Doxycycline, oral tablet

Highlights for doxycycline

1. Doxycycline oral tablet is available as both generic and brand-name drugs. Brand names: Acticlate, Doryx, Doryx MPC.
2. Doxycycline comes in three oral forms: a tablet, a capsule, and a liquid suspension. It also comes as a solution for injection, which is only given by a healthcare professional.
3. Doxycycline oral tablet is used to treat certain bacterial infections and severe acne. It’s also used to help prevent malaria.

Doxycycline side effects

Doxycycline oral tablet can cause side effects. Some are more common, and some are serious.

More common side effects

The more common side effects of doxycycline can include:

• loss of appetite
• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• rash
• sensitivity to the sun
• hives
• temporary discoloring of adult teeth (goes away with dentist cleaning after the drug is stopped)

If these effects are mild, they may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. If they’re more severe or don’t go away, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

This drug does not cause drowsiness.

Serious side effects

Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency. Serious side effects and their symptoms can include the following:

• Antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Symptoms can include:
  • severe diarrhea
  • bloody diarrhea
  • abdominal cramping and pain
  • fever
  • dehydration
  • loss of appetite
  • weight loss
• High blood pressure inside your skull. Symptoms can include:
  • headache
  • blurry vision
  • double vision
  • vision loss
• Irritation of your esophagus or ulcers in your esophagus (may be more likely if you take your dose at bedtime). Symptoms can include:
  • burning or pain in your chest
• Anemia. Symptoms can include:
  • fast heart rate
  • lightheadedness or dizziness
  • pale complexion
  • shortness of breath
• Pancreatitis. Symptoms can include:
  • pain in your upper abdomen, or pain in your abdomen that moves to your back or gets worse after you eat
  • fever
• Serious skin reactions. Symptoms can include:
  • blisters
  • peeling skin
  • a rash of small purple spots

For details about side effects of doxycycline oral tablet, refer to this in-depth article.

Important warnings

• Permanent change of tooth color warning: This drug may cause permanent changes in tooth color in children if it’s used during tooth development. This time includes the last half of pregnancy through 8 years of age. Children’s teeth may change to yellow, gray, or brown.
• Antibiotic-associated diarrhea warning: This drug may cause antibiotic-associated diarrhea. This can range from mild diarrhea to severe infection of the colon. In rare cases, this effect can be fatal (cause death). If you have severe or persistent diarrhea, tell your doctor. They may stop your treatment with this drug.
• Intracranial hypertension warning: This drug may cause intracranial hypertension, or high blood pressure inside your skull. Symptoms may include headache, blurry vision, double vision, and vision loss. Tell your doctor right away if you have these symptoms. You may also have swelling inside of your eyes. Females of childbearing age who are overweight have a higher risk of this condition. If you’ve had intracranial hypertension before, your risk is also higher. (Note: Sex and gender exist on spectrums. Use of the term “female” in this article refers to sex assigned at birth.)
• Severe skin reaction warning: This drug can cause serious skin reactions. These include conditions called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). Symptoms can include blisters, peeling skin, and a rash of small purple spots. If you have any of these symptoms, stop taking this drug and call your doctor right away.
• Reversible delayed bone growth: This drug may prevent bone growth in children if taken during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. It may also prevent bone growth in children if taken up to the age of 8 years. This delayed bone growth is reversible after stopping the drug.
• Photosensitivity warning: This drug may cause your skin to be more sensitive to sunlight than it usually is. Having exposure to sunlight for short periods of time may cause skin rash, itchiness, redness, or severe sunburn. If you’re taking this drug, try to stay out of direct sunlight. If you can’t, be sure to apply sunscreen and wear protective clothing.

What is doxycycline?

Doxycycline oral tablet is a prescription drug that’s available as the brand-name drugs Acticlate, Doryx, and Doryx MPC. It’s also available as a generic drug. Generic drugs usually cost less. In some cases, they may not be available in the same strengths or forms as the brand-name versions.

