Doxycycline Hyclate and dermatologist

I have a pretty severe form of cystic acne which I had a 9-month treatment for when i was 16. It went away completely after a course of accutane up until about 5 months ago when i started smoking cigarettes for the first time. within a few days, i had full blown acne again around my mouth. i'm 23 and its been literally six years of perfect skin i didn't even have to think about. i didn't realize it was the smoking until a month and a half ago. so i stopped, and the acne cut down drastically but not completely, so i went to the dermatologist for medication.

i was given doxycycline, 100mg twice a day. ive been taking it for a month and my skin is back to perfect however I feel like i'm forever feverish, i get extremely nauseated if i don't even enough to eat when i take it, and i get insane hot flashes within 30 mins of taking it. i'm basically sweating nonstop all day long everyday. i want to stop taking it but i don't want the acne to return. i cut down to one pill a day and already see some acne returning. i'm so glad i found this site -- none of the side effects ive seen listed include hot flashes or constant sweating. i also have pretty intense lower back pains

I am 21 years old and was prescribed this medication for "mild acne treatment." I have only been on this medication two days and already I am feel some side effects. My Dermatologist did not explain any side effects to me at all when prescribing this medication and gave me no instructions on even taking the medication. All he said was take one pill twice a day 1/2 hr - 1 hr after eating and thats all. I started feeling some symptoms this morning while at work. I got an upset stomach and started feeling extremely nauseous. I came home from work and immediately went to sleep. When I woke up, I felt even worse. I still feel nauseous and have upset stomach, but now I also have a loss of appetite, im tired, I feel weak and have no desire to do anything. I am debating still continuing this medication, since it is only for an acne treatment. I will probably continue for a few more days and if the side effects still persist, I will discontinue use. I had no idea why I all of a sudden felt this way, so decided to research a little. I am very glad I found this website, or else I would probably be wondering what the heck is going on. Thank you for all the posts about your side effects. Now I am aware of why I am feeling the way I am. Much appreciated...

Good grief. No wonder I'm so sick. This is only my third day on this med, and I'm nauseated and having hypoglycemic attacks. My dermatologist told me to take it on an empty stomach twice a day, which is hard for me because I'm hypoglycemic and get really ill when I don't eat.

And now this medication on top of it.

I swear she told me not to eat. I even have literature that she gave me that says "take on empty stomach, either one hour before eating or two hours after eating."

I started taking Doxy 100 mg July 2007 for the first time. At first I didn't link my side effects to the pills but after a break from taking it and started up again I finally out two and two together. First, it upset my stomach BIG time immediately after starting on it. I felt bloated and everything I ate upset my stomach--as the result of this I lost about eight pounds from just not eating anymore. I even went to see a GI doctor about my stomach problems! Who recommended I eat more fiber and get more exercise (I told her about all the meds I was on)! I also got sudden and very severe headaches, but the worst side effect of all is the extreme mood swings I had. I think I was going crazy and this almost ended my marriage...all of a sudden I developed low self esteem, constantly thinking I was worthless, fighting with my husband over the stupidest things and even contemplating suicide during the worst spells. I couldn't figure out why the sudden change- at first I thought it was the tough Chicago winter, since I am originally from a much warmer climate, because by this time I had been on doxy for about five months.
I was prescribed the medication to help clear up moderate acne on my back and my dermatologist gave me the prescription for a year, but never said come see me in a month, two months, etc to see how you;re doing. I am so glad that I stopped taking it in February 2008 --- my moods suddenly got better, I was myself again, I started eating again, my GI problems disappeared...and then...in April I started taking it again because with summer coming up again I wanted my acne to clear up- BIG MISTAKE! Within days of starting again my stomach started being upset all the time regardless of what I ate. After the first month I was feeling depressed again, hating myself and not knowing why--this is when i finally figured it out...and decided to stop...I'd rather have pimples on my back than feel the way this medication make me feel, which is pretty much miserable!

