Drug information
Doxycycline Audio.mp3 |
What is doxycycline?What is doxycycline?
What is doxycycline?
Doxycycline is an antibacterial prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of certain bacterial infections, such as Bartonella infections (also called bartonellosis), syphilis, pneumonia, and others. In addition, doxycycline is FDA-approved for the prevention of malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
Many of the infections for which doxycycline is FDA-approved to treat and prevent can be opportunistic infections (OIs) of HIV. An OI is an infection that occurs more frequently or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems—such as people with HIV—than in people with healthy immune systems. To learn more about OIs, read the HIVinfo What is an Opportunistic Infection? fact sheet.
How is doxycycline used in people with HIV?How is doxycycline used in people with HIV?
How is doxycycline used in people with HIV?
The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and/or the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children with and Exposed to HIV include recommendations on the uses of doxycycline in people with HIV to:
- Treat:
- Malaria
- Certain Bartonella infections (also called bartonellosis)
- Syphilis
- Community-acquired pneumonia
- Toxoplasma gondii encephalitis
- Prevent
- Syphilis from occurring the first time
- Malaria from occurring the first time
- Certain Bartonella infections from recurring
The recommended uses may not always be consistent with FDA-approved uses of doxycycline. See the Adult and Pediatric Opportunistic Infection Guidelines for complete information on recommended uses of doxycycline in adults and children with HIV. Doxycycline may have other recommended uses not listed above.
What should I tell my health care provider before using doxycycline?What should I tell my health care provider before using doxycyline?
What should I tell my health care provider before using doxycycline?
Before using doxycycline, tell your health care provider:
- If you are allergic to doxycycline, tetracycline antibiotics, or any other medicines.
- About any medical conditions you have or have had, including:
- About anything that could affect your ability to take medicines, such as difficulty swallowing pills, difficulty remembering to take pills, or any health conditions that may prevent you from receiving medicine by injection or infusion.
- If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of using doxycycline during pregnancy. The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV may include other recommendations on the use of doxycycline during pregnancy. Please refer to these guidelines for additional information.
- If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. For mothers with HIV in the United States, the Guideline recommends speaking with your health care provider to discuss options for feeding your baby. Mothers with suppressed viral load have a less than 1% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby via their own milk. Although most medicines are safe to use while breastfeeding, some medicines should be avoided. Always let your health care provider know about all the medicines and supplements you are using before you start breastfeeding.
- About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Doxycycline may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how doxycycline works. Ask your health care provider if there are interactions between doxycycline and the other medicines you take.
How should I use doxycycline?How should I use doxycycline?
How should I use doxycycline?
Use doxycycline according to your health care provider’s instructions. Your health care provider will tell you how much doxycycline to use and when to use it.
It is important to complete the full prescribed course of treatment with doxycycline, even if you begin to feel better. If you stop using doxycycline too soon or skip doses, your infection may not be fully treated, and the bacteria may become harder to treat (resistant).
Before you start doxycycline and each time you get a refill, read any printed information that comes with your medicine.
What side effects can doxycycline cause?What side effects can doxycycline cause?
What side effects can doxycycline cause?
Doxycycline may cause side effects that can be mild or serious. To learn about possible side effects of doxycycline, see the FDA drug labels for doxycycline powder (for oral suspension), capsule, tablet (film coated), tablet (delayed release), and injection or talk to your health care provider or pharmacist. Tell your health care professional if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. Your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some side effects.
You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088) or online.
How should doxycycline be stored?How should doxycycline be stored?
How should doxycycline be stored?
- Store doxycycline oral suspension and capsules at room temperature, between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C). Throw away any unused portion of the oral suspension after two weeks.
- Store doxycycline film-coated tablets and delayed-release tablets at room temperature, between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C). Protect the tablets from light and moisture.
- Store vials of doxycycline sterile powder for injection at room temperature, between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C), and protect the vials from light. For instructions on the storage of reconstituted solutions for infusion, please see the drug label.
- Do not use doxycycline if the original seal over the container opening is broken or missing.
- Throw away doxycycline that is no longer needed or expired (out of date). Follow FDA guidelines on how to safely dispose of unused medicine. For information on disposing of needles and other sharps, please refer to these guidelines or ask your health care provider or pharmacist.
- Keep doxycycline and all medicines out of reach of children.
Where can I find more information about doxycycline?Where can I find more information about doxycycline?
Where can I find more information about doxycycline?
- Recommendations on the HIV-related uses of doxycycline, from the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children with and Exposed to HIV.
- This Patient Version drug summary is based on the following FDA label(s):
- Powder (for oral suspension). The Precautions section of the label includes information for people taking doxycycline oral suspension.
- Capsule. The Precautions section of the label includes information for people taking doxycycline capsules.
- Tablet (film coated). The Patient Counseling Information and Instructions For Use include information for people taking doxycycline hyclate film-coated tablets.
- Tablet (delayed release). The Patient Counseling Information section of the label includes information for people taking doxycycline hyclate delayed-release tablets.
- Injection (powder, lyophilized, for solution). The Precautions section of the label includes information for people using doxycycline for injection.
- The American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) Patient Medication Information for doxycycline and doxycycline injection available from MedlinePlus.
- Doxycycline-related research studies, from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests.)
Last Reviewed: January 5, 2025