
n.
A broad-spectrum antibiotic, C22H24N2O8, derived from tetracycline.
[D(E)OXY- + (TETRA)CYCLINE.]
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American Heritage Dictionary:
dox·y·cy·cline |

[D(E)OXY- + (TETRA)CYCLINE.]
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Drug Info:
Doxycycline |
Brand names: Adoxa Pak, Adoxa®, Alodox , Atridox, Bio-Tab, Doryx®, Doxal, Doxy, Monodox®, Oracea, Periostat®, Vibra-Tabs®, Vibramycin®
Chemical formula:

Doxycycline Hyclate Oral capsule
What is this medicine?
DOXYCYCLINE (dox i SYE kleen) is a tetracycline antibiotic. It kills certain bacteria or stops their growth. It is used to treat many kinds of infections, like dental, skin, respiratory, and urinary tract infections. It also treats acne, Lyme disease, malaria, and certain sexually transmitted infections.
This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.
What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
•liver disease
•long exposure to sunlight like working outdoors
•stomach problems like colitis
•an unusual or allergic reaction to doxycycline, tetracycline antibiotics, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
•pregnant or trying to get pregnant
•breast-feeding
How should I use this medicine?
Take this medicine by mouth with a full glass of water. Follow the directions on the prescription label. It is best to take this medicine without food, but if it upsets your stomach take it with food. Take your medicine at regular intervals. Do not take your medicine more often than directed. Take all of your medicine as directed even if you think you are better. Do not skip doses or stop your medicine early.
Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care may be needed. While this drug may be prescribed for children as young as 8 years old for selected conditions, precautions do apply.
Overdosage: If you think you have taken too much of this medicine contact a poison control center or emergency room at once.
NOTE: This medicine is only for you. Do not share this medicine with others.
What may interact with this medicine?
•antacids
•barbiturates
•birth control pills
•bismuth subsalicylate
•carbamazepine
•methoxyflurane
•other antibiotics
•phenytoin
•vitamins that contain iron
•warfarin
This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.
What should I watch for while using this medicine?
Tell your doctor or health care professional if your symptoms do not improve.
Do not treat diarrhea with over the counter products. Contact your doctor if you have diarrhea that lasts more than 2 days or if it is severe and watery.
Do not take this medicine just before going to bed. It may not dissolve properly when you lay down and can cause pain in your throat. Drink plenty of fluids while taking this medicine to also help reduce irritation in your throat.
This medicine can make you more sensitive to the sun. Keep out of the sun. If you cannot avoid being in the sun, wear protective clothing and use sunscreen. Do not use sun lamps or tanning beds/booths.
Birth control pills may not work properly while you are taking this medicine. Talk to your doctor about using an extra method of birth control.
If you are being treated for a sexually transmitted infection, avoid sexual contact until you have finished your treatment. Your sexual partner may also need treatment.
Avoid antacids, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, and iron products for 4 hours before and 2 hours after taking a dose of this medicine.
If you are using this medicine to prevent malaria, you should still protect yourself from contact with mosquitos. Stay in screened-in areas, use mosquito nets, keep your body covered, and use an insect repellent.
What side effects may I notice from receiving this medicine?
Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible:
•allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue
•difficulty breathing
•fever
•itching in the rectal or genital area
•pain on swallowing
•redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth
•severe stomach pain or cramps
•unusual bleeding or bruising
•unusually weak or tired
•yellowing of the eyes or skin
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
•diarrhea
•loss of appetite
•nausea, vomiting
This list may not describe all possible side effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Where should I keep my medicine?
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store at room temperature, below 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). Protect from light. Keep container tightly closed. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date. Taking this medicine after the expiration date can make you seriously ill.
Last updated: 7/1/2002
Important Disclaimer: The drug information provided here is for educational purposes only. It is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a medical professional. This drug information does not cover all possible uses, precautions, side effects and interactions. It should not be construed to indicate that this or any drug is safe for you. Consult your medical professional for guidance before using any prescription or over the counter drugs.
Oxford A-Z of Medicinal Drugs:
doxycycline |
| doxorubicin, doxepin, doxazosin | |
| doxylamine, droperidol, drotrecogin alfa |
Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry:
doxycycline |