I have been taking 100mg Doxy twice a day for a week now. I'm really glad I found this site because I have been exhausted and I couldn't figure out why. I now know it must be the Doxy. I am taking it for an acne infection. I had been on birth control pills plus spironolactone for over two years- the combination of those two things had totally cleared my skin- so I foolishly decided to go off the birth control and spironolactone thinking my skin would be fine... well two months later my face started breaking out and by the third month I had severe cystic acne on my previously flawless skin! SO the dermatologist put me back on birth control pills and spironolactone, but since that would take at least a month to start working, he also prescribed the Doxy to clear up the infection faster. (I'm providing all of these details in case anyone else is taking Doxy for acne) so I started the Doxy and I think it was by the 4th day or so that I started feeling really tired. I've taken a nap every day for the past few days, AND slept all night. I was going to the gym daily but I could only do half my time on the treadmill last time I went and I haven't gone in two days. I'm also depressed- two days ago I cried three times that one day, yesterday I cried once. I'm just feeling sorry for myself etc- depression for no reason whatsoever. I had been feeling really good about myself all last month- going to the gym, feeling happy & high form the exercise endorphins, finally losing weight, etc, so I know there is NO reason for this tiredness and depression now other than the doxy. Just thought I'd share this because reading all of these posts has really helped me to see that it is just the drug. I will try very hard to force myself to go the gym, even if I can only do half as much. Also, my skin is SLOWLY getting better, but still have another week to go I think. The dermatologist said to take doxy for a month, but I will plan to stop as soon as my skin is clear- hopefully just one more week or two at the most. When my skin is clear I'll take it for one or two more days just to make sure the infection gets totally knocked out, but then that's it, so hopefully I can take it at least one week less than prescribed.

About feeling sick and the sore throat/ "stuck in throat" feeling- I cant stress enough to take it with lots of water and food, standing up, and don't lie down! First of all about feeling sick- I thought I was going to throw up for HOURS one time when I didn't take it with food- horrible feeling!! But this is even worse- about 15 years ago I took doxy and had to go to the hospital because I couldn't breathe, couldn't swallow, and had a splitting migraine headache etc... it had gotten stuck in my esophagus and took days for the symptoms to subside. It took the doctors forever to figure out it was the doxy. You would think I'd never take it again after that, but I know the throat symptom happened from taking it with very little water right before I lay down to go to bed, because I remembered doing that- and I woke up the next day with all of those problems. I still get a little bit of a feeling that I can't swallow as well as I normally can, but it's not that bad- sort of like when you are trying not to cry and feeling "choked up" or with "a lump in your throat"- that kind of a feeling. I think others have described this too, and it's unfortunately normal, to an extent. If it is truly annoying it might be as bad as it got for me 15 years ago, and you should see a doctor because when it was truly stuck in my throat it got worse before it got better.

Hope this helps others.

I was on Minocycline (a cousin to Doxycycline Hyclate) for years. I’m not sure how long exactly as I didn’t write down the date that I started, but I believe I have been on it around 3-4+ years. Well I went to a dermatologist and he instantly looked at the outer area of my arms (just above the elbow) and recognized I am suffering from skin discoloration, and prescribed Doxycycline, and told me to stop taking Minocycline right away. I also have this blue-gray skin discoloration on my back near my shoulder blades. I took my Minocycline for the next two weeks till the Doxycycline came in then stopped the minocycline, and started Doxycycline on Sunday. I take a 100mg pill twice daily with a meal, and thus far have had no issues. Keep in mind that I have been on Minocycline for the past 4 years or so and maybe I’ve been suffering similar side effects on that drug, thus I would be unable to see the difference with Minocycline’s cousin Doxycycline. I am pretty sure the first year or two that I was on Minocycline I was depressed (other things in life may have contributed to this depression, but now that I see all of these people saying they have had mood swings, I must state that I have had many more mood swings in recent years then I ever remember before being on these meds). I have also been extremely sleepy the past few years. I used to NEVER be able to fall asleep in public, but (I believe about the same time I started Minocycline) I gained the ability to sleep anywhere. Now I mean, anywhere. I can sleep even after I get anywhere between 6 and 14 hours of sleep. I have had approx 7-9 hours of sleep on average for the past 6 months, yet am always tired. I can’t remember the last time I haven’t been sleepy, and have had many doctor visits to attempt to discover the reason for this, but hadn’t read the side effects of Minocycline. I’ve still been pretty sleepy since Sunday, but I’ll hope that this Doxycycline isn’t as bad. Anyone else have a similar issue, where you used to be awake, but now you are always sleepy (wake up in the mornings a bit dizzy and confused), and have a hard time concentrating on one thing at a time?

