Antibiotics and Ibuprofen Discussion on Skin
Filed under Questions by Clear Skin Consultant
A reader had this further to discuss on the possibility of ibuprofen and antibiotics affecting skin breakouts, and I thought I would share.Â
Thanks so much for your response! Your e-mail has really given me comfort and glad that I’ve found someone that has been through the same experience. I can’t believe some meds could actually cause a break-out like this. I broke out overnight and it was intense…I have never seen an break out like this and to be honest, freaked me out. I’ve been hibernating for the past 2-3 days and have been too depressed to show my face in public. It’s been the 3rd day and I finally see a little bit of clearing.Â
Do you also know if Ibuprofen may have an effect too? I forgot that I was also using this after the vicodin.
It’s interesting because last year, when I got two of my other wisdom teeth, I was also prescribed to antibiotics and vicodin.  The weird thing is a week or two weeks later, I broke out in a skin rash all over my face (instead of the acne break out). It dried out my skin and the rash did not fully recover until months later. Do you have any idea if these meds may have the same correlation for the skin rash I had last year?
Thanks again for all your help and feedback. Finding that website/blog has REALLY made my day.Â
Also - the funny thing is that I called the Pharmacist and said that the break out is probably because of the antibiotic, Amoxicillin because it’s “stronger” — for whatever that means. It could be very well be the case. For some reason though, my story relates too well to yours and I feel that it was probably the vicodin that caused the acne break out. Are you familiar, by any chance, if the antibiotic could have been a caused of the break out?Â
Our response :
Hello! Unfortunately I don’t know what the rash would have been from, but I can tell you I’ve NEVER had a breakout or anything close to it from ibuprofen, so I doubt that would be it. Also, you said the pharmacist said it may have been the antibiotic, which I think might be unlikely, seeing how antibiotics like tetracycline are commonly used to treat acne, and usually do not aggravate it to my knowledge. However, I’m not a pharmacist or doctor, so I’m only speaking from experience 
May 13, 2008 at 8:29 pm