Doxycycline tablets come in immediate-release and delayed-release forms. Doxycycline also comes in two other oral forms: capsule and liquid suspension. In addition, doxycycline comes in a solution for injection, which is only given by a healthcare professional.

What is doxycycline used for?

Doxycycline is used to treat bacterial infections. These can include some sexually transmitted diseases, skin infections, eye infections, respiratory infections, and more. It is also used as an add-on treatment for severe acne and to help prevent malaria in people who plan to travel to areas with certain strains of malaria.

Doxycycline oral tablets can be used in adults and children. In children 8 years old and younger, doxycycline is only prescribed when the possible benefits outweigh the risk of serious side effects.

This drug may be used as part of a combination therapy. This means you may need to take it with other medications.

How it works

Doxycycline belongs to a class of drugs called tetracyclines. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions.

Doxycycline works by blocking a bacterial protein from being made. It does this by binding to certain units of the protein. This stops the protein from growing, which treats your infection and can help reduce acne. For malaria prevention, doxycycline is thought to work by blocking a protein that can cause malaria infection.

Doxycycline may interact with other medications

Doxycycline oral tablet can interact with other medications, vitamins, or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well.

To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, vitamins, or herbs you’re taking. To find out how this drug might interact with something else you’re taking, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with doxycycline are listed below.

Drugs that you should not use with doxycycline

Do not use these drugs with doxycycline. Doing so can cause dangerous effects in your body. Examples of these drugs include:

• Penicillin. Doxycycline may interfere with how penicillin kills bacteria.
• Isotretinoin. Taking isotretinoin and doxycycline together can increase your risk of intracranial hypertension.

Interactions that can make your drugs less effective

When you take doxycycline with certain drugs, doxycycline may not work as well to treat your condition. This is because the amount of doxycycline in your body may be decreased. Examples of drugs that can cause this type of interaction include:

• Antacids that contain aluminum, calcium, magnesium, and bismuth subsalicylate
• Vitamins or supplements that contain iron
• Seizure drugs such as barbiturates, carbamazepine, and phenytoin

Interactions that can increase side effects

Taking doxycycline with certain medications raises your risk of side effects from these drugs. An example of a drug that could cause this type of interaction is:

• Warfarin. Your doctor may test your blood more often or decrease your warfarin dosage if you need to take warfarin with doxycycline.

Doxycycline warnings

Doxycycline oral tablet comes with several warnings.

Allergy warning

Doxycycline can cause allergic reaction, which can be severe. Symptoms can include:

• trouble breathing
• swelling of your throat or tongue

For mild allergic reaction symptoms, call your doctor right away. They may recommend treatments to help manage your symptoms. They’ll also let you know whether you should keep taking the medication.

For severe allergic reaction symptoms, such as swelling or trouble breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. These symptoms require immediate medical care because they can become life threatening. Your doctor won’t prescribe doxycycline if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to it or other tetracyclines. Taking it again could be fatal (cause death).

Warnings for people with certain health conditions

For females of childbearing age who are overweight: You have a higher risk of intracranial hypertension (high blood pressure inside your skull) with doxycycline. Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you. (Note: Sex and gender exist on spectrums. Use of the term “female” in this article refers to sex assigned at birth.)

For people with a history of intracranial hypertension: You have a higher risk of developing intracranial hypertension again while taking doxycycline. Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you.

Warnings for other groups

For pregnant people: There are no adequate studies on the use of doxycycline during pregnancy.

Talk to your doctor if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Doxycycline should only be used if the potential risk to the pregnancy is acceptable given the drug’s potential benefit. Doxycycline treatment is not typically recommended during the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

Call your doctor right away if you become pregnant while taking this drug.

For people who are breastfeeding: Doxycycline passes into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Talk with your doctor if you breastfeed your child (or are planning to breastfeed). You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.

For children: Doxycycline may cause tooth discoloration at the time teeth are developing.

