Oral antibiotics often are prescribed for too long; concurrent use of topical retinoids is recommended.
Most current guidelines recommend that a course of oral antibiotic therapy for a patient with acne should be limited to 3 to 6 months. To determine the extent to which physicians follow these guidelines, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study, using a U.K. primary care database.
The mean duration of oral antibiotic therapy was 175 days, with 29% of courses exceeding 6 months and 12% exceeding 1 year; moreover, 62% of antibiotic courses were not accompanied by concomitant topical retinoid therapy (i.e., tretinoin, adapalene, and tazarotene).
Comment
These findings (among general practitioners) are similar to previously published findings among dermatologists. Clinicians should follow acne treatment guidelines …