Doxycycline Hyclate and antibiotic

Within 5 hours of first dose, I had "severe body aches" like those with the flu. My joints and muscles hurt so much that night that I had to call my parents to help me take care of my kids the next morning. I told the doctor who prescribed it, and he said to try to stick it out for the week...what horrible advice! Thinking it was crazy advice, I reluctantly took doses 2, 3, and 4 and experienced the joint/muscle pain each time, but I guess I just somehow tolerated it as if I had the flu. My hands became rather puffy as well. After the 5th pill, I woke up in the middle of the night with HORRIBLE joint and muscle pain, which was so awful that I could barely move; I was able to move a little bit, with extreme pain all over my body--particularly my knees, wrists/hands/thumbs, feet, and shoulders. I felt and heard unnusual snapping, cracking, and popping all over my body when I would move around at all. I stopped the med immediately, and noticed some improvement over the next several days. It has since been 9 days since the last dose, and I still have considerable pain in my knee, my thumbs/wrists, and arms. Unable to do my regular exercise, I tried gentle swimming and light water aerobics several days ago, but found even that to be too painful to do. I'm still unable to pick up my young children, drive without pain (mostly in right knee and muscles connecting to it, when pushing the brake) and am still somewhat limited in typical daily activities. Also, for the last 5 days or so, I've had a strange nodule present on a tendon in my thumb which has been hurting since taking the antibiotic. This has been a very frightening experience, to say the least.

Not sure if my symptoms are caused by this drug or not, but I was on it for a month for a stye infection in my eye. I had two more weeks of pills in the bottle, but I felt that after a month on this antibiotic, enough was enough. Shortly after I stopped the dose, I developed an itchy rash on my behind that felt like bug bites. Living in NYC, I feared bed bugs, but it's not that. I now have a tingling, itchy rash that comes and goes and I'm wondering if it's some allergic reaction to this drug. After hearing all of these hideous side effects, I am convinced that the next time I need treatment for anything, I'm heading to my acupuncturist FIRST, not after the fact. In this country, if the cure doesn't kill you, it will certainly compromise you. Frankly, I've never met an acupuncturist's herb I didn't like and from now on, that's where I'm putting my money- treating the whole body and the whole system, not poisoning it by addressing a lone symptom.

I'm at the end of a 10-day cycle of doxycycline (100mg 2xday). Worst side effects: insomnia and restless leg syndrome. I think I'm averaging about 3 hours of sleep a night. Stomach pain, occasional cramps, severe loss of appetite. I've also experienced some of the stranger side effects others have mentioned: mood swings, depression, suicidal thoughts, feeling like I'm in a dream, mental problems (after I write something I realize I've spelled half the words wrong).
Next time my doctor mentions this drug, I'm going to say no way and see if I can get a sulfate based antibiotic or maybe good old amoxicillin.

Until yesterday, I took 14 days of a 4 week prescription of 100 mg twice a day doxycycline for a tick bite rash. I rarely take any medication. The first week I just had mild side affects. Late in the second week I started to notice that I was becoming increasing anxious for no apparent reason. Even after hard exercise the anxiety seemed to be persistent as if an impending panic attack. Yet, I had no external reason to explain the anxiety.

After two additional days the anxiety seemed to keep ramping up and I began to get very dizzy when I moved suddenly or bent down to pick up items from the floor. The pressure behind my eyes also feel like it was increasing. I was afraid my blood pressure was spiking but in actuality it was probably either cranial pressure or simply an fight or flight anxiety response. I also experience some pretty vivid dreams.

I finally searched online and found no official symptom of anxiety for doxycycline but found people complaining about it unofficially. I spoke with my pharmacist who also said she had no listing of anxiety as a known symptom for the drug. She suggested I stop taking it and see if my symptom subside.

It has been 24 hours since my last dose and the anxiety has reduced substantially but not completely. I feel like I have a hang over today but otherwise I do feel an immediate improvement. I am still a little dizzy but not like yesterday.

Like all drugs, you should be very cognizant of how the drug affects your body - even if a physician tells you otherwise because only you can really tell and everyone has different bio-chemistry which reacts in different ways to different drug compounds.

After 10 days of taking Doxycycline Hyclate for Lyme Disease, I noticed a rash on both my forearms. I learned that this a side effect due to increased sensitivity to sun. Within a few more days it looked like a bad sunburn and started to itch intensely. I found that mixing a paste of good old baking soda and water and putting it on my arms stopped the itch almost immediately. I'm taking the last pill today (hooray) and am assuming that the rash will fade away. If anybody else has had this, I'd like to know how long it takes for the rash to disappear once the antibiotic is out of one's system.

On May 8th 2009 I had my gallbladder removed. I have lupus, sjogrens disease, pulmonary hypertension, diabetes type II and coeliac disease. I was prescribed doxycycline as an antibiotic for post op infection. Within 2 days I was very ill - thought I was going to have a heart attack. The pain over my heart was alarming. Also, I found it very difficult to breath. I did some reading and found out that Lupus patients should not be given doxycycline. (The hospital and specialists knew my medical history and it should have been an easy thing to check for contraindications of medications - I had never had doxycycline before)A day after I stopped the antibiotic things improved dramatically. At the post op visit to the specialist, I was told that this was 'all in my head' and it was a lot of nonsense. However, I stuck to my story and finally the specialist conceded that even the best doctors do not know everything!!!!???
One really has to be VERY careful to look after one's own health.

