Doxycycline Hyclate and fatigue

i finished my 30 days of doxy for lyme feel a little better but not back to normal..still ways to go before i get better this drug has a lot of side effects but i really had no other choice stuck with it and feel better.but still have rapid heart beat,fatigue,weak,light headed..my dizziness is gone it still sounds bad but i do feel a lot better than i was. i was a complete mess my advice is to stick it out if u could and see what happens but if you have more choices i would try something else i had no alternative..

I started taking Doxycycline Hyclate 100mg on oct 25,2009. I have had anxiety, its been something i have been battling with up until 2 years ago and since then i have had no anxiety attacks. When i started taking the doxycycline, i started to become anxious and starting having anxiety once again. I have also become very shaky, i have a hard time swallowing pills so i brake the capsule open and put it my cup, put just a little bit of water in there and mix it around. could this affect the way the medicine is suppose to work. i have no other option because i have to take it to clear my infection, but i don't want it to harm me. please email me at ****** if you can help.

that medicine has killed me ,i have been taking doxycycline from last 6 months and since 2 months i start having severe joint paints thou i started feeling little pain when i started that medicine but i didn't pay attention but now i feel my self very old my whole body hurts and i m only 25 but i feel like killing myself ...my each part of the body hurts ,i stop taking doxy from last one week now i m taking Motrin to get rid of my body pain i don't know how long it will take for me to recover ,even my throats hurt everything of mine gives me pain ,i m very depressed i wish i get over with my body pain soon :(

i guess no one has fully recovered from the side effects of this drug.

i have lost all hopes because no one has recovered fully. NO ONE on this forum.

i still have this panic and anxiety attack at least once a day and ringing in the ears is constant now. not fully functional like how i used to be. physically.

I found this site 12 months after beginning Doxycycline for acne. A year ago I was the happiest person that I knew. I was a junior in high school and was very involved, liked sports, and had many friends. Me and my girlfriend were happy and to be honest, I had literally not felt happier.

A week ago I had come to the end of my rope. I literally decided to commit suicide. I finally reached out to God for help and I feel like he has saved me. About half an hour after praying for help from where I was I found this site. So, without further adieu, I am going to detail how horrific and absolutely from hell this drug is. ****PLEASE, I BEG YOU, IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, OR ANY OTHER SIDE EFFECTS DUE TO THIS DRUG, PLEASE CALL THE FDA SIDE EFFECT HOTLINE. THIS DRUG IS FROM HELL***

I broke up with my girlfriend because I would sit at home and think for over 12 hours at a time that she hated me. As a result of this racing thoughts, when I saw her or went on a date, I would have nauseating anxiety for literally no reason... This anxiety continued for about a year until I had almost lost every friend I have ever had. It wasn't their fault, just that no one else knew how to respond to this sudden change in me.

Racing thoughts were terrible. I couldn't sit in a room without thinking thousands and thousands and thousands of negative thoughts from hell. I would think of how my family, and my friends, and my girlfriend all hated me. Now, after discontinuing this medication, i realize that it is all a lie.

The depression was horrific. I would literally have rather had a serious physical disease for the past year instead of feeling like this. I wouldn't go to parties, I would sit home and cry. Mind you, NOTHING happened to make me feel like this. Absolutely nothing. I thought about suicide about once a week (at least). I honestly didn't know what to do.

Mood swings were awful. I would change life goals and life core beliefs within minutes. Everyday I would become a different person at least 10 times throughout the day. I would go from nice, to sad, to motivated to start my own business, to thinking about signing my soul to Satan all in one day. These are just a few of the horrific thoughts. Dark thoughts, thoughts from hell.

I can report no physical side effects, but honestly I have been through so much that I can't stand it with this drug. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for helping me realize that this drug can absolutely ruin lives. I think everything happens for a reason, but people, hear me. I write with tears in my eyes right now and I look back on all of the lost time and all of the friends and all of the opportunities that have literally flown passed me. Just know that you are not alone. Stop taking this drug! And start raising awareness!

