Brand name: Doxycycline
Generic name: Doxycycline Hyclate
It is highly recommended that you read this information about doxycycline before you use it.
What is doxycycline?
• Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that fights bacteria in the body.
• Doxycycline can be used to treat many different types of bacterial infection, including: urinary tract infections, acne, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, periodontitis (gum disease), and others.
• Doxycycline is also used for purposes other than those stated in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about doxycycline?
• Do not use this medication if you are pregnant. It may cause harm to your unborn baby.
• Doxycycline has been known to make birth control pills less effective. You should use a second method of contraception while you are taking doxycycline.
• Doxycycline passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a new born nursing baby. If you are breast feeding, do not take this medication without discussing it with your doctor.
• Doxycycline should not be taken by children younger than 8 years of age. Doxycycline can cause permanent discoloring (yellowing or graying) of the teeth, and it can affect a child's growth.
• Doxycycline can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. If you go out in the sun use a high factor sunscreen and wear protective clothing.
• Do not take iron supplements, multivitamins, calcium supplements, antacids, or laxatives within 2 hours before or after taking doxycycline. All of these products can make doxycycline a lot less effective.
• Always remember to dispose of unused doxycycline when it expires or when it is no longer needed. Do not take any doxycycline after the expiration date printed on the bottle. Expired doxycycline can cause a dangerous syndrome resulting in damage to the kidneys.
How should I take doxycycline?
• You must take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Never take the medication in larger amounts or for longer than recommended by your doctor.
• Take doxycycline with a full glass of water (8 ounces).
• Do not crush, break, or open a delayed-release capsule (Orecea). Swallow the pill whole. The doxycycline pill is specially made to release medicine into in the body slowly. If the tablet is broken, split or opened the pill will cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.
• Shake the oral suspension (liquid) well just before you measure a dose.
• You may take this doxycycline with or without food. However, it is important to remember that you should not take this medication with dairy products such as milk, unless your doctor has told you to. Dairy products can make it much harder for your body to absorb the medicine. Certain brands of doxycycline may not have restrictions about taking them with dairy products. If your doctor has instructed you to take doxycycline with milk, tell your pharmacist that you need a brand of doxycycline that can be taken with milk.
• You should take this medication for the prescribed length of time. Even if your symptoms get better or disappear.
• Doxycycline will not treat a viral infection such as the common cold or flu.
• If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are taking doxycycline. You may need to stop using the medicine for a short time.
• Store this medication at room temperature away from humidity or heat.
What happens if I miss a dose?
• Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
• You should seek emergency medical attention if you think you have overdosed on this medicine. Symptoms of a doxycycline overdose may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
What should I avoid while taking doxycycline?
• Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Doxycycline can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn may result. Use a sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) and wear protective clothing if you must be out in the sun.
• Do not take iron supplements, multivitamins, calcium supplements, antacids, or laxatives within 2 hours before of or after taking doxycycline.
What are the possible side effects of doxycycline?
• Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Stop using doxycycline and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
- severe headache, blurred vision, or confusion;
nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness.
• Continue using doxycycline and talk with your doctor if you have any of these less serious side effects:
- mild nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
- trouble swallowing; or
- vaginal yeast infection.
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
What other drugs will affect doxycycline?
• Before taking doxycycline, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:
- cholestyramine (Questran) or colestipol (Colestid);
- an antacid such as Tums, Rolaids, Milk of Magnesia, Maalox, and others;
- bismuth subsalicylate such as Pepto-Bismol;
- minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and over-the-counter vitamin and mineral supplements;
- carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol);
- phenytoin (Dilantin);
- didanosine (Videx);
- a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
- sucralfate (Carafate);
- a barbiturate such as phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton), mephobarbital (Mebaral), secobarbital (Seconal), or pentobarbital (Nembutal); or
- a penicillin antibiotic such as amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox, others), penicillin (BeePen-VK, Pen-Vee K, Veetids, others), dicloxacillin (Dynapen), carbenicillin (Geocillin), oxacillin (Bactocill), and others.
• You may not be able to take doxycycline or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment.
• Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with doxycycline. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking doxycycline?
• Before taking doxycycline, tell your doctor if you have liver disease. You may not be able to take doxycycline, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during therapy.
• If you are using doxycycline to treat gonorrhea, your doctor may test you to make sure you do not also have syphilis, another sexually transmitted disease.
• Do not use doxycycline syrup (Vibramycin) without first talking to your doctor if you have a asthma or are allergic to sulfites.
• FDA pregnancy category D. This medication can cause harm to an unborn baby. Do not use doxycycline without your doctor's consent if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. Doxycycline can make birth control pills less effective. Use a second method of birth control while you are taking doxycycline to keep from getting pregnant.
• Doxycycline passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing infant. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.