| doxorubicin, downstream, down regulation | |
| dpm, dps, draft genome sequence |
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:
doxycycline |
A second-generation, lipid-soluble tetracycline derivative with greater activity against anaerobes and intracellular bacteria, and a longer half-life. Used as the monohydrate.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Doxycycline |
| Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
|---|---|
| (4S,4aR,5S,5aR,6R,12aS)-4-(dimethylamino)- 3,5,10,12,12a-pentahydroxy- 6-methyl- 1,11-dioxo- 1,4,4a,5,5a,6,11,12a-octahydrotetracene- 2-carboxamide | |
| Clinical data | |
| Trade names | Vibramycin |
| AHFS/Drugs.com | monograph |
| MedlinePlus | a682063 |
| Licence data | US FDA:link |
| Pregnancy cat. | D(US) |
| Legal status | POM (UK) ℞-only (US) |
| Routes | oral, buccal, iv, im |
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Bioavailability | 100% |
| Metabolism | hepatic,minimally |
| Half-life | 18-22 hours |
| Excretion | urine, feces |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | 564-25-0 |
| ATC code | J01AA02 A01AB22 |
| PubChem | CID 11256 |
| DrugBank | APRD00597 |
| ChemSpider | 10482106 |
| UNII | 334895S862 |
| KEGG | D02129 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:60648 |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL1433 |
| Chemical data | |
| Formula | C22H24N2O8 |
| Mol. mass | 462.46 g/mol |
| SMILES | eMolecules & PubChem |
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Doxycycline INN (
/ˌdɒksɨˈsaɪkliːn/ doks-i-sy-kleen) is a member of the tetracycline antibiotics group, and is commonly used to treat a variety of infections. Doxycycline is a semisynthetic tetracycline invented and clinically developed in the early 1960s by Pfizer Inc.[citation needed] and marketed under the brand name Vibramycin.[citation needed] Vibramycin received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 1967,[citation needed] becoming Pfizer's first once-a-day, broad-spectrum antibiotic.[citation needed] Other brand names include Monodox, Microdox, Periostat, Vibra-Tabs, Oracea, Doryx, Vibrox, Adoxa, Doxyhexal, Doxylin, Doxoral,Doxy-1 and Atridox (topical doxycycline hyclate for periodontitis).
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Contents
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As well as the general indications for all members of the tetracycline antibiotics group, doxycycline is frequently used to treat chronic prostatitis, sinusitis, syphilis, chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease,[1][2] acne, rosacea,[3][4] and rickettsial infections.
It is used in prophylaxis against malaria. It should not be used alone for initial treatment of malaria, even when the parasite is doxycycline-sensitive, because the antimalarial effect of doxycycline is delayed. This delay is related to its mechanism of action, which is to specifically impair the progeny of the apicoplast genes, resulting in their abnormal cell division.[5]
It can be used in a treatment plan in combination with other agents, such as quinine.[6]
It is used in the treatment and prophylaxis of Bacillus anthracis (anthrax).
It is also effective against Yersinia pestis (the infectious agent of bubonic plague), and is prescribed for the treatment of Lyme disease,[7][8][9][10] ehrlichiosis[11][12] and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In fact, because doxycycline is one of the few medications shown to be effective in treating Rocky Mountain spotted fever (with the next-best alternative being chloramphenicol), doxycycline is indicated even for use in children for this illness. Otherwise, doxycycline is not indicated for use in children under the age of eight years. Doxycycline, like other antibiotics, will not work for colds, influenza, or other viral infections.
When bacteriologic testing indicates appropriate susceptibility to the drug, doxycycline may be used to treat and prevent:
Elephantiasis is the end-stage condition of lymphatic filariases caused by one of two genera of filarial nematodes (roundworms): Wuchereria or Brugia (primarily Wuchereria bancrofti). Elephantiasis is characterized by permanently swollen limbs or genitals and permanent damage to the lymph system (often accompanied by severe secondary fungal and bacterial infections). This results from blockage of lymph flow caused by immune response against dead or dying adult worms in the lymphatics. This condition affects over 120 million people worldwide, with 1 billion at risk.[14] Previous antinematode treatments have been limited by poor levels of effectiveness, drug side effects and high costs. Doxycycline was shown in 2003 to kill the symbiotic Wolbachia bacteria in the filarial worms' reproductive tracts, rendering them sterile, thus reducing transmission of the disease.[15] Field trials in 2005 showed doxycycline almost completely eliminates the release of microfilariae when given for an eight-week course.[16][17] However, doxycycline only reduces transmission and the relatively light pathology associated with microfilaraemia; there is currently no cure for lymphatic filariasis.
Cautions and side effects are similar to those of other members of the tetracycline antibiotic group. However, the risk of photosensitivity skin reactions is of particular importance for those intending long-term use for malaria prophylaxis, because it can cause permanent sensitive and thin skin.
Unlike some other members of the tetracycline group, it may be used in those with renal impairment.[18]
Previously, doxycycline was believed to impair the effectiveness of many types of hormonal contraception due to CYP450 induction. Recent research has shown no significant loss of effectiveness in oral contraceptives while using most tetracycline antibiotics (including doxycycline), although many physicians still recommend the use of barrier contraception for people taking the drug to prevent unwanted pregnancy.[19][20][21]
Food, including dairy products, does not interfere with the absorption of doxycycline, unlike most other tetracycline antibiotics.[22]
Doxycycline, like all tetracyclines, is not approved for general use in children, but specific exceptions are made for potentially fatal illnesses where the benefits outweigh the risks and there are few or no other alternatives, such as with Rocky Mountain spotted fever and anthrax.
Expired tetracyclines or tetracyclines allowed to stand at a pH less than 2 are reported to be nephrotoxic due to the formation of a degradation product, anhydro-4-epitetracycline[23][24] causing Fanconi syndrome.[25] In the case of doxycycline, the absence of an hydroxyl group in C-6 prevent the formation of the nephrotoxic compound.[24] Nevertheless, tetracyclines and doxycycline itself have to be taken with precaution in patients with kidney injury, as they can worsen azotemia due to catabolic effects.[25]
At subantimicrobial doses, doxycycline is an inhibitor of matrix metalloproteases, and has been used in various experimental systems for this purpose, such as for recalcitrant recurrent corneal erosions.[26] Doxycycline has been used successfully in the treatment of one patient with lymphangioleiomyomatosis, an otherwise progressive and fatal disease.[27] Doxycycline has also been shown to attenuate cardiac hypertrophy (in mice), a deadly consequence of prolonged hypertension.[28] In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, doxycycline has shown to improve lung functions in patients with stable symptoms.[29] Doxycycline is also used in "Tet-on" and "Tet-off" tetracycline-controlled transcriptional activation to regulate transgene expression in organisms and cell cultures.
Other experimental applications include:
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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![]() | American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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![]() | Drug Info. Gold Standard. Copyright © 2008 by Gold Standard. All rights reserved. Read more |
| Oxford A-Z of Medicinal Drugs. Market University Press. © 2000, 2003, 2010 An A-Z of Medicinal Drugs. All rights reserved. Read more | ||
| Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry. Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved. Read more | ||
![]() | Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more | |
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![]() | Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Doxycycline. Read more |
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