I was prescribed Doxycycline 100mg tablets twice a day, for 3 to 4 months, for a skin condition (perioral dermatitis) which causes small sores to form around my mouth. After my experience with this antibiotic, I'd rather have the sores!

I took the Doxycycline twice a day for the first week with no side effects. Antibiotics always cause yeast infection, so I took Diflucan before I started treatment and didn't have that problem. On the tenth day of the Doxycycline, (two days ago) I took a tablet with a little water and went right to bed. As I have read in previous posts on here, BIG MISTAKE! It felt like a giant gas bubble just below my breastbone, in my stomach area. Not too painful, but annoying. Every time I woke up during the night, that feeling was still there. The next day, the pressure was still in that area of my stomach, and it began to feel like heartburn. This feeling persisted all day, no matter what I ate or drank, which is very unusual for me as I don't usually have stomach problems. That's when I searched the web for side effects of Doxycycline, and found this website.

After reading many posts on this site, I decided it was indeed the Doxycycline, so didn't take them yesterday. However, the bloated, burning feeling was still present last night, a full 24 hours after the last capsule had been taken.

I had read someone's post about drinking apple juice, and thought it couldn't hurt...and I'll be darned if within 15 minutes that bloated, burning feeling went away, and hasn't returned. I don't understand WHY that works - unless maybe there is residual medicine sitting in the stomach which can't be digested, and the acid in the apple juice neutralizes it, but it WORKS!

I will NOT take any more Doxycycline, and will just keep the perioral dermatitis! I didn't have the depression or fatigue I see others have had, but since I was only on the meds 10 days, maybe those symptoms didn't have time to develop.

I am 18 years old and just recently started taking Doxycycline Hyclate through recommendation from a dermatologist. I feel very tired ALL the time and can hardly imagine being on this for much longer. I can't concentrate on the things that normally seem mundane and easy to focus on. I feel pretty emotional as well. Sometimes like crying for no reason. The worst part is the pressure I seem to be experiencing in my head. It's like a constant headache in the back of my brain. Not a sharp pain, but more of a air head effect.
Is anyone else experiencing these types of headaches?

EVERYONE PLEASE EMAIL THE FDA ABOUT THIS, NEEDS 2 BE RE CALLED ASAP, I AM 14 HAVE BEEN TAKING THIS FOR 2 MONTHS, HAVE HAD HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS, CAN BARELY BREATHE, PERMANENT DAMAGE IN STOMACH, LOTS OF STABBING PAIN, NO ONE SHOULD BE ON THIS, REPORT YOUR SIDE EFFECTS TO THE FDA SO THEY CAN RECALL IT, I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO SUFFER LIKE ME AND ALL THE PREVIOUS COMMENTER'S. THIS DRUG IS DEADLY, BEWARE! DO NOT USE IT!!!!! I AM SERIOUS

I took Doxycyline Hyclate for one week. After the fifith day, I woke up feeling like a golf ball was stuck in my throat. It progressively got worse over the next few days. When I swallowed, I had this sharp pain in my upper back. It got to the point where I could hardly stand the pain. I went to the doctor and they put a scope down my throat after a battery of other tests. The doc said I had signifigant changes in my esophagus due to the severe reflux that was caused from taking the Doxycycline. I am now on meds to help with the esophagitis I now have.