It seems that everyone is having similar symptoms. I have been on Doxy for about 14 days now and I'm feeling worse every day. I am on it because i had been bitten by a tick and contracted Lyme disease. I don't know much about the disease but it has me freaked out. I started taking the antibiotic 2 weeks after being bitten; losing my balance and almost falling to the ground. I also had a couple of dizzy spells after eating. I seemed to feel a little bit better the first week of taking it but started feeling the side effects. It started out with the occasional dizzy spell then came the exhaustion, anxiety, depression, lower back aches, soreness in the back of my eyes, stiff neck, headache in the back of my head, flu like shivers, racing heart, and complete body aches. I also found out the hard way not to go out into the sun while on Doxy. Felt like the tops of my hands were being pricked with a million needles and burning. I wish I could stop taking the drug and be done, but I am already scared about the outcome of the Lyme disease. I hope I can feel normal again soon.

I just started taking Doxycycline for Lyme disease and feel worse than I did before I had it. After taking a couple of pills, I vomited. Now I feel nausea, still have a high temperature, and have no taste for food. I am going to my doctor to see if there is another antibiotic out there to take. This one is horrible!

I was prescribed doxycycline on Saturday and immediately filled it and took the first dose. It helped with my infection but I started having problems by my evening dose on Wednesday. I took it with a small amount of water and lounged around for a half hour or so before getting ready for bed. I woke up about 2 hours later with horrible burning pain in my chest like the pill was stuck. I grabbed a water bottle and drank it down. It felt a little better and I went to sleep. On Thursday the pain was very uncomfortable and I had difficulty eating and swallowing. I went to the store and got antacides with no relief. I was careful for the next few days but I am having a lot of trouble swallowing and now a burning sensation between my shoulders. I went to the doctor today because of the pain. I felt it was due to not enough water when taking it and not sitting up straight for a half hour. She gave me a GI cocktail and sent me on my way with a prescription for pepcid. I just read some postings but I took my pill about a half hour ago. I wish I would have read this first and stopped taking it. It is amazing to me that our professionals are clueless about the relationship between the symptoms and the antibiotic. I to can only hope for no long term permanent problems. I will give it a few days and see how I feel after stopping it.

I'm also on Doxycycline Hyclate, 100 MG, twice daily. I've had slight mood swings, and lately I've been worrying about silly things for no apparent reason. Everytime I felt different body changes that normally didn't occur, I would think something is wrong with me when such thoughts were riduclous, especially since I'm 22 and extremely healthy. But I've also been having really weird lower abdomen pressure. It doesn't necessarily hurt, but it's quite annoying. Has anybody else had similar symptoms like this?

Ah, another thing, be careful not to get into the habit of not taking the full dosage of antibiotics prescribed. If you're taking it for an infection and you cease taking it prematurely, the organisms will develop a resistance to it and then it will be more difficult to get rid of.

Also, thanks for the courage to post your concerns. I wasn't aware that this antibiotic could cause such emotional and pshychological trouble! Now I feel a lot better about my own symptoms!

i think all you people are just mental cases, this is all of your minds ways to try to rationalize being insane. Panic attacks on an antibiotic!! Come on, really do u all think its the dox?? Even the doctors don't believe u. Funny that its not on any of the common or less common side effects anywhere on the internet!!!

So glad to find this board. Thank you all for writing in. I am only on my second pill after starting last night. I have followed all the directions, and didn't lie down for a few hours after my first dose. Yet I have horrible esophagus pain. Also had insomnia last night- with a rushing panic like feeling every time I started to dose off- and wound up finally getting to sleep at 5 am and waking up 2 hours later. I took my second pill this morning, and a couple of hours later the esophagus pain got worse. My skin also feels like it's burning (I'm indoors), my chest hurts some when I breathe, and I'm shaky with sweaty palms. This is crazy! I'm taking it for a UTI that felt like it was turning into a kidney infection. I am allergic to almost every antibiotic out there, so I don't know what to do next. I'll keep taking this for now and hope it doesn't kill me.

me too. I am glad to hear I'm not alone. everyone else thinks i'm nuts. MY anxiety has been through the roof on this stuff ( i almost went to the er last night thinking I was having a heart attack, but decided it was a panic attack) I have been extremely light headed, dizzy and very jittery, my chest hurts. Im done with this crap.

