into my brain which was in serious danger of going into overload. How long did it take before you noticed an improvement with oxytet?

[Backy in reply to wishbone]

About 2 weeks,but the first course was for 28 days,Ros returned within a week. So had 6 months course.

[wishbone]

Thanks Backy,

I hope my antibiotics get a move on as I'm getting a bit fed up with this rosacea now. Not only does it sting like one hundred hornets, but it's so damned unsightly as well! I'm not vain or self conscious by any means, but I came very close to not going out with friends for coffee today because my face looks so bad! To think, even though I'm in my mid-sixties I used to cut a dashing figure with skin like a bronzed adonis! Now I look like an old sunburnt toad! Life can be a proper pig on times!...........