Antibiotics for Acne and Sore Throats

New study shows patients taking oral antibiotics for acne are 3 times more likely to suffer sore throats

A recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and published in the Archives of Dermatology has uncovered a link between antibiotics for acne and sore throats. Two studies were conducted and both found a higher incidence of sore throats in college students taking antibiotics for acne versus those with acne who did not take antibiotics. The risk of sore throats severe enough to warrant a doctor visit is three times higher in people taking antibiotics for acne than those who are not.

This risk is only associated with oral antibiotics. That is to say, students who used topical antibiotics such as erythromycin for their acne did not have more sore throats than the general population.

How Does This Happen?

Dr. David Margolis and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania followed college students over a long period of time to make their assessment. After all, people who take oral antibiotics for acne don’t just take it for a few days or weeks like people with sinus infections do. They often take them for months or years.

The study did not find a clear cause for the increased risk of sore throats. However, based on what doctors and researchers already know about the way antibiotics work, it appears that the cause could be the way that antibiotics change the balance of bacteria in the throat. The result is that the good bacteria, which defends the throat from infection, is eliminated and therefore the bad bacteria is able to multiply and cause sore throats.

It’s a very similar principle to the way antibiotics often cause diarrhea by killing the good bacteria that defend the stomach from illness. However, they also found that the sore throats were not caused by strep, which left them without a clear conclusion.

What Should You Do?

What does this mean for you if you are taking oral antibiotics for acne? It definitely does not mean that you should stop taking them. It is just another of the “side effects” to be aware of. If your acne is very severe, you might prefer to have sore throats than deal with pimples and that is fine. It’s a personal decision for a lot of people.

You need to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision about continuing or stopping use. Many doctors are hesitant to prescribe antibiotics for moderate cases of acne because there is a concern of building antibiotic resistance. However, those suffering from severe acne are often desperate for a cure and oral antibiotics happen to be quite effective at dealing with certain types of acne.

Topical antibiotics work well on many types of acne, too. It’s a good starting point for many people looking for medical cures for acne. Some patients find that topical antibiotics cause excessive dryness, however. It is best to research the issue thoroughly and see if you find the risks to be worth it. The idea of a magical pill you can swallow to get rid of acne is a very attractive one, but antibiotics are not without their share of side effects, like any other acne treatment.

Source: http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/archdermatol.2011.355