February 22nd
2009
My side effects (Charles Clark)
3:00pm

It started with diarrhea after a couple days treatment. Then my hand muscles starting to contract on there own. Then I started having high blood pressure up to 212/118 and high heart rate and anxiety beginning to set in. My wife wanted to take me to the hospital but I refused to go (I wish I had. They might have taken me off Doxy then, but no, I was still taking it). I then started having problems breathing (like something was stopping me. Not like hyperventilating). My wife called the doctor and she said to stop the Doxy and come in. At the visit, she gave me meds for high blood pressure and ordered a heart monitor and stress test as she believed my problem was more likely with my heart. I didn't start the blood pressure medications as I needed to have the tests done in a week and a half. I had a panic attack before the stress test. There was a patient there who stated her granddaughter had developed panic attacks after she had taken Doxy for Lymes disease. What a coincidence. That weekend my blood pressure and anxiety increased and my wife called the doctor. They convinced me to start the blood pressure medicine as all of this might be caused by High Blood Pressure. I returned to the doctor 4 days later and she took more blood work as well as tested for Lymes disease again. Everything was normal and NO lymes disease. So what was causing all of these problems. That night when I came home from the Doctors I started feeling like someone just sprayed me like you spray a wasp/bee. I started to shake and twitch inside like I was dying I could feel my stomach convulsing and getting cold. Now at this point I had been off Doxycycline for a few days. My wife called the doctors emergency line and they called in a prescription for Xanex. I took it and it put be out. I woke up the next day feeling like I was on a bad rollercoaster ride going over the edge and trying to climbing out of my skin. I was unable to even take care of myself at this point. I started getting muscle twitches all over my body. I could not control my thoughts and had a hard time talking; my skin was so hypersensitive to the touch or movement. The only way I could deal with it was just lay down and not move. I felt like was going to die. More symptoms came: my middle finger on my left hand went numb; I was so nauseated I had a hard time eating; depression set in with sever panic attacks/anxiety, ears ringing, slight pain in my chest like I was having a heart attack and was becoming bed ridden and afraid of everything at this point. That next week I returned to the doctor and she noted how it seemed a struggle for me to walk into the office. She felt that I should begin meds to decrease the anxiety that was paralyzing me. She suggested seeing a psychiatrist and stated that if I got worse my wife should take me to the emergency and be admitted to the mental health program. So I began to take Paxil as well (I hate medications, but I was desperate). I was terrified that I might have side affects from these meds and I couldn't be alone and I was afraid to go anywhere, afraid I would have an attack or worse, stop breathing all together. I was terrified and my family was getting very worried about me and unsure what to do. Thanks to my best friend, my wife, and my family for taking care of me. If it were not for them, I would not know what to do. My dear mom even came in from Virginia to help take care of me. I can not express my thanks enough to my family! I have been off the drug now for almost seven weeks now and all my side effects are slowly, very slowly, dissipating. How come the Doctors don't know about this? Thank GOD for this site and the ones that took the time to post there experience with this drug! THANKS EVERYONE GOD BLESS YOU!

P.S. please reply on what you did to get rid of the side effects, how long did it take for them to go away and did your Doctor believe that the Doxycycline caused them. because I can't find a Doctor that thinks the Doxycycline can have these side effects.

ive only taken doxycycline for one day now for a chest and throat infection, but i noticed pain underneath my ribcage and a loss of appetite right after the first pill. food tastes extremely salty and slightly bitter as well and i have a bit of a problem focusing with my eyes. i will ask the doctor to give me another antibiotic instead.

Firstly, I'm so glad I found this website as it helped me out immensely. I had been taking Doxycycline Hyclate for a STD (seven day course of 2 x's 100mg capsules a day). I started the treated with no discomfort at all but about four days in I started getting really bad diarrhea and stomach pains.

It's been three days now since I have finished the treatment and I'm still getting diarrhea tho not as bad as it was. Never again shall I take this antibiotic! And I would advice others to ask for a different antibiotic (if possible), as this one will result in you needing at least 1 or 2 weeks of Uni/work etc.

D. from England, UK.

I took doxycycline for a little acne on my back I would get when I worked out.
I am a fit healthy man of 48 years. People tell me I look late twenties early thirties. I have to tell you all my experience with this antibiotic has been a nightmare for me.

Stomach queasiness, severe stomach pain, dizziness, headaches, lower back pain, from no acne on face to small blisters and acne. Depression and panic attacks.

I went to my doctor and demanded my blood get checked for everything
from STD's to HIV. Everything came back negative and no answers other than I had a severe allergic reaction to the medication.

I took this medication for a month twice a day. I have been off for two months now and I am just now feeling better I can eat without feeling stomach queasiness. My face is getting better but still hoping it will return to normal.

I started taking Primadophlius and Ester-c to help build my immune system.

I haven't exercise yet because I am afraid to weaken my body. This drug really scared me. I sincerely hope all of you get better:-)

I was prescribed doxycycline by the doctor for a misdiagnosed std, i took the 7 day regiment along with another antibiotic, while taking both antibiotics, i experienced major stomach gas and a complete loss of appetite....after the 7 days was up, i still did not feel quite right, so saw my doctor about 5 days later....he re-prescribed ONLY doxycycline....this time WITHOUT taking the other antibiotic, my gas was much less severe...however i have to FORCE myself to eat due to a complete loss of appetite...i want so bad to have an appetite back the thought of taking even one more of those pills repulses me....though the medication works quite well.....I also find that while taking doxycycline my eyes would burn from time to time....one pill left....and im gonna skip it.

It feels so great to have seen that other people are experiencing the same unlisted side effects. I am on 100mg of doxy twice a day for 20 weeks. I've only been taking it a few days but holy crap. I have been so depressed lately. All I do is cry. And I can't explain why or what I'm thinking that triggers it. I do have things in my life going on that are upsetting me, but nothing that should get me to this point. I have random thoughts of suicide, which is getting me even more down. I have always been such a fun loving, care free person. But now everyone is always asking what's wrong me. I didn't suspect the drug, but getting off and calling my derm ASAP. Other than the depression I've spent a few days throwing up after taking the antibiotic, but I hadn't had too much to eat that day.

I took tetracycline for 10 days (it had been prescribed for 30 days for emergency oral surgery...I had cracked a molar and it had to be extracted)

On the tenth day I was ready to die from the progressive side effects that were completetly intolerable.....I thought I was going to die and the fear was so unreal that I thought I was possessed by the devil or some evil force that was going to kill me and my family....it was horrific!!

Taking an anti-anxiety med Ativan helped but I also made the decision to stop taking the anti-biotic tetracycline...within 24 hours I felt fine....the racing thoughts, the heat, the chest pains and blinding fear were suddenly gone....I know now that this drug is not good for me and have asked the doctor for another antibiotic.....

