Doxycycline

Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic medication, used in treating certain illnesses including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other fevers caused by ticks, fleas, and lice. Doxycycline is also prescribed for urinary tract infections, and for some gonococcal infections in adults. Doxycycline is also an approved treatment for inhalational anthrax. Doryx is an enteric coated form of doxycycline manufactured by Galen Holdings PLC.

Doxycycline Directions

Doxycycline should be taken with a full glass of water or other liquid to avoid irritating your throat or stomach. Doxycycline can be taken with or without food. Doxycycline tablets should be swallowed whole rather than being chewed.

Doxycycline Side Effects

More common side effects of doxycycline may include:

• Angioedema (chest pain; swelling of face, around lips, tongue and throat, arms and legs; difficulty swallowing
• bulging foreheads in infants,
• diarrhea,
• difficulty swallowing,
• discolored teeth in infants and children (more common during long-term use of tetracycline),
• inflammation of the tongue,
• loss of appetite,
• nausea,
• rash, rectal or genital itching,
• severe allergic reaction (hives, itching, and swelling),
• skin sensitivity to light,
• vomiting.

Doxycycline Precautions

As with other antibiotics, treatment with doxycycline may result in a growth of bacteria that do not respond to doxycycline and can cause a secondary infection. An overgrowth of certain bacteria in the colon could cause mild to severe--and rarely, life-threatening--diarrhea. If you develop this symptom, call your doctor immediately. You may become more sensitive to sunlight while taking doxycycline.

Be careful if you are going out in the sun or using a sunlamp. If you develop a skin rash, notify your doctor immediately. Birth control pills that contain estrogen may not be as effective while you are taking tetracycline drugs. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should use another form of birth control while taking doxycycline.