Hi Di,
I have a lot of experience with this (unfortunately I did not make it through high school, college or beyond with clear skin). I have used both tetracyclines (is that what your doc prescribed?) and topicals. Sometimes taking the cycline for a few months clears up the initial problem and then you can go off of it. I'm not a huge proponent of the antibiotics myself, but I don't think it's a terrible idea to take them for a few months while using a topical and then staying with the topical and stopping the antibiotic. You'd be amazed at how quickly the antibiotics start helping.
Did your doctor prescribe topicals too? I've tried several, and I really like Azelex (azelaic acid) and clenia (sulfur), which are the ones I currently use. I use Azelex in the morning and clenia at night. This combo works well and the azelex is super hydrating so my skin doesn't get dry at all. I've never tried retin a, which seems to be a popular one too. The nice thing about both azelex and retin a is that they are also anti-aging because of their exfoliating and moisturizing properties. So you're taking care of your skin in multiple ways
I also personally believe that diet can make a difference. I find that dairy seems to bother my skin (via putting my hormones into overdrive), but it's a fairly individual thing. You might want to look into this.
As for vitex, not to contradict chewyspaghetti but I wouldn't recommend it. I took it for some time after coming off of the bcp to "normalize my hormones"...slowly but surely I was losing weight until I got down to 97 pounds (I did not find this positive). I finally realized that it was because of the vitex. It also did nothing to clear my skin (I actually think it might have been worse while I was taking it). I used to think that natural herbal remedies were harmless, but they can be just as harmful as prescription drugs if not worse because they don't undergo any regulation.
Anyway, I would definitely try a topical. It's so much cheaper, more convenient and effective IMO than getting facials. Good luck!