If anyone experiences these symptoms stop taking this drug immediately....I took it for ten days and I wished I would have stopped sooner....

I especially don't recommend Tetracyline or any of its similarly-based antibiotics for anyone who suffers from depression or anxiety....

I hope my experience can help others understand the adverse side effects of this drug.

I have been taking doxycycline hyclate for acne for the past three weeks and find that I am now urinating a lot especially after intake of liquids and it seems as if I empty the same amount that I consume.This is really very annoying and inconvenient.

I started this antibiotic because of symptoms my ER physician thought paralleled those of lyme disease... At first I had mild to severe nausea... which was assisted with the intake of a meal or snack. Those symptoms I could deal with... that and a wonderful yeast infection that occurred around the fifth day. The side affects that became unruly, were those of confusion, panic, paranoia (I became extremely jealous/thought my partner wanted to leave me/ and felt un-trusting of just about anyone near - people mocking me, wanting to avoid me, unloved me), and had random bouts of crying - which affected my libido tremendously.... one moment I was in the mood.. the next I wanted to be held in a fetal position and cry. I finished the 14 day regiment about three days ago, however I still have some side effects remaining... I still have panicky thoughts.. almost flash backs of past anxieties... as though I am relieving them again... and paranoia... that people are talking about me, or scheming. I can understand these behaviors if they were pertinently normal.. and a justified part of my general existence... however, I am generally a stable, upbeat and cheerful individual with normal reactions to stress... being that the only time I act reasonably irrational is around my period, where I feel fat and uncomfortable. The panic and rage I felt on this medication was coupled with insane thoughts and neurosis.

I do not recommend this to sensitive individuals.... or any one who is prone to medication side effects.... truly an awful experience... glad there is a support group. Still waiting to return back to normal.

I took Doxy for about 2 weeks as a remedy for a bump on my eyelid. This first exposure to Doxy seemed only to cause a little skin sensitivity and burning in my fingers, no big deal.

When my eye problem didn't go away, my eye doctor prescribed Doxy for a second time a month later. This time my side effects were much different. Within a couple hours of taking my first pill I felt a bit off, I felt anxious and unsettled. I Continued on the medication for a total of five days. During this time my side effects progressively worsened. The first few days I had very abstract thoughts, and began feeling strangely claustrophobic. By day three I was beginning to feel paranoid and fearful over just simple everyday things. Day five is when it all hit the fan. I started having difficulty breathing and feeling extreme tightness in my chest. My feelings of claustrophobia had also worsened to the point where I began having panic attacks, like I was trapped inside my own body. It was at this point I made a desperate attempt to search the internet for a possible cause, in hopes it might be the Doxy medication I was on. I was somewhat relieved to find this website and read that others had similar symptoms, maybe I wasn't losing my mind. I immediately quit taking the medication, but unfortunately the symptoms didn't go away for several more days. That night I was unable to sleep, I had mild nausea, and would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic and would shake uncontrollably. Lovely huh. It gets worse. I began to feel extreme fear and paranoia like I was going to die, or lose my kids and family. I began to feel if this didn't go away, I would not be able to go on. Thank God it did, and by day eight the extreme thoughts began to subside. I continued to have the breathing difficulty and mild depression for several days after, but the worst was over. Within a month I was back to normal.

I write this as a warning to those who are taking this med and feel anything close to this... stop taking it! I am a healthy, normal, 40 year old male, that has no history of mental issues, other than a "blue" day from time to time, and within six days I was entertaining thoughts of suicide. The psychological side effects of this drug NEED to be addressed. This is very serious stuff!!!!!!! Though it may be a small percentage of people that are susceptible, for those who are, it is a deep dark hole.

I was given Doxycycline to prevent infection from an HSG procedure. I took one the night before the procedure, two the day of and one the morning after. So total of 4 capsules of 100mg each. I'm supposed to take the full course, which is 6 capsules, but I'm going to stop now. After the 4th capsule I started having bad stomach cramps, a bit of nausea and severe diarrhea. I know the risks of not completing the course but I'm not going through these stomach pains again. No more Doxy for me! I have a similar bad reaction years ago to an antibiotic called Augmentin. I guess I have to avoid those 2 kinds of antibiotics in the future. After reading all the posts, I can't believe they still prescribe Doxy to people. It seems horrible.