Hello Friends, it's been a week after i finished my 21 day Doxy treatment for lyme, Im still feel lot of fatigue and joint pain, i went to see my doctor yesterday, he explained the fatigue is a normal side effect after finishing the treatment. I feel so weak headache and migraines. The doctor told me to take pro-biotics and vitamins to recover faster i just started taking the pro-biotics today so i have to wait how it goes. the dizziness, migraines and fatigue doctor said it's a normal symptom of Doxy,, I hope these side effects will go away soon. if anyone has the same side effects after the treatment please write me.
Drink a lot of water.

thanks for sharing your stories,, we are not alone here.

sorry forget to mention. any recovery from Lyme disease?

i was diagnosed with Lyme disease and was prescribed doxycycl hyc 100mg for 30 days the doctor told me take with food so i take it with breakfast and dinner..one pill twice a day. the first two days i felt great everything was going away but on the third day everything was coming back dizziness,fatigue,tired,blurred vision,rapid heart beat..the doctor specifically told me to take with food or i will get severe stomach cramps and nausea with food and a large glass of water after i take it no nausea or cramping.. but I've been also getting a tingling feeling in my feet and hands has anyone else felt the same? he also said to stay out of the sun or u will burn easily..

I've now taken 12 days of 21 day course of treatment. After struggling with acid reflux, nausea, etc., I thought I'd share some things that I found that helped me tolerate it better in hopes it may help others.

I take a pill as soon as I get up and then another as soon as I get home from work - 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. I drink a good 4-6 oz. before I take the pill and another 8-10 after swallowing the pill. I try not to eat any later than 2 hours before going to bed, which has dramatically reduced and mostly eliminated the acid reflux.

I've been following the instructions to the letter - not eating 2 hours before or 1 hour after taking the pill and no dairy for 2 hours in hopes it would give maximum absorption to get rid of the Lyme Disease. However, I've found that by keeping something on my stomach during the times I can eat, my nausea has also been lessened. I was really struggling with nausea about 45 minutes after taking the pill, but have found increasing the water to the levels indicated above helped reduce the nausea.

All that said, I'm feeling some fatigue, am a bit lightheaded and my stomach is bloated and a bit tender. Still, it's not nearly as bad as some of you are reporting and while I wondered at Day 4 if I could complete all 21, I'm now hopeful I'll be able to make it. I will, however, be doing a happy dance when I take the last of the pills next Friday. Good luck to all - hope maybe something I've suggested may help someone!

I've been prescribed 100 mg. of Doxycycline Hyclate twice a day for 21 days for Lyme Disease. I was tested to rule that and rheumatoid arthritis out because of hand pain - and I don't know who was more surprised when I tested positive - my doctor or me. Any symptoms I had, including the hand pain, I attributed to the aging process (51/female).

Took the first pill in the later evening on a Friday and waited the 30 minutes before going to bed (instructions said not to lay down for 30 min.). I woke up in the middle of the night with terrible acid reflux, which I've never had. I found it difficult to time taking pill after not eating for 2 hours and waiting 1 hour afterward - never realized how often I ate small snacks. Same thing the next two nights - I also had heartburn, which is rare for me.

I realized it would be far easier if I took the pill immediately after rising and as soon as I came home from work. That has greatly reduced the heartburn and eliminated the acid reflux.

I am fully committed to taking the pill to have the best results in eliminating the bacteria from Lyme Disease, so I'm taking it exactly as prescribed on an empty stomach. This is causing some stomach upset and nausea, which is the worst in the hour after I take the pill while I wait until I can eat - especially in the last 15 minutes, when I feel on the verge of vomiting. I try to keep myself busy, but even without looking a clock, I can tell where I am in the hour. I am hopeful that by taking the meds on an empty stomach, I'll get maximum absorption - but it's been a struggle for me.