This drug should not be used in children who are 8 years of age or younger unless the potential benefit outweighs the risk. In these children, its use is recommended for the treatment of severe or life threatening conditions, such as anthrax or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and when no other treatments are available or have been shown to work.

Doxycycline cost and coupons

As with all medications, the cost of doxycycline can vary. The actual price you’ll pay depends on your insurance plan, your location, and the pharmacy you use.

Drug coupons: You can visit Optum Perks for price estimates of doxycycline. These estimates are based on the use of Optum Perks coupons. Note: Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with any insurance copays or benefits.

Financial and insurance assistance: If you need financial support to pay for doxycycline, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, help is available.

For details about the cost of doxycycline, refer to this in-depth article. And to learn more about saving money on prescriptions, check out this article.

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Retail price refers to the manufacturer’s published list price and is up to date as of 3/2023. Retail and discounted prices are U.S.-only and can vary based on region and pharmacy. We cannot guarantee that the discounted price listed here will exactly match the price at your pharmacy. Please contact your pharmacy for the exact price.

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How to take doxycycline

This dosage information is for doxycycline oral tablet. All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here. Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:

• your age
• the condition being treated
• how severe your condition is
• other medical conditions you have
• how you react to the first dose

The dosage information below is for the conditions that this drug is most often prescribed to treat. This list may not contain all conditions that your doctor can prescribe this drug for. If you have questions about your prescription, talk with your doctor.

Forms and strengths

Generic: Doxycycline

• Form: immediate-release oral tablet
• Strengths: 20 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg

• Form: delayed-release oral tablet
• Strengths: 50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg

Immediate release means the drug is released and starts working soon after you swallow the tablet. Delayed release means the drug gets released into your body a certain amount of time after you swallow it.

Brand: Acticlate

• Form: oral tablet
• Strengths: 75 mg, 150 mg

Brand: Doryx

• Form: delayed-release oral tablet
• Strengths: 50 mg, 200 mg

Brand: Doryx MPC

• Form: delayed-release oral tablet
• Strength: 60 mg

Dosage for infection

Doxycycline dosage for adults (ages 18–64 years)

Generic immediate-release:

• Typical dosage: 200 mg on the first day of treatment, taken as 100 mg every 12 hours. This is followed by 100 mg daily. For more severe infections, 100 mg every 12 hours is recommended.

Doryx and Acticlate:

• Typical dosage: 200 mg on the first day of treatment, taken as 100 mg every 12 hours. This is followed by 100 mg, taken as a single daily dose or 50 mg every 12 hours. For more severe infections, 100 mg every 12 hours is recommended.

Doryx MPC:

• Typical dosage: 240 mg on the first day of treatment, taken as 120 mg every 12 hours. This is followed by 120 mg, taken as a single daily dose or 60 mg every 12 hours. For more severe infections, 120 mg every 12 hours is recommended.

Child dosage (ages 8–17 years)

Generic immediate-release, Doryx, and Acticlate:

• For children who weigh less than 99 pounds (45 kg) and have severe or life threatening infection such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever: The recommended dosage is 2.2 mg/kg every 12 hours.
• For children who weigh less than 99 pounds (45 kg), are older than 8 years, and have less severe infection: The recommended dosage on the first day of treatment is 4.4 mg/kg, divided into two doses. After that, the daily maintenance dosage should be 2.2 mg/kg, given as a single dose or divided into two daily doses.
• For children weighing 99 pounds (45 kg) or more: Use adult dosage (see above).

Doryx MPC:

• For children who weigh less than 99 pounds (45 kg) and have severe or life threatening infection such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever: The recommended dosage is 2.6 mg/kg every 12 hours.
• For children who weigh less than 99 pounds (45 kg), are older than 8 years, and have less severe infection: The recommended dosage on the first day of treatment is 5.3 mg/kg, divided into two doses. After that, the daily maintenance dose should be 2.6 mg/kg, given as a single dose or divided into two daily doses.
• For children weighing 99 pounds (45 kg) or more: Use adult dosage (see above).

