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

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor.
Take doxycycline with a full glass of water (8 ounces).
TO CLEAR UP YOUR INFECTION COMPLETELY, continue taking this medicine for the full course of treatment even if you feel better in a few days. Do not miss any doses.

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); 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;
vaginal yeast infection.

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

If overdose is suspected, contact your local poison control center or emergency room immediately.
Symptoms of a doxycycline overdose may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Do not give doxycycline to a child younger than 8 years old. Doxycycline can cause permanent yellowing or graying of the teeth, and it can affect a child's growth.

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.

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

Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

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.

Before taking doxycycline, tell your doctor if you have liver disease.
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.

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.