Cyclic and progressively worsening outbreaks on the face of small, red pus-filled bumps called pustules and skin redness characterize the condition known as rosacea. Doctors do not know exactly what causes the chronic inflammatory skin disease. Medications, including some antibiotics, can help reduce the symptoms of rosacea, but they do not cure the condition. According to MayoClinic.com, patients using either oral or topical antibiotics to treat rosacea can expect their symptoms to improve within one or two months.
Metronidazole
Doctors might prescribe the antibiotic metronidazole as cream, gel or lotion to treat milder cases of rosacea. Patients apply the formula to the face once or twice daily to reduce redness and inflammation. According to MayoClinic.com, patients can use metronidazole in combination with oral antibiotics or other oral medications for rosacea. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library says that metronidazole treats rosacea as effectively as the topical antimicrobial agent azelaic acid. It also works more effectively than other topical antibiotics including clindamycin and erythromycin. Breakouts of rosacea come and go, and while metronidazole can reduce symptoms, it is not a cure. Patients might need to use it indefinitely.
Tetracycline
Doctors might prescribe oral tetracycline to treat more serious cases of rosacea in patients who have pustules or papules on the face and patients who have rosacea in their eyes. The Merck Manuals says that the proper dose of tetracycline ranges from 200 to 500 mg twice a day. Tetracycline and the other oral antibiotics work more quickly than topical antibiotics, according to MayoClinic.com.
Erythromycin
Erythromycin can treat rosacea as a topical preparation or an oral medication. Because other topical antibiotics work better than the topical formulation of erythromycin, doctors more often prescribe erythromycin in its oral form, at a dosage of 250 to 500 mg twice per day, according to the Merck Manuals.
Minocycline
Minocycline doses of 50 to 100 mg taken twice daily can effectively control rosacea symptoms. The Merck Manuals recommends use of minocycline and other oral antibiotics for rosacea at the lowest possible dose that control symptoms to reduce the likelihood and severity of potential side effects, such as nausea and sensitivity to the sun.
Doxycycline
MayoClinic.com says that oral antibiotics for rosacea work primarily by reducing inflammation rather than by actively killing bacteria. Although the standard dose of doxycycline is 50 to 100 mg twice daily, the Merck Manuals says that lower doses can effectively control rosacea in some cases.