One other discovery I've made is that the nausea is less the rest of the day if I eat - and carbs seem to be what is most appealing. I'm far more easily nauseated during the entire day, some days more than others. I feel some fatigue, but nothing that is so severe I'm not able to function and go to work. I feel bloated and my stomach just vaguely hurts, so I'm trying to wear loose clothing.

I'm finding this drug therapy a bit difficult, as I felt pretty well beforehand. My doctor has recommended I give this my best effort, as it is the "go to" drug for Lyme Disease, but has said if I can't handle it, she will give me an alternative. I am trying to stick this out, partly out of determination and silly pride, but also because I am allergic to a lot of drugs and since I seem to be able to tolerate it, albeit with some discomfort, I figure I should suck it up. I have a little bit of the tingling, am occasionally feeling a little flushed - usually when I'm highly nauseated (which is a typical reaction for me), but nothing horribly bothersome.

I'm hoping I don't develop the sleeplessness, anxiety or depression that many of you have reported, as I feel terrible for you. That would become a deal breaker for me.

Unless it's my imagination, my hand pain is reducing and some achiness I just figured was normal has been lessening. If this was the result of Lyme Disease and I can get rid of that, this (hopefully) temporary discomfort will be worth it. Good luck to all.

I was about 1 month in to my 3 month cycle of taking doxycycline for blepharitis issues when I started having symptoms. It started on a friday night with extreme indigestion. There was a lot of pain in my chest and also into my arm. I was belching and very uncomfortable. Next day I woke up and only had the pain in my arm, belching and pain in my left abdomen under my rib cage.

I thought it was just really bad indigestion from something I ate so I continued with the medicine. Within a few days time I deteriorated more and more. The pain in my abdomen had spread from just being on the left to being left, center and right. I also got random pains all over my body it seemed. This seemed to come and go throughout the day. My vision would blur, I had extreme anxiety and also depression, my arm remained weak and then my legs got weak as well. The fatigue was overwhelming. I'm usually an insomniac who struggles to fall asleep by 1:30. I began to struggle to stay awake until 11. The lymph node in my neck also enlarged, and I began to experience a loss of appetite. I have currently lost 5 pounds in one week. I also always feel dehydrated and in a fog. I went to an urgent care clinic and the doctor really just thought I was crazy from what I could tell.

I stopped taking doxycycline about 5 days ago and the fatigue is slowly letting go(very slowly). The blurred vision has cleared up a bit but still comes and goes. My mood is still very down and I can't help to still feel anxious and can't stop wondering if I have some deadly disease process going on. The heartburn and abdomen pains are also subsiding slowly(I feel a little better each day).

I'm glad I found this website. It's helped me not freak out as much about my symptoms(although I still have my moments). Since I started feeling bad I've convinced myself that I have heart attack symptoms, pulmonary embolism symptoms, symptoms of AIDS and symptoms of lymphoma. It's still hard to not feel like doomsday is upon me but reading that many of you have had similar feelings and side effects makes me feel a little better.

I just hope this clears up soon because I think as long as I feel pain, tired or anything off I will be anxious about it. I have fear of ending up on Mystery Diagnosis lol.

started this 7 days ago for a prostate infection... I thought i've been going crazy this week until i saw this post..im having a horrible reaction to this stuff..although it does seem to help my prostate...it leaves the rest of me in bad shape. First off ive been getting lightheaded like every other day to the point as i think im have a panic attack but heart isn't racing...I've gotten diarrhea 3-5 times a day i go now...i had a bagel the other day for breakfast..it was the hardest thing to eat as i felt sick to my stomach and knew i had to eat something so forced it in..today i had a banana and some grapes and 15 minutes later was throwing it all up. I just called my doctor and asked for a change in antibiotics as this thing has lead me to believe there was something wrong with me although my doctor seems to think these side effects don't generally happen...i come here and see they happen EXACTLY how i have been feeling and just hope this doesn't last much longer in my system!