I took this medication as a malarial prevention whilst traveling through India.
Never EVER again. My boyfriend had suffered from depression in the past and we had heard bad things about Larium in relation to anxiety and insomnia so we specifically asked our doctor for the malarial tablets with the least amount of side effects associated with that kind of stuff. He reassured us that there was no record of Doxcycline ever having caused those sorts of effects.
So off we went- we followed the instructions exactly and began our trip.
A week or so into India I began to notice shortness of breath and stomach pain- I put it down to typical India travelers upset and thought no more about it. A bit later I began to suffer moments of anxiety that were really out of character ( I've never suffered from anxiety or depression). I'm very well traveled ( I work in the travel industry and have traveled extensively in the Americas, Africa, Australasia and se Asia) and so although this was my first trip to India- i knew my anxiety had nothing to do with India itself. ( people kept telling me this but I loved India)
It came to a head on a overnight bus from Goa to Hampi- I was feeling really anxious, sweating and clammy, I couldn't sleep and my breathing was really tight. Eventually I had a full blown panic attack that was almost like a out of body experience- I couldn't see and I couldn't breath. The whole bus had to stop ( embarrassing!) at 3am in the morning. Eventually I managed to get back on and make it to the next town ( although not as far as Hampi) so we could take stock.
I was petrified and had no idea whatsoever what was going on. It never occurred to me it could be the malaria tablets as we had been so clear and our doctor so confident they didn't have these kinds of side effects.
I was worried about being on buses, trains even planes again since I didn't know what caused the attacks and I was terrified another one would happen. I had no valium or any other sort of thing that might have helped. In the end we had to cut our trip short and make it back to Mumbai - In Mumbai I suffered from another two panic attacks- one where I could see the walls closing in in our cheap hotel room. Shortness of breath, tightness all through my body, hysteria, blurry vision - it was awful! And also this ongoing pain and upset in my stomach.
I ended up cutting short a RTW trip that my boyfriend and I had been saving for for over a year and coming home to Australia 2 months early.
It was devastating and I still had no idea what was causing it. Finally a friend said her doctor had mentioned sleeplessness and anxiety as a rare side effect of this drug when she was taking it for some problems to do with vaginal bleeding and spotting. I started searching on the internet and was amazed to find loads of sights with people experiencing heaps of the side effects that I'd been told were never a problem with this drug!
Obviously Malaria is really serious but if I had been properly informed I could have made the decision to come off the drugs and look at alternate medication. For now - Im taking the risk of no malaria tablets at all for my next couple of trips (to Borneo- so not a major risk anyway) and will actually research much harder before taking anything again!

6 weeks ago, I began taking Doryx 100 once a day for mild acne. 10 days into treatment, I started with what I thought was a yeast infection, feeling as if I was "on fire" in the vaginal area. I used a Monistat 3 and I felt no relief. I went in to a Take Care Clinic at Walgreens and the RN had me do a urine culture. It came back positive, I had a bladder infection. I was prescribed an antibiotic, Cipro 500, dosage of twice daily for 3 days. My symptoms persisted, some days worse than others. A few days later, I went in to my gyne office. The Dr. did a swab test and found no yeast. They took a urine culture and it was negative. She saw some redness and inflammation, but could not explain what it may be from. Perhaps a new soap, she questioned? She prescribed a cream (Lotrisone) to help with the inflammation, but the cream seemed to make the area burn even more. 2 weeks later, my symptoms dulled. However, I felt that there was still something wrong. I received an Rx for Diflucan, as if the symptoms might just be from a yeast infection this time? It's possible, I thought? Again, no relief in site and it's gotten worse. A week later, I go back into the gyne office and another Dr. tells me to try switching soaps again? What's wrong with this picture? I have NEVER had any type of issue in the past and now I am 6 weeks into this one? Doryx is the only thing new that my body has come in contact with. One of the side effects in the pamphlet was "vaginal irritation/discharge." According to the pharmacist, this may occur with prolong use (such as 6 months) of any antibiotic. Although Doryx has cleared up my acne, I have decided to discontinue its use. I am hoping that this cures my symptoms. Were these the side effects from the use of Doryx? I shall see.

I have been on 200mg per day for 7 months! Seems too long for anyone to be on an antibiotic, since antibiotics can deteriorate your gut and colon. However, I suffer from pemphigus vulgaris, which is an autoimmune blister disease, whereby the body no longer recognizes the skin as part of self and attacks it as an invader. The doxy will make me severely nauseous without food. I have experienced the burning from the inside out, tingling and new blisters from the sun because of the doxy. It has been a long run, I imagine the anxious, depressed emotions could be from the doxy, however I am unsure. Always feeling tired has been quite common. I tried to stop, especially if I were going to be in the sun, but the consequences were severe with new sores appearing from my pemphigus. So in my case apparently the benefit outweighs the risk, for now. I have noticed in my 6 month that my knees and hips are in pain. Is that a side effect of long term use of this medicine? Not that may be worthy of reconsideration, if it is responsible for joint and bone deterioration.

I was prescribed doxycycline 2xday for seven days. On the third day I started to feel very sick. However, it was not until the 5th/6th day that I began to suspect I was having a reaction to the antibiotic. I have never had a negative reaction to any medication ever. My symptoms started with severe nausea that lasted all day, and extreme tiredness. The symptoms continued to get worse....muscle aches, joint pains, elevated blood pressure, back & neck pains, unfocused vision, confusion, dizziness, loss of appetite, muscle tremors that woke me from sleep, depression, and anxiety. When I discussed with my doctor that I suspected it might be the medication I was dismissed and told I was developing a virus. They had prescribed this medication often with no problems. I decided to try to stick with it for two more days. That was the biggest mistake ever. I can't really describe what it did to my head, but all I could think about was that I was dying. I guess severe anxiety and paranoia. So, I finally stopped taking it.

It took three full days with no medication for my nausea and mental confusion to begin to subside. It took a few more days for most of the muscle and back pain to go away. It also took about seven days for the depression and most of the anxiety to quiet down. It is now 11 days with no medication and I still have diarrhea, and minor joint pain. I have also stopped drinking coffee because I an still a bit anxious. I have not really gotten back to my routine yet, and will probably hold off going to the gym until next week.

The most frustrating thing of all is that this medication was given to me as a preventative before a small surgery. All the symptoms I was supposed to be watching for I was having. I am sure this contributed to the anxiety.

At least most of the symptoms have gotten better, and I am hopeful that they will continue to improve. I have researched serum sickness and it says it can take 1-2 weeks for symptoms to subside, and up to several months in some cases.

