Opinion/experience with accutane/doxycycline...

I'm sure everyone (for the most part) has heard about the big thing with UC and Accutane.

Long story short (try to make it short)

At the end of this month it will be my husbands 2 year mark from his first symptom of UC. He was healthy as a horse never took anything aside from a multi-vitamin. Not even tylenol. He was in great shape working out and running getting ready to go to boot camp. BUT he was on doxycycline for 5-6 months for foliculitis (little itchy pimples on the back of his head). A couple days before his next check up he noticed blood in his stool. At first he wasn't sure then the next day (day he was to go to the dr) he knew... and he had been going to the bathroom more frequently. When he went in he told the dr and he said "Oh I didn't think it would give you colitis so soon" "stop taking it" and that was the end of that. Talk about leaving the doctors office confused. So after a week and still having blood we set up an appointment with a colon rectal surgeon we didn't know then to see a GI (here we were 3 weeks before he's to leave for bootcamp). They did a scope said it was (just) left sided not a big deal will give asacol and rowasa enemas (sp?) and all will be well... made it out to be like no big deal and an easy fix. Well after SCD (diet), adding in other meds (like imuran), having dosages raised, and several rounds of prednisone... here we are 2 years later and he has pan-colitis and high risk colon cancer. There's a whole lot of other obstacles, ups and downs and bumps in the road but trying to keep just main points.

So all the dr's we've seen we asked about the Doxycycline and they are all like "no no" just a coincidence. I truly don't believe this. I couldn't find anything online at that time aside from accutane BUT in the last couple months I've been finding more and more... things have been popping up like this http://www.accutanelegalrights.com/experts-discuss-accutane-and-doxycycline-side-effects-and-risks

So I'm just wondering if anyone has any opinions on experience with doxycycline? I know about pseudomembranous colitis but I don't even know if anything was checked with that... the dr that did the scope just seemed to brush everything off like it was minor no big deal... didn't want to hear anything I had to say and disregarded what we told him that the dermatologist said. I put him on SCD a week later too and it helped a bit so I don't know if it could have been pseudomembranous colitis and the diet helped "fix" it or if it just advanced with the inflammation.

All comments welcome

My daughter was on 2 different types of antibiotics for her acne over several months. Think it was Doxycycline. Her Colitis began 6-8 weeks after stopping. She had very bad and uncontrollable symptoms for nearly two years. Remicade brought her a much needed remission. Fast forward to this past May. Sinus infection, Zpac---abdominal distress. D, throwing up and pain put her back in the hospital. Thirty thousand dollars of tests later, no verdict. Best guess was intestinal virus-upper GI showed upper inflammation, but no Crohn's or blockages.
One more-went to college, quickly contracted Mono and Pneumonia. Zpac and other antibiotic(Levosloxacin). Cleared the infection, and sent her to the ER 3 weeks later with severe intestinal distress. This time new GI said it was IBS, not her typical UC symptoms.
Coincidence? I don't believe in them-in her case the antibiotics set in motion the pain cycle. The bad news is that the antibiotics, when needed can save her life. It almost doesn't matter what turns on the gene for UC or Crohns-IBS is a different matter-once you have it you have it. Seems many antibiotics can cause the same outcome.
I sure wouldn't put my son on antibiotics just for his acne. It has to be life threatening knowing how it affected his family member. One day they will figure out just what was killed off and how to replace it before triggering a genetic, life altering disease!

best, K

I've been on augmentin (co-amoxclav) for about year n a half now, but thats AFTER i was diagnosed with UC.

Hey I just came across this I know it is a year after posting but I needed to comment. I was on doxycycline and mino for about 2to yrs straight because of acne. Then I was immediately diagnosed with UC. Well I had terrible symptoms and stopped taking the meds and then about 2 weeks later diagnosed. I am having the same problems trying to get a doctor to listen to me when I say it has to be related to the meds. Its terrible. Have you had any luck or answers to this. Thanks.