Hi and welcome to the RF.

Oracea is 40 mg timed release doxy so not exactly the same thing as 50 mg non timed release doxy. It is very close and a number of people here have hypothesized that it is basically the same with regards to treating our p and p's. However, these small differences may be enough to account for the changes you are experiencing. Since it is 50 mg it is no longer submicrobial so make sure you are taking a probiotic so as to counteract any good bacteria kill off and make sure it is at least 4 hours apart from when you are taking the doxy.

I wonder if the timed release aspect is causing these changes as I would think the dosage itself since it is higher is not the culprit. 2 weeks may not be enough time for your body to adjust to the difference so maybe you could tough it out for another few weeks and reevaluate? Patty has been on 50 mg doxy for a long while now after being on Oracea and she is doing great so maybe you should just give it a little more time.

I hope it works out for you. Oracea is so expensive! Did you use the Oracea loyalty program card which pays for $35 of your copay or towards the cost of the Oracea? That is what I am doing as my copay without it is $50 a month so with the card right now (as the card expires in a few months) I am only paying $15 a month. Just thought it was worth mentioning in case you were not aware.

Good luck!!

Melissa

Thanks for the advice.
The changes have been pretty big for me. Maybe the timing was wrong to switch. Summer humidity is the worst for my skin.
I'll give the doxy some more time. I have most of a bottle left. My doctor also put me on Metrogel and a special face wash. I've tried probiotics before and couldn't stomach them. Do you know of any without milk products or glutten?
I'm hoping the doxy will work. I'm a college student. I don't have insurance. Even with the loyalty card the Oracea was really denting my budget. I've been paying out of pocket for it for over a year.
I've read articles comparing Oracea to 100mg of doxy. Do you know of anyone who is taking that large of a dose?
Thanks

Hi Ann,

This link may be helpful



I think 100 mg doxy is too strong compared to Oracea results. So if you were doing well with Oracea I would just give the 50 mg some more time.

Having said that people here have been on 100 mg doxy twice a day for a finite period of time but if Oracea had been working for you I would just be more patient with the 50 mg. Fingers crossed for you.

Melissa

I'm currently taking 100mg of doxy twice per day and have been since April 17th.

I was taking Oracea once per day in 2008 and saw phenomenal results and the best run of clear skin I ever had. I noticed in November (the 9th month of use) that my breakouts were returning with slow but increasing frequency, although still not as much as pre-Oracea. However, I decided to go off it and Yaz beginning in January 2009 for a few specific reasons and under the guidance of my original derm (Dr. A). Dr. A left the derm clinic in October so there was no way I could follow up with her.

My skin remained mostly clear until the end of February and then my acne returned worse than it EVER was before with cystic breakouts in the typical areas as well as atypical areas like my forehead, jaw and neck area and a recurrence of body acne. I got desperate enough to try a Vbeam/Smoothbeam treatment with a new Derm (Dr. B), as the first available with my typical derm's clinic wasn't until July. Even that Doctor said that while the laser could help, my acne would still require some type of antibiotics calm it down. The treatment is expensive and directed more for redness and mild/moderate acne, so I decided not to pursue the full laser series and went back on the Oracea double-time.

So I went to see another Derm (Dr. C), an associate of Dr. A, and she said Oracea wasn't going to be strong enough to help me after I'd been taking it for 3 weeks, so she put me on the Doxy 100mg to try for three months, though she mentioned that Accutane would likely be next if there wasn't significant change. It's calmed me down some 40-50%, but currently still not as 95% effective as the Oracea was for me last year. Does nothing yet to help the body acne. Those percentages, btw, are completely subjective.

IMHO, Oracea 1xday is easier to manage than Doxy 100mg 2xday. The much higher strength with the Doxy makes me nauseous/vomiting, which means I'm irregular taking it in the morning, MUST take with some food (which cuts the effectiveness) and then having to stay up later at night to take the second dose. Oracea never fazed me one bit on that score. Oracea was $50.00 per month with insurance for me. Doxy 100mg currently costs me $10.00. If Oracea would still work for me, I'd happily go back on it.

Oracea

I'm glad that you are seeing great results with Oracea. My name is Chris Sellen and I work for Galderma Labs, the maker of Oracea and MetroGel 1%. My division works with dermatologist and specializes in the treatment of rosacea. We understand what you are going through when you get a flare. I would encourage you to check out our website bestfaceforward.com. You can download savings cards for both brands. With Oracea you will not pay more than $25 per month and with MetroGel 1% it’s $20 per month. I hope that this helps. Take care and have a nice summer.