I just want to thank you all so much for posting your experiences to help others. I have a spider bite, and my arm is terribly swollen, but now I'm not going to risk this frightening medication, which I was prescribed. I'd rather risk the allergic response to the bug! Thank you all again for alerting the public. I pray that each and every one of you will feel better very soon. One thing that comes to mind is possibly talking to staff at a place like Whole Foods. Don't quote me on this, but I believe products like Milk Thistle are good for cleaning out poisons from medications.

I took this garbage for four days until I had to go to the ER for shortness of breath, chest pain, stomach pain, pins and needles sensation in limbs, hot flashes (felt like I had a fever) and blurry vision. The worst was the complete and utter mental breakdown, I became suicidal and had just horrible images coming through my brain.

It's been a week now and while the depression/suicidal thoughts have subsided, the anxiety, exhaustion, shortness of breath, and stomach pain remain. I'm curious how I can still have these horrible effects taking into consideration the half life of this drug. It should be out of my system now.

Any idea of how much longer this is going to last?

I am so glad I found this posting! Hi everyone my names Vanessa..I am 20 years old and was prescribed doxycycline for mild adult acne in Jan..5 months ago...and never knew how much the side effects change someones lives. Experienced: insomnia, nightmares, hot/cold spells, difficulty breathing, paranoid, swollen face and tongue, crying spells, severe mood swings, inability to concentrate, weakness, fatigue, suicidal, shakiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, feeling outside of my body.....it wasn't until I started to stop drinking coffee and drinking loads of water and exercising..that I realized it was the doxycycline side effects. I would wake up have a good breakfast....and water....than take the pill and start to get blurred vision...shaky..feel depressed. and confused...than I would start drinking more water and trying to sweat (knowing that water flushes toxins out of your body and sweating) and by 2 ish? the side effects subsided...and I could see clear. Today my first day not taken the pill...and from what I read it takes a few weeks to get it completely out of your system. But I get a kick out of doctors who prescribe all of these medications to people thinking it cures things..not realizing that it really can disrupts someones lives who's sensitive to medication.

I was prescribed Doxy one week ago to treat a sinus infection, and have been taking it twice a day (100 mg x 2 = 200 mg a day) and one week later i am MISERABLE. The migraines I've been feeling are indescribable. The body aches and pains and the fatigue is miserable. Ive never had a headache so bad as this. Also I eat a little bit then feel so full and disgusting it's unbearable. I will NEVER take this drug again.

Hello Again,

This is my second post and was just wondering; How long has everyone been on doxycycline and how many mgs? How long have they been OFF it and has the depression/anxiety been better? PLEASE HELP!

Thank You

Started taking doxy for perioral dermatitis but 6 months earlier had to take it for Rocky mountain spotted fever. Since i first started taking I have had sever rashes joint pain, fatigue, weakness all his time I have blamed rocky mtn spotted fever side effects. Now I have been prescribed the doxy for my face and I got a burning rash that resulted in severe blisters I continue to itch all over arms hands and face. I finally stopped taking the meds 2 days ago. I have major vision changes it is hard for me to read anything my tongue is swollen my skin has little blisters all over my forarms and hands sometimes I have tremors and feel as though I am going to pass out.

Does anyone know how long the itching continues? and if any doctor is reading this is this steven johnson syndrome?

Began taking doxy 6 days ago for infected cut on my face. It worked great on the infection. However, the side effects are killing me. The first 3 days I had sore areas in my mouth, tongue, and one side of my throat, as well as congestion and cold-like symptoms. These are all listed as side effects. Also listed are stomach upset, diarrhea, and muscle aches, which I've had as well. It seems to make my GERD a little worse, but I'm careful not to lie down for an hour after taking it.

While the mouth & throat pain has cleared, the muscle aches are nearly unbearable. About 2 hours after taking the doxy I am almost floored with fatigue. At the same time diarrhea starts and menstrual spotting starts as well. On top of all that I'm finding myself more anxious, depressed, and physically exhausted. It's overwhelming.