I started taking 20 mg periostat doxycycline hyclate to treat my acne. Prescription cream (retinol A) was not working 100% because acne on my chin kept coming back. I find this med to be very harsh on my stomach, i felt some sort of nausea from time to time. I drank at least 2 cups of water after taking it and also took it with food. After 10 days, I couldn't continue. I don't know if I should have taken it longer, maybe twice a day (instead of once) but my acne is now back. I am going back to see my dermatologist for alternatives. I also noticed that combined with my birth control pill, I had some sort of need to urinate more frequently.

Like many others, I am so thrilled to have stumbled upon this site. I've been taking Doxycycline for about a month now for rosacea prescribed to me by my dermatologist. A few days ago, I am feeling pain in my throat and chest. I have never had severe heartburn before so I had no idea what I was experiencing - to describe it for you, the sensation was one where every time I ate, I felt that there was something lodged in my throat. The pain is getting worse and worse and then I made the connection with this drug and the possible side-effects. Then I found this web site. You all are right, this drug is EVIL, I'm calling my dr. and dropping this drug immediately. It's not worth it.

My dermatologist put me on Doxycycline for an acne problem. By the first or second day of taking the medication I was overwhelmed with nausea and experienced blurred vision that affected me so much I actually had to pull over when driving (around day three) until I regained my vision. The only way I could dull the nausea was by eating a moderately large meal before taking a pill, but it would still take about an hour to an hour and a half for the feeling to pass. I also had trouble breathing and swallowing for the first few days, and a persistent loss of appetite during the entire period I was on the pills. During the time I was taking Doxycycline, I also experienced a groggy, confused feeling that is uncharacteristic of me. I had trouble focusing, which caused me a great deal of stress at work and in school, and couldn't think clearly at all. I also experienced tingling sensations and my skin burned/itched after hardly 15-20 minutes in the sun. After returning inside the redness gradually went away but tingling in my hands (especially my knuckles and fingers) and lips was persistent. Also, after being off of the pills for a few days I experienced extreme irritability and depression. In my opinion, this pill should NOT be prescribed lightly!!! Be warned!

Geeezz, i dident realize such a WEak drug could do such thing, somone email me back if they agree, i have been taking doxycyline for a while now and they only side offects i have had is mild skin iching , here and there, and thats from the Generic brands, get the DOXYCYLINE brand (Time release capsules), all good, this drug is not a head drug... nausia vomiting as if , i have taken nearly every illegal drug and lots of legal drugs and im telling all you people doxycyline is not a drug that will do all those horible things that your saying, wake up

I have been told by my dermatologist that the extensive brown patches on one cheek and line of patches along the other cheek, along my jaw line and brown mottling around my lips are a reaction to Doxycycline after being in the sun. I was prescribed 100 mg daily about mid-May for six weeks by my family physician as an anti-malarial treatment when I went to South Africa. I took them a few days before, for the two weeks I was there, and about 4 weeks afterward.

This dermatologist had completed a plasma resurfacing on my entire face the last of December. I thought this was the reason for my skin splotching that occurred when I started being in the sun beginning in June. I'm still wondering.

Has ANYONE had the facial reaction I described from Doxycycline when combined with sun exposure?

My dermatologist prescribed DOXY for my mild acne and it cleared it up PERFECTLY with no COMMON side effects.
I thought this was the best pill in the world. I had such confidence now and I felt really good about it myself. All of a sudden I started experiencing vaginal itching. It was very annoying because I didn't have yeast infection symptoms. Also for the past week my right arm has been numb!
I haven't taken DOXY for 4 days now and it feels like i'm starting to get a little feeling back into it. I don't know what to do. I want to stop taking the medicine but I want my acne TO STAY AWAY!