What is doxycycline?

Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that inhibits bacterial growth and is thought to have anti-inflammatory effects. Doxycycline is used for bacterial infections, including acne, rosacea, urinary and respiratory tract infections, eye infections, gum disease, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Dox-ycy-cline can also be used to prevent malaria and treat infections caused by mites, ticks, or lice.

Doxy-cyc-line hyclate and doxycycline monohydrate are two different salt forms of doxycycline available; one difference between the two is that doxycycline hyclate is soluble in water, while doxycycline monohydrate is very slightly soluble in water.

Doxycycline 100mg, 75mg, and 50mg are the most common strengths of capsules and tablets available. It is also available as an injection, suspension, or syrup.

Doxy-cy-cline side effects

Common doxycycline side effects

The most common doxycycline side effects include nausea and vomiting, upset stomach, loss of appetite, mild diarrhea, skin rash or itching, darkened skin color, and vaginal itching or discharge.

Serious doxy-cy-cline side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any signs of an allergic reaction to dox-ycy-cline (symptoms include hives, difficulty breathing, and swelling in your face or throat) or a severe skin reaction (fever, sore throat, burning in your eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling).

Seek medical treatment if you have a serious drug reaction that can affect many parts of your body. Symptoms may include skin rash, fever, swollen glands, flu-like symptoms, muscle aches, severe weakness, unusual bruising, or yellowing of your skin or eyes. This reaction may occur several weeks after you begin using this medicine.

Before taking this medicine

You should not take this medicine if you are allergic to doxycycline or other tetracycline antibiotics such as demeclocycline, minocycline, tetracycline, or tigecycline.

To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• liver disease;
• kidney disease;
• asthma or sulfite allergy;
• increased pressure inside your skull; or
• if you also take isotretinoin, seizure medicine, or a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin).

If you are using thismedicine to treat chlamydia, your doctor may test you to make sure you do not also have gonorrhea, another sexually transmitted disease.

Taking this medicine during pregnancy may affect tooth and bone development in the unborn baby. Taking this antibiotic during the last half of pregnancy can cause permanent tooth discoloration later in the baby’s life. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you become pregnant while using this medicine.

This antibiotic can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non-hormonal birth control (condom, diaphragm with spermicide) to prevent pregnancy.