I was given a script for Oracea last week. I used the discount card for the Oracea and my insurance to fill it. The original cost was $269.99 for a 30 day supply. With the discounts it came to $206.43. I find this way too costly to maintain monthly during this economy. I mean $30-$60 is affordable. Any suggestions? I am curious about the generic doxy? I am only suffering from acne in the peri-oral area.

Hi Korinne and welcome to the RF.

When you say you only suffer from acne in the perioral area what do you mean exactly? For acne you need higher doses of antibiotics I believe to work. The submicrobial dose helps the papules/pustules of rosacea because of its anti-inflammatory effect. It is not helpful (at least I don't believe it is helpful) for acne.

Do you have perioral dermatitis?



For the papules and pustules of rosacea Oracea is helpful to some. For an alternative since that is a crazy amount of money to spend each month you could try generic doxycycline 50 mg and see how if that helps you.
You might find this of interest:


Best wishes,
Melissa

2 months ago I switched from doxy 50mg 2x/day to Oracea (40mg 1x/day time release). My skin looks really great - the difference is remarkable. However, like Melissa said, who knows if this change can be attributed to the drug or the dosage. Anyways, I would definitely recommend Oracea over doxy to anyone who can afford it (I realize it's cost prohibitive). I'm actually trying to switch health insurance plans to make it more affordable.

Hey Brighteyes,
Did you get the Oracea loyalty card? That can save you $25 per prescription. I definitely recommend it as I used it all last year and saved hundreds.
Thanks Galderma!

The thing I like best about Oracea or 20 mg doxy twice a day is that it is submicrobial in effect vs 50 mg doxy so it just seems a safer long term bet IMO.

Best wishes,
Melissa

After losing my health insurance and not wanting to pay the $325 a month for Oracea, I tried 100mg. Doxy, cut in half to 50 mg. once a day, bad results. - Then tried it 50mg. in the morning and the other half (50mg) at night, but it worked very poorly too. I am now on Oracea again and am once again completely clear in 30 days. Oracea is GREAT, it has changed my life.

Hi DukeCity,
Sorry to hear that doxy wasn't working out, but glad that you're back on the Oracea.
I on the other hand, continue to do well on just 50mg of doxy. I never have a breakout like I used to, just a random spot or two, but I can go months pretty much spot free these days.
Oracea changed my lfe too, I would still be on it, but I just couldn't keep paying the ever increasing price for it. Thankfully I'm maintaining just as well with doxy!

Galderma does have a program that you can get your Oracea and/or Metrogel for FREE if your earned income is lower than a certain level and you have no health insurance, you can get all the details at their website. Also of course Galderma has the RX card to pay for your co-pay if you do have health insurance, up to $25 for your co-pay I believe.

I knew all about card at the time, the problem was it wasn't on the list of approved meds for my insurance to pay for it. This was back not long after it was first introduced, and I tried generic while waiting the months it took for approval. Needless to say I quit fighting when I learned it made no difference to me.

Just new to the forum and wanted to share my history about doxycycline.
Diagnosed this summer with onset rosacea, with minimal blepharitis and rhinophyma. Not that big a deal, after I was assured against cancer concerns. (OK, am I alone here??)
Anyway, Doc says "try 100 mg doxycycline BID for 10 days. If it clears, diagnosis (rosacea) confirmed". He pegged it, and put me on for a month at that dose; covered by my insurance carrier at that dose.
The whole concept of how an antibiotic can help dermatological problems is another issue, but the REAL funny part is when he, in a spasm of trying to keep health care costs down, Rx's a BID chronic sub-antimicrobial dose of 20 mg BID doxy for up to 11 months: my insurance carrier leaps to the conclusion this is for periodontal therapy and denies coverage. My out of pocket for 30 days for an old, genric, low dose compound? $91.00.
Absurd.
So, I call my doctor and he, resigned, Rx's instead once-a-day Oracea.
My insurance clearly cannot deny my coverage for a compound specific for dermatologic therapy, at a cost of at least 3 TIMES to the company (and, I assume, society).

Is it me, or is there something wrong with this situation??

Tom