Good luck to everyone.

I am taking Doxycycline for recurrent prostatitis. I have to take 100 mg twice a day for 14 days. It's definitely the worst antibiotic I've ever been on, though it does seem to be generally effective. I'm on day 10 now and I have been on two previous 14 days courses of doxycycline so I have a fair amount of experience with it.

Here are a few things I've learned:
Do NOT lay down after taking Doxy. Don't take it right before bed. You need to be upright for about an hour prior or you will almost certainly get heartburn. Also, take Doxy immediately after eating. When I don't take it with food, I become nauseous and occasionally throw up. So those are the two big ones. Eat before and stay vertical after.

In conclusion, part of the reason why it has such frequent side effects is that it is a very powerful antibiotic. Often, I think, the side effects are worse than what its supposed to be curing. I can't wait to be off it. Good luck to everyone.

Hi neverybody,
I was on day 4 of this antibiotic for sinusitis when I woke with severe neck stiffness, (unable to do chin to chest). This progressed to headache and I remembered then that I had pain in my eye the night before. I also had profound sleepiness on night 4. I work nights and this was affecting my judgement. I felt very low on night four and emotionally labile.crying came easy but for no real reason.
My shoulders are sore and my neck still aches but it is not as bad. i did not contact dr. Should I? I stopped before finishing the course on day 5.

Good luck to everyone and I hope your are all well soon,
Lou ,
Ireland

I have been taking doxycycline for about 4 days now. Last night I took it right before bed, with water, and upon waking at about 1 am I felt that the pill was stuck in my esophagus. And then my stomach starting burning and acid started coming up. I still feel like the pill is lodged in there, and it is very uncomfortable. Along with this issue, I have felt rather depressed, dizzy, yeast infection, and am extremely tired. I don't really know what to do at this point. I was prescribed it for pneumonia and a double ear infection. My chest is still killing me from the pneumonia and still have trouble breathing. My doctors have not been helpful what so ever through this process. I had to actually go to the hospital for the proper diagnosis. I don't even know if it is even working for me, but I don't have health insurance and have been out of work for over a week. Can any one give me ANY advice PLEASE???!!!!!

Not sure if its Hyclate or not, but I am taking Doxycycline for an eye infection (100mg 2x/day). At first everything was ok, then after about 4 days, I stated having some nausea and acid reflux (throat seemed to be burning). I have to take it for 3 more weeks, but next week only 100mg/day which I hope will help.\
Is this typical of an antibiotic that you might not get any side effects until it build up in your system?

hi,
i have been on 100 mgs twice daily for bulls eye rash. i am awaiting initial lab results.
anyhow in the morning or whenever my stomach is empty.(told to take on empty stomach via enclosed pamphlet courtesy of pharmacy) The nausea takes over i try to get a piece of toast down it is agonizing! then when the nausea calms down, i them have burping problems the rest of the day also having slight boughs of dizziness. i want to quit after 9 days. i am really not eating because of the discomfort. these are my synopsis of issues with this med.
cc

I have been having Doxy since last June (about 6 mo. ago) and still taking it. Its effects on my acne problem has just gotten apparent about one month ago. (Yep. For 5 months, I kept my faith and it is beginning to pay off.) I was determined to take the stuff as long as I need to. However, I just noticed that my stomach is bloating and I got tired very easily. I could play several games of rigorous racquetball before but no longer. My breathing has gotten harder and felt like something was obstructing my breathe just below the rib cage (in the middle).

I will see my derm to see if there is any long term problem with this side effect. He once told me I have to take this drug at least 2 months after all the major "bums" have disappeared. I hope that is within the next few weeks.

I was on this antibiotic for a chest infection and had few side effects until I came to the end of the course.The last day of a week long course I became very nervous and depressed with an overwhelming fatigue.This was eight weeks ago and I`m on anti depressants now and wish I`d never taken the stuff as I`m sure this caused it.

This is my second day on Doxycycline.I was prescribed Doxycycline yesterday, for a sinus infection. I am on 100mg BID. my sinus infections are, well, I get on an antibiotic about once a year. This is, I believe the first time I've been on Doxycycline. Yesterday, the pharmacist warned me about being sure to eat with it. I took the pill, but did not eat enough food, and I had nausea. I did eat food with it last night, and did much better. Today I ate food with it, but I do notice that if I don't eat meals, I get very nauseous. Of course, the antibiotic has not kicked in yet. my throat is still sore,I hope it kicks in soon. I tend to rush antibiotics, and I'm a nurse, and know better.

This is odd to read all of these. I'm getting the exact opposite effects. I have a mood disorder which consists of depression and anxiety. I take 5mg Lexapro antidepressant for this. In the past 4 days I've been taking 200mg daily Doxycycline for sinusitis and noticed that I do not feel at all sleepy by bedtime. I notice that I am energetic, a bit too much, during the day, and food does not taste and smell like it usually does. I feel a bit too energetic and even a glass of wine in the evening doesn't seem to help me relax.

I can take this medicine on an empty stomach with no problems. I just noticed that I have lots of energy. I can't complain, as I'm only going to be taking this antibiotic for ten days. I usually have to take a nap in the afternoons on many days. Not anymore.

