Avidoxy

Doxycycline is a prescription medication used to treat certain bacterial infections and to prevent malaria infections. Doxycycline belongs to a group of drugs called tetracycline antibiotics, which prevent the growth and spread of certain bacteria by inhibiting protein production.

This medication comes in tablet, capsule, and oral suspension (liquid) forms, and is typically taken once or twice a day. The tablets and capsules should be taken with a glass of water, with or without food. However, taking doxycycline with milk or food may decrease the amount of medication absorbed from your stomach. Do not crush or break the delayed-release tablets or capsule.

Doxycycline also comes as a gel to be administered by a dentist in a clinic setting.

This medication is also available in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) by a healthcare professional.

Common side effects of doxycycline include nausea, sunlight sensitivity, and rash.  

Oral/Injectable:

Doxycycline is a prescription medication used to treat certain bacterial infections and to prevent malaria infections. Doxycycline treats bacterial infections of the lungs, respiratory tract, skin, genitals, and urinary tract. Doxycycline is also used to treat Lyme disease, anthrax, and acne. It may also be used by your dentist to treat periodontitis (inflammation within the mouth).

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor about all the medications you take including prescription and non-prescription medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• anticoagulants, or blood thinners
• penicillin antibiotics such as amoxicillin (Moxatag) and ampicillin
• antacids containing aluminum, calcium, magnesium, or iron
• bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol)
• barbiturates such as phenobarbital (Donnatal)
• carbamazepine (Tegretol)
• phenytoin (Dilantin)
• methoxyflurane (Penthrane)
• oral contraceptives

This is not a complete list of doxycycline drug interactions.  Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Before taking doxycycline, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• have had an allergic reaction to doxycycline (Doryx and Oracea), or other tetracycline antibiotics such as minocycline (Solodyn)
• take anticoagulants (blood thinners), carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), vitamins, oral contraceptives, or antacids
• have kidney or liver disease
• have diabetes
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.  The active ingredient in doxycycline is excreted in human breast milk. The effect of doxycycline on the nursing infant is not known, although it may affect bone and tooth development.

Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that fights bacteria in the body.

Doxycycline is used to treat many different bacterial infections, such as acne, urinary tract infections, intestinal infections, eye infections, gonorrhea, chlamydia, periodontitis (gum disease), and others.

Doxycycline is also used to treat blemishes, bumps, and acne-like lesions caused by rosacea. Doxycycline will not treat facial redness caused by rosacea.

Some forms of doxycycline are used to prevent malaria, to treat anthrax, or to treat infections caused by mites, ticks, or lice.

Doxycycline may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

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 doxycycline 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 doxycycline to treat gonorrhea, your doctor may test you to make sure you do not also have syphilis, another sexually transmitted disease.

Taking this medicine during pregnancy may affect tooth and bone development in the unborn baby. Taking doxycycline 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.

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

Doxycycline can pass into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing infant. Do not breast-feed while you are taking doxycycline.

Doxycycline can cause permanent yellowing or graying of the teeth in children younger than 8 years old. Children should use doxycycline only in cases of severe or life-threatening conditions such as anthrax or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The benefit of treating a serious condition may outweigh any risks to the child's tooth development.

• Tell all of your health care providers that you take this medicine. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.
• Have your blood work checked if you are on Avidoxy for a long time. Talk with your doctor.
• This medicine may affect certain lab tests. Tell all of your health care providers and lab workers that you take this medicine.
• Do not use longer than you have been told. A second infection may happen.
• Do not take more than what your doctor told you to take. Taking more than you are told may raise your chance of very bad side effects.
• Do not switch between different forms of Avidoxy without first talking with the doctor.
• If you are taking warfarin, talk with your doctor. You may need to have your blood work checked more closely while you are taking it with this medicine.
• You may get sunburned more easily. Avoid sun, sunlamps, and tanning beds. Use sunscreen and wear clothing and eyewear that protects you from the sun.
• A very bad skin reaction (Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis) may happen. It can cause very bad health problems that may not go away, and sometimes death. Get medical help right away if you have signs like red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin (with or without fever); red or irritated eyes; or sores in your mouth, throat, nose, or eyes.
• Birth control pills and other hormone-based birth control may not work as well to prevent pregnancy. Use some other kind of birth control also like a condom when taking Avidoxy.
• This medicine may cause a change in tooth color to yellow-gray-brown in children younger than 8 years old. If this change of tooth color happens, it will not go away. Talk with the doctor.
• Most of the time, this medicine is not for use in children younger than 8 years old. However, there may be times when these children may need to take Avidoxy. Talk with the doctor.
• Change in tooth color has also happened in adults. This has gone back to normal after this medicine was stopped and teeth cleaning at a dentist's office. Talk with the doctor.
• This medicine may cause harm to the unborn baby if you take it while you are pregnant. If you are pregnant or you get pregnant while taking Avidoxy, call your doctor right away.

Use this medicine as ordered by your doctor. Read all information given to you. Follow all instructions closely.

• To gain the most benefit, do not miss doses.
• Keep taking Avidoxy (doxycycline tablets and capsules) as you have been told by your doctor or other health care provider, even if you feel well.
• Some drugs may need to be taken with food or on an empty stomach. For some drugs it does not matter. Check with your pharmacist about how to take this medicine.
• Drink lots of noncaffeine liquids unless told to drink less liquid by your doctor.
• Do not take bismuth (Pepto-Bismol®), calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, multivitamins with minerals, colestipol, cholestyramine, didanosine, or antacids within 2 hours of Avidoxy.
• Take with a full glass of water.
• Do not lie down for at least 30 minutes after taking this medicine.

What do I do if I miss a dose?

• Take a missed dose as soon as you think about it.
• If it is close to the time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your normal time.
• Do not take 2 doses at the same time or extra doses.

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs of liver problems like dark urine, feeling tired, not hungry, upset stomach or stomach pain, light-colored stools, throwing up, or yellow skin or eyes.
• Signs of a pancreas problem (pancreatitis) like very bad stomach pain, very bad back pain, or very bad upset stomach or throwing up.
• Chest pain.
• Not able to pass urine or change in how much urine is passed.
• Fever or chills.
• Sore throat.
• Throat irritation.
• Trouble swallowing.
• Any unexplained bruising or bleeding.
• Joint pain.
• Feeling very tired or weak.
• Vaginal itching or discharge.
• It is common to have diarrhea when taking Avidoxy. Rarely, a very bad form of diarrhea called Clostridium difficile (C diff)–associated diarrhea (CDAD) may occur. Sometimes, this has led to a deadly bowel problem (colitis). CDAD may happen while you are taking this medicine or within a few months after you stop taking it. Call your doctor right away if you have stomach pain or cramps, very loose or watery stools, or bloody stools. Do not try to treat loose stools without first checking with your doctor.
• Raised pressure in the brain has happened with Avidoxy. Most of the time, this will go back to normal after this medicine is stopped. Sometimes, loss of eyesight may happen and may not go away even after Avidoxy is stopped. Call your doctor right away if you have a headache or eyesight problems like blurred eyesight, seeing double, or loss of eyesight.