What Is Doxycycline?

This antibiotic appears to be a strong bacterial infection treatment. Two examples of this may be as a treatment for pneumonia or bronchitis. Certain patients seem to take it as an acne treatment. However, it may only be prescribed if they have not seen decent success with other creams and ointments for acne. Choosing among oral antibiotics for infection may be overwhelming, so patients should understand how this one should work first.

How It Should Work

This medication seems to be a broad antibiotic. Thus, doxycycline should stop bacteria from growing. It appears that it can do this by binding to the 30S ribosomal subunit. This may only be found in bacteria. If the medication binds in this way, it should stop messenger and transfer RNAs from binding there. The result of this should be stopping new proteins from forming. As mentioned, this should prevent the growth of new bacteria. This medication seems to give the patient's immune system the time it needs to destroy existing bacteria.

This antibiotic appears to be at its strongest in one to two hours following a dose. Most body tissues and fluids should absorb it. Particularly high levels of this antibiotic can be found in the kidneys, liver, lungs, and gallbladder. Finally, it seems that the half-life of this doxycycline is between eighteen to twenty-two hours.

Get the details on the potential uses for this medication next.

Potential Uses

This antibiotic may have many potential uses. It seems that it is good for treating bacterial infections. Examples may include eye infections, gum disease, and urinary tract infections. Patients with respiratory tract infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, appear to see good benefits from this medication. This antibiotic may also help with a variety of sexually transmitted infections.

Some patients may take this medication to try controlling their acne. It seems to have shown some promise in reducing blemishes and increasing the speed at which they heal. This antibiotic may also help treat rosacea bumps. Some forms of it may be prescribed to prevent malaria in patients traveling to high-risk areas. Doxycycline may be able to help infections triggers by mites, lice, and ticks too.

Continue reading to learn about the possible side effects next.

Possible Side Effects

Doxycycline, similar to other antibiotics, seems to have several possible side effects. It appears that the most common of them include diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Stomach aches and indigestion may also occur due to this antibiotic. Many individuals on this antibiotic may experience dry mouth, pain in their upper abdomen, toothaches, and headaches as well. Flu-like symptoms seem to develop too. Less common side effects may consist of flushing, gum pain, candida infections, and gastritis, among others. Rare effects appear to include colitis, bloody diarrhea, and constipation. Children on this medication seem to see discolored teeth often, though this may appear in adults too. This antibiotic may result in ulcers in the esophagus. The side effects of this can include swallowing problems and pain behind the breastbone. Patients should experience relief from this within one week of stopping this medication.

Of course, there may also be severe side effects of this medication. Patients should consider calling their doctor right away if they deal with joint pain, fainting, muscle pain, or flushing on this medication. They may also need to make this call for chest pain, dizziness, dark urine, and jaundice. Severe back and stomach pain seem to be effects that need immediate attention as well. They appear to be among several warning signs of pancreas or liver issues. An allergic reaction to this antibiotic seems to need emergency care too. Possible signs of this are facial swelling, breathing issues, lip and tongue swelling, and hives.

Uncover some precautions with this antibiotic next.

Precautions

This medication seems to be unsafe for individuals with allergies to any other tetracycline antibiotics. It may also be unsafe for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Other conditions appear to make it unsuitable as well. These conditions may include asthma, sulfite allergies, kidney disease, and liver disease. If patients have increased pressure inside their skull, they may need another prescription antibiotic.

Some brands of this antibiotic seem to require an empty stomach. However, patients may be able to drink a glass of water with these pills. They should also consider taking their dose one hour before a meal or two hours after one. If they have an upset stomach on this medication, patients may want to try drinking milk with it. This seems to need a discussion with their doctor first. Patients taking delayed-release tablets may need to swallow their medication whole. It appears to be unsafe to crush or chew them. However, it seems safe to open regular capsules and mix this antibiotic in one spoonful of applesauce. Patients who have issues swallowing may want to try this option. Expired tablets appear to put individuals at risk of kidney damage. Thus, they should be thrown away. Finally, this antibiotic seems to make patients more sensitive to the sun, so they may wish to wear sunscreen to protect themselves.

Learn about potential medication interactions next.

Potential Medication Interactions

Doxycycline seems to have over 180 different potential medication interactions. Severe interactions seem to exist when this antibiotic is taken with acitretin, lomitapide, and many other medications. It also appears that interactions appear with fibroblasts from bovine collagen as well. They can also occur with allogeneic cultured keratinocytes. Some medications seem to require alternate antibiotics due to the side effects that the combination may cause. Examples of this appear to include seizure medications, isotretinoin, and blood thinners. They may also be unable to take other antibiotics at the same time.

Avoiding these interactions can be challenging, likely because there are so many. However, patients may be able to improve their chances of avoiding them if they write a list for their doctor. They may need to have medications, supplements, and vitamins on this list. Their doctor should check it before prescribing doxycycline.