I've been taking 100MG capsules twice a day for treatment on a cyst. I'm allergic to penicillin & I haven't been on ANY medications for 4 years, so my system is very clean & not used to medicines. On the fourth day, I started experiencing vaginal itching which made the entire area swollen, sensitive, & painful. I also started having very strange mood swings, felt dehydrated, was more tired than usual, & had broken sleep with nightmares. I called my doctor to see if I could get switched to something else, but I was told to continue taking it & prescribed a cream for yeast infections. I'm on the seventh day, I've been experiencing nausea & dizziness, even though I've taken this stuff with a full meal & a huge glass of water since day one. I haven't been eating dairy or going out in the sun; I've totally been following the rules. But, I feel like a mess on this antibiotic! I've become depressed & I too feel like crying for no reason. My crotch hurts so bad that it brings me to tears too. I'm so upset that my doctor would continue to have me taking this, that I refuse to take it now. I only have 3 more days, but my whole system feels unbalanced & I can't stand to be on this anymore. My cyst is gone & the infection wasn't bad to begin with, so I don't see any reason to continue putting myself through hell. PLEASE BEWARE OF THIS ANTIBIOTIC!!

I took 1 pill (100mg) Doxycycline HCl, went to bed, slept very groggy, exhausted. Next day, second pill, 1 hr later feeling nauseated, then severe migraine headache, thew up, felt like in a severe fever. This lasted about 5 hours then reduced to exhaustion, dizziness with some heartburn. It was intolerable. I also felt very depressed and negative.

One website describing a patent for a different formulation of Doxycycline reported that 31% of patients taking this experience nausea and vomiting.

Why is this drug so frequently prescribed?

Stop taking this drug if you have side effects.
After doing a little research it seems that the "Hyclate" formulation has many side effect problems. The other formulations (monohydrate or carrageenan) may be better. The Hyclate formulation is very rapidly absorbed and is acidic and can cause local damage to the stomach or esophagus. Some report these symptoms on this website. Also it seems foolish for this to be in capsule form, since this increases the rapidity of dissolving and probably also local damage. The drug is 'good' in that it stays in your system a long time and brings your body to a high amount of antibiotic rapidly.

I have never had a bad reaction to an antibiotic before. I'm glad this website allows for these reports.

I started taking the pill 2 weeks ago for ance problems. I have experienced severe nausea, and an extreme burning sensation in the sun! I also have chest pains. my acne doesnt seem to be getting too much better.The nausea is sometimes unbearable! We'll see what happens when i keep taking it.

Tips while taking this medication:

1. Sit up for at least an hour after taking doxycycline. And always with at least 8oz of water, 16oz is better. This will help with the majority of stomach discomfort. Take on an empty stomach. If you have any nausea, consult with your doctor or pharmacist BEFORE you opt to take this medication with food. DO NOT TAKE WITH MILK (See item 4.)
2. Suncreen is suggested, minimum of SPF 50, your pharmacologist can assist you with the selection during your consult. If they don't voluntarily consult you on this drug, find a new pharmacy. You can get sunburn even in your house depending on the sun's direction. Any stinging on the skin is a good clue to apply sunscreen and move out of the sunlight.
3. Do not take any form of antacid or vitamin within four hours unless directed otherwise.
4. Doxycycline is a tetracycline, therefore avoid dairy products. This includes cheese and yogurt. You can render the medication totally inactive by cosuming dairy. This can result in your infection not being cleared, superinfection or resistant organisms.
5. If you have recently taking a *cillin type antibiotic, be sure to tell your doctor or pharmacist. Do not take concurrently with these type of antibiotics unless your doctor tells you to do so.

If you develop hives, swelling of the face or throat, shortness of breath contact your doctor or pharmacist right away. These side effects are very rare, but can be serious.

Most side effects from this drug can be avoided by following these simple steps.

I've been taking doxycycline for a few days now. The first few days i felt dizzy, and I had shortness of breath and a heavy chest, the next day I vomitted, and had sharp pains in my stomach. I realized it was because I didn't take it with food, now I take it after a few bites of a meal and basically try to cover the pill with food and liquid so it doesnt upset my stomach and its working...but I'm surprised this antibiotic is has so many side effects..I also have chronic headaches and advil doesn't work at all. I advise anyone taking this medication to eat it with your food or shortly after, especially in the morning.

It seems to be clearing up my bladder infection though, I couldn't take two medications at once so I took this one for a bacterial infection, and I think its killing 2 birds with one stone.

I took doxycyline for 18 days, 100mg 2x/day for a skin infection. Immediately I realized how rough the drug was on my stomach, but I was able to overcome the nausea, etc. by how much I ate before I took the dose. My infection began healing very soon after starting the drug, and I was happy about that.

The side affects took a while to become apparent. Things started to get strange, little by little. I've never had heartburn until taking this drug. The sun sensitivity was not to be taken lightly. I even got a sunburn on my hands and knuckles. After the burn healed, I thought my hands were tingling as a result, but it seemed odd that they didn't stop. I was irregular and kept thinking that I had gained weight, though the scale showed no gain. All the weight gain issues turned out to be (gas) bloating that ended up being pretty extreme. The dr. said the drug probably attacked the "friendly flora" in my digestive tract. The yeast infection confirmed that theory. I also had moments of complete idiocy - really weird ones unlike anything I could attribute to lack of sleep or other normal causes of confusion. I also felt depressed during the last week on the drug. Because the side effects seemed unrelated to each other and all happened gradually, it took a while to attribute them to the antibiotic.
I finally stopped taking the drug when the syptoms sort of peaked.

I've been off the drug for 5 days, and my digestion is 75% back to normal, with huge doses of simethicon and acidophilous. My yeast infection is gone (post-treatment), and my hands are back to normal. But I am still depressed. The depression seems to have deepened since stopping the drug.

