Goodbye Minocycline

Due to intolerable side effects, I have stopped taking my dermatologist prescribed daily dosage of the antibiotic, minocycline.

I began my own research and am currently self-medicating. I am not a doctor and I realize I don’t know what I’m doing; however, no one knows my body better than I do. Also, I am extremely dissatisfied with mainstream medicine’s treatment (or lack thereof) of rosacea. Taking antibiotics long-term and treating the symptoms but not the cause is not an option for me, especially when the only thing they will prescribe ruins my life. Also, I have seen two dermatologists and neither were willing to work with me or be flexible at all in their recommendation that I take these antibiotics, despite the side effects I endured.

SO, here I am. One suggestion is that people with rosacea may have a lysine deficiency. I took Biochemistry last semester, and actually knew what this meant! L-Lysine is an essential amino acid, meaning it is critical to the human body, especially for tissue development, and it cannot be produced by the body so it must be obtained through the food we eat or through supplements. I began taking 1,000 MG/day of lysine a week ago, and I could see the effects within a few days. (Added benefit: I bought a bottle of 100 500 MG pills at Target for about $2.50). The redness and postules on my cheeks are almost gone. It took almost a month on antibiotics before I noticed my skin was looking better. However, my eyelids continue to be puffy…some days worse than others. But I’m not even convinced this is necessarily rosacea, but perhaps an allergy or sensitivity to something. I am also going to work on converting to all natural products in terms of detergents, shower gel, shampoo, etc.

Also, rosacea has something to do with inflammation (that’s actually why they prescribe the antibiotics, because of the anti-inflammatory effects). And, certain foods have inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. Who would have thought! As a result, I am working on eliminating virtually all red meat from my diet, and greatly reducing the amount of dairy I consume. This means I am working towards a fruit and vegetable based diet, with the exception of fatty fish, with have omega three fatty acids, like salmon and halibut.

I realize that this is a situation that will require ongoing attention—I do not in any way think that taking a supplement is going to cure all my problems. However, I feel extremely empowered and relieved, after being given no options by dermatologists, and spending lots of money on topical and oral antibiotics, that I’m finally getting information that puts me more in control. I believe that environmental factors like foods and other things we come in contact with have a huge impact on our bodies, and these are the things that doctors never tell you. Apparently, they can make a lot more money just prescribing drugs like antibiotics.