The link between acne meds and dry eye

[CC00]

As I'm sure most of you have heard at some point, there have been links between some acne meds and dry eye. I've heard Accutane mentioned most.

Doxycycline is an acne med and sometimes used to treat dry eye. Is doxycycline not to be considered one of the acne meds that could cause dry eye?

[OompaLoompa]

No.
Doxycycline does not cause dry eyes at all as far as the current state of medical research is concerned.
If you show up with dry eyes, easier treatments don't work and a doctor suspects you to have a problem with your meibomian glands/blepharitis it is very likely that he/she will end up prescribing you doxycycline, minocycline (they're both tetracyclines).
I took doxycyclin for nearly a year myself and while it didn't do wonders for me (I actually think I'm not the perfect candidate for it) it certainly did not worsen anything.

An alternative that basically has the same idea behind it as systemical doxycylin would be local azithromicyn. ( http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/840051 )
In the US the brand would be Azasite I think, while in europe it is for example Azyter by TheaPharma.
But I'd suggest you talk to your doctor about that and also maybe do some additional research for your specific case.


Accutane or rather isotretinoin, the active agent, is something totally different and can indeed cause dry eyes by reducing the functionality of your meibomian glands.
I actually took isotretinoin recently for about a month as a very unconventional experiment to use it as a treatment. I didn't work, my eyes got worse. Luckily by now my eyes are basically back to what they were before, however, I only had it one month low-dose. People who take it for a long time and high dosage might end up with bad dry eye problems caused by isotretinoin.

Last but not least because it is often confused: Accutane/isotretinoin does not cause your lacriminal glands to produce less tears. I wouldn't want to guarantee that, however, there have been studies clearly indicating that schirmer tests do not change under isotretinoin treatment.

[CC00]

OompaLoompa - Great reply - thank you for clearing that up for me!

What is the common dosage prescribed that's safest for the body yet effective?

My dry eye started overnight, after a hard cry, so I'm unsure if this will help.

[OompaLoompa]

Doxycycline is considered to be a relatively (in relation ofc to other antibiotics) safe antibiotic in long-term use. However, it is still a systemical antibiotic.

Personally I'd think that it might be better anyway to try out azithromicyn first. Simply because it is local and as far as I know research indicates that it isn't any less effective than doxycycline.
I am not totally sure about that though since logic naturally tells one that a systemic antibiotic might be able to penetrate your meibomian glands in a more profound way than a local one.

I don't remember what dosage I took. But in my opinion getting the right dosage is the task of your doctor anyway. However, I suggest you still google it to get an idea about the normal spectrum of dosages. (The first time a doctor prescribed me doxycycline it was for 2-3 weeks I think which clearly is nonsense since it needs much longer to show results. So, be enough informed and suspicious to detect obvious incompetence of your doctor.)