Did any of you have to be treated for your doxycycline-related depression, or did it just pass like the other side effects?

I have been on this antibiotic for pneumonia for a week. I already have a possible ulcer and have a prescription for zantac. I am on 100mg BID for two weeks. Since taking this medication my ulcer has become much much worse with frequent heartburn and a lot of drowsiness/lethargy. I feel like I float through my day and am confused and using the wrong words a lot, and just not paying full attention to anything. I have a constant pain right under my sternum that flares up and a lot of mid to lower back pain, esp. at night. I have had a headache for the last four days. I did some research and found that ANTACIDS SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN WITHIN TWO HOURS OF DOXYCYCLINE!!! Bummer for me, since I have been drinking Mylanta like it was my only source of hydration.

I'm a 23 year-old college student from Michigan. I started taking doxycycline on 3/3/07 and was instructed to take it for about 2 weeks. I started taking it because i was experiencing a skin rash on my chin, and was told that it was due to a bacterial/fungal infection. i stopped taking it on saturday 3/17/07.

When i first started taking the medication there weren't any inital side effects. I then found that i was breaking out it tiny little red hives, and had red patches of skin on my stomach, neck and gentials. at first i thought it was just a food allergy, and then i started to get really tired and naseauted. then i noticed that the gland on the right side of my throat was constantly swollen. during the two weeks i was taking the medication, i lost about 5 pounds. i found myself weak, tired and with no energy. i had no appetite, had blurred vision (i have 20/20 vision so i though that was weird) and i was in a constant state of anxiety. My stress and anxiety got so bad that i seriously thought i was going to die.

i freaked out so bad that i thought i might even have HIV (because the side effects for doxycycline are similar to the symptoms of HIV: fatigue, rapid weight loss, diarreah, swollen glands, muscle soreness, rash etc. ) so i went and got tested for STDs and HIV. The doctors at the clinic said that everything seemed normal, and while i'm still awaiting the results from the tests, i found that all of my symptoms are in fact due to the antibiotic.

Since i stopped taking the antibiotic i've been suffering from sharp pains in my abdomen. I have very bad cramps and foul smelling gas/stool. I get dizzy very easily and find myself in so much discomfort that it's difficult to concentrate or do much of anything.

I was wondering if anyone knew how long this side effects tend to last, or how long it takes for the body to go back to normal? because this really sucks. I was self conscious about the rash i had, but the rash seemed a lot better than the side effects from the antibiotics.

anyone else feel this way?

I took this s h i t doxycycline, some incompetant doctor said it would be a good secondary antibiotic for my tooth infection that was giving me an ear infection and my lymph node was sore.. so I took this c r a p only twice and feel sick to my stomach shortly after. I stopped after 2. Well I still am taking the amoxicillan. Its been 2 days since I took the doxy and I feel weak and tired and sick to my stomach still. What the hell is going on?

About 3 days after starting this antibiotic I began experiencing the worst heartburn ever. I considered going to the doctor, because I first thought I was having heart attack symptoms. I think I'll stop taking this and call my physician. The heartburn is so bad that it almost makes me vomit.

severe chest pain, cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, going on for hours! Went to hospital emergency twice before I realized I was reacting to the doxy (for Lyme). Never really got rid of the Lyme but with the doxy I literally thought I was dying - and I am not a pain-freak. Have a pretty high threshhold but was unable to walk or use the phone to call 911 when I was alone with the attacks. (Yes, it took me a couple of times to realize I was having a reaction, not a heart attack).

BTW, I have looked doxy up online as an antibiotic and these kinds of side effects are typically not even alluded to much less discussed. Shameful!

There are many side effects to Doxycycline. I took it for a bug bite I got (I tested negative for West Nile, Lyme, and every other blood born disease from a tick...the doctor still doesn't know what bit me...thinking it was a house centipede based on my research and seeing a couple dozen of them in my garage this summer)...200mg for 2 weeks.

For me, it was the dizziness, headaches, chest pain on and off after taking it, and the itching that would move all over in spots. Doxy is not the best antibiotic for acne though...you should take either Tetracycline or go with topical stuff (Differin or something similar)...the problem with taking Tetra or Doxy is that once you're off of it, the acne comes back even worse than it was before, then by taking it again, the stuff doesn't work. Plus, taking Doxy for several months or years will reduce it's effect and you will build up an immunity to it...any cycline has the same side effects, but I never had the nausea/diaharrea/vomiting that most people.

But please, read the leaflet and talk to the pharmacist/doctor before taking this stuff. The big side effects are the nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. If you have to take it with food, please do, but the Doxy will not work as well (absorb through the body) when taking simultaneously with food. Be careful taking this stuff...and quit taking it if the reaction is that bad because there are other medicines that won't do this stuff.

I have been prescribed Doxycycline 100mg twice daily for suspected Lyme disease. I have never experienced such strong side effects from taking an antibiotic before! The morning dose is the worst by far for me. It makes me feel incredibly nauseous and it makes me feel hot with stomach pains. I feel like being sick all the time for about 3-4 hours after taking it - I have tried lots of water and food but I still feel like crap! After about 4 hours I start to feel a little better then I feel like eating lots and lots!!! My body just seems to be swinging from feeling like I am dying to being very hungry hours later... I take the last pill about 10pm and stay downstairs for about a hour before I go to bed - strangely enough though I have never felt ill like I do in the morning and go to sleep ok. All very weird and I cant wait until I have finished taking this drug (14 day course and I am half way through)