Child dosage (ages 0–7 years)

It has not been confirmed that doxycycline is safe and effective for use in people who are younger than 8 years.

Dosage for malaria prevention

Doxycycline dosage for adults (ages 18–64 years)

Generic immediate-release, Doryx, and Acticlate:

• Typical dosage: 100 mg daily. Begin therapy 1 to 2 days before travel to the area with malaria. Continue daily treatment for 4 weeks after leaving the area.

Doryx MPC:

• Typical dosage: 120 mg daily. Begin therapy 1 to 2 days before travel to the area with malaria. Continue daily treatment for 4 weeks after leaving the area.

Child dosage (ages 8–17 years)

Generic immediate-release, Doryx, and Acticlate:

• Typical dosage: 2 mg/kg once daily, up to the adult dose. Begin therapy 1 to 2 days before travel to the area with malaria. Continue daily treatment for 4 weeks after leaving the area.

Doryx MPC:

• Typical dosage: 2.4 mg/kg once daily, up to the adult dose. Begin therapy 1 to 2 days before travel to the area with malaria. Continue daily treatment for 4 weeks after leaving the area.

Child dosage (ages 0–7 years)

It has not been confirmed that doxycycline is safe and effective for use in children younger than 8 years.

Take as directed

Doxycycline oral tablet is used for short-term treatment. It comes with serious risks if you don’t take it as prescribed.

If you stop taking the drug suddenly or don’t take it at all: If you’re taking the drug for an infection or acne, your condition will likely not go away. If you’re taking it for malaria prevention, you may not be protected against malaria, which can be fatal.

If you miss doses or don’t take the drug on schedule: Your medication may not work as well or may stop working completely. You may feel better before you finish your course of treatment, but you should keep taking your medication as directed. Skipping doses or failing to complete the full course of treatment may reduce how well your treatment works. It may also cause antibiotic resistance. This means that your infection won’t respond to doxycycline or other antibiotics in the future.

If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of doxycycline in your body and experience more side effects. If you think you’ve taken too much of this drug, call your doctor. You can also call America’s Poison Centers at 800-222-1222 or use its online tool. However, if your symptoms are severe, call 911 or your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency room right away.

What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember. If you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. Doing so could result in dangerous side effects.

How to tell if the drug is working: Your infection or acne symptoms may start to reduce and you may feel better.

Important considerations for taking this doxycycline

Keep these considerations in mind if your doctor prescribes doxycycline oral tablet for you.

General

• You should swallow doxycycline tablets whole.
• Drink plenty of liquid when you take your dose of doxycycline. This helps make sure the drug doesn’t irritate your throat.
• If you want to cut your tablets in half, ask your pharmacist if you can safely do this. Some of the tablets can be cut in half if needed.
• If you’re taking the delayed-release tablets and you’re having trouble swallowing them, ask your pharmacist if you can safely break up the tablets and sprinkle them onto applesauce. You should swallow this mixture without chewing, right away after mixing.

Storage

• Store this drug at room temperature between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C).
• Keep this drug away from light.
• Store the drug in a place where children can’t reach it.
• Don’t store this medication in moist or damp areas, such as bathrooms.

Travel

When traveling with your medication:

• Always carry your medication with you. When flying, never put it into a checked bag. Keep it in your carry-on bag.
• Don’t worry about airport x-ray machines. They can’t hurt your medication.
• You may need to show airport staff the pharmacy label for your medication. Always carry the original prescription-labeled box with you.
• Don’t put this medication in your car’s glove compartment or leave it in the car. Be sure to avoid doing this when the weather is very hot or very cold.

Sun sensitivity

This drug can make your skin more sensitive to the sun and increase your risk of sunburn. Avoid the sun if you can. If you can’t, be sure to apply sunscreen and wear protective clothing.

Insurance

Many insurance companies require a prior authorization for this drug. This means your doctor may need to get approval from your insurance company before your insurance company will pay for the prescription.