My husband took doxy a month ago for epididymitis. He had serious mood issues, upset stomach, and sensitivity to heat as well as sun. He took his pills with food (he wasn't told not to) so his side effects were less severe, but I suspect it's because he wasn't absorbing as much of the medication.

Neaseau, fatigue, head aches, back and neck pain (neck pain after 5th day), moody, lack of focus, blurred vision, not good with dairy products (milk)...I don't have problem eating and i have not vomit. Still taking just to get rid of my Epididymitis. I still go to work everyday and still trying to focus of what I have to do.

Don't take Dox before going to bed. Take it with food. good luck.

Severe headache, fatigue, diarrhea, and nausea, stomach pain that you wouldn't believe. I have common side-effects to most antibiotics so I wasn't worried at first but now that I have read all these posts I am getting pretty nervous. Last night I was back in the ER for the second time in three days because the lymph nodes and glands in my neck were swollen. The doctor gave me a CT scan and discovered that I had acute bilateral infections in my lymphnodes. An infection that I didn't have before I started taking the medication. This drug is horrible and I don't recommend it to anyone.

Jen
Washington State

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.

My son took this medication for a month, about a month later he started with the headaches. He can not concentrate, he feels like he is in a fog and wore out all the time. It messes with his vision. He has been having these symptoms for about a month and a half with trips to the emergency room and numerous Drs. He never had any problems till this medication. He is missing work. What we need to know from anyone - how long do the symptoms last.
Please respond if you have had the same --headaches and vision problems.

I am glad I am not alone!!! I started taking this in the hospital via IV for PID and sent home with 100mg 2x day. I have completed my dosages(quitting a day early because i have been on it over 10 days) and I am thrilled to be off. Each day the side effects got worse.
I have severe tightening in my chest, mentrual like cramping, difficulty swallowing, fatigue and white splotches on my face.
What I dont understand is why all of use can report these but yet nothing on the pamplet mentions any other effects other than gastric symptoms like vomitting and diarehea.
Now, I wonder how long it will take for the side effects to diminish?!

doxycycline is horrible. i have to many side effects from it. i was taking one 100mg pill twice a day. after about two days i started to feel so bloated and had diareha. then i started feeling nervous fever blurred vision fatigue couldnt get a good nights sleep .. It sucked bcs by the time i realized that the sickness was from the medication and not something serious i was already worrying far more then anyone should

I was recently put on doxycycline for a possible bacteria infection. What a mistake! Isn't there enough antibiotics out there so this one is never used? Between fatigue, nausea, chest pains and trouble breathing.... I thought I was going to die. I have been off of it for two days, and I am still sick with the side effects. The worst part, is this crazy itching in my vagina and rectum. I can't even sleep! Patients everywhere beware...The doctors do not relay any of this info. This is a horrible medication.

Dentist prescribed 20mg 2x/day for 3 months: At one week fatigue started and at week two hasn't abated. One-time burning sensation on legs upon exercising, but lotion calmed that down. Pharmacist advises that at such a low dose the drug shouldn't be a problem...

Fatigue, Nausea, headaches, and body aches mainly in my neck and back

Dizzinees, nausea, yeast infection, fatigue, soar throat, short breaths... THIS WILL NEVER END!!! the doctors dont tell you all of these.. now do they?

SEVERE INSOMNIA. NAUSEA.FATIGUE.LOSS OF APPITITE.HOT FLASHES AND COTTONMOUTH.

Body aches, joint pain, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, severe stomach upset. I've taken this drug 3 times in my life and it took me up until the 3rd time to realize it was making me sick. The first time it took me months to recover. I thought I had Lupus.

I was precribed doxycycline for 10 days after a tick bite (prophylaxis for Lyme disease). Developed serious nausea on day two, followed by continuous low grade nausea. Complete loss of appetite, and terrible fatigue. Developed low level chest pains and tightening of chest on day 6. Chest pain increased through day 7 and is now approaching acute level. I'm not taking any more of this stuff - calling doctor in the morning.