Doxycycline Hyclate and headache

Am on my second 3-week course of doxycycline for Lyme disease since the first go round didn't eradicate the infection. Have all the classic side effects mentioned, however the stomach ailments are GREATLY alleviated by taking a strong (70 billion parts per capsule) probiotic. Take it half way between the 2 doxycycline doses and although it isn't magic it does make a difference.
Although I have no appetite, I try to graze lightly on foods that appeal to me throughout the day and that seems to help with many of the horrific side effects.
Also, my MD suggested I take Aleve and NOT Ibuprofen for headaches since the Ibuprofen can cause a "headache" kickback (and causes stomach pain). Don't know if that's true, but the Aleve seems to help a little.
Worst side effects for me are utter exhaustion, dizziness, stomach pain, sore throat, and a head that hurts feels like it is filled with wet cotton. Also heart palpitations which may be part of the Lyme disease.
Hope some of this helps.

I have to take Doxy for 2 weeks twice a day. I have all the same side effects as everyone has listed here... very down and depressed, itchy pimple rash all over legs, face, neck, chest and back of shoulders, cold sores, severe headache, bloating, stomach pain, tiredness, lack of interest in anything, dry mouth, tingling toes and anxiety. Can't wait to finish the course, but am disappointed to read that the side effects carry on after stopping, does anyone know how long it takes for them to subside?

wow, quite worrying, was prescribed this for an infection after a womb biopsy, The stomach pains are awful,sharp every few minutes,nausea as well, i feel so ill, i am in bed i just cannot function,

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 have had the worst period of my life and a headache still, after being off of it for over a week. my stomach is also still messed up. how long does the side effects last?

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

This drug seriously needs to be pulled! its not worth ending a relationship over, i almost well was single because of it...gave me severe mood swings, depressed, made be feel not only sick but i couldnt eat anything, felt like someone was stomping on my chest, its all bull, and no one should even take this...pretty sad that every website i have been to about this drug, just says SYMPTOMS: Nausea, Headache, Dizziness, and Vomiting.

ADA needs to pull it because it does NOT do that job its supposed to. tha mood swings started off very mellow, then after 3-4 days of taking it, its coming to my attention it IS NOT me.....I was getting severely depressed when got into a fight wit my girlfriend. and i almost jumped out fo tha car at 70MPH because of this. Regardless of wut anyone says i am not right in tha head and wut not, i am so...just these so called Antibiotics messed wit my head. i erge everyone to boycott this use of this so called drug DOXYCYCLINE HYCLATE 100MG Caplets. If you wanna continue to be screwed wit, i then suggest you to stay on them for some tha symptoms are better for over half they are bad. My opinion....they are like a Anti-Depressant. If you take them and you are NOT depressed, moody, or have some kind of prob and when you start taking them you do have those probs, but if you do have those probs then you wont have tha bad probs is psychology and kinda hard to explain on wut i mean gonna have to figure it all out for your selfs. Because right now still coming clean from theese, i stopped taking them 2 days ago and still in my system a bit. so yeah i hope didn't bug anyone

I started taking Doxycycline on Jan 22, 2007 for Lyme Disease. I usually get nausea and/or vomiting with most antibiotics so I try and take precautions. The first day I took it I had nausea, headache, dizziness and a feeling of being "out of it". by the 3rd day the dizziness and the feeling of being "out of it" was gone but after I took it in the morning within 1/2 hour I started feeling severe esophagus pain. It's not like heartburn because it's right below my rib cage. That night I started noticing feeling like there was a lump in my throat. By the next morning the lump felt like a huge knot. Now, It hurts every time I swallow, the esophagus pain never ends. Last night I spent the night crying feeling like everything was hopeless. I thought it was just because I've been dealing with the pain from Lyme and now the pain from the medicine now that I read this message board, I wonder if the hopeless, despondent feeling is from this medication. I have 2 more weeks on this I don't think I can take it that long. I haven't eaten anything because it hurts to swallow and it burns. I cry all the time. I did not read that depression was a side effect but it seems a lot of people are experiencing the exact same symptoms. I don't know how some people have been on it so long. Just the thought of taking another is depressing me beyond belief.

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.

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 Doxycycline Hyclate one night before going to bed. Big mistake. It was still in my throat when I woke up the next morning. I assumed the pill would eventually go down on its own. Boy was I wrong. The pill was stuck in my throat for approximately 4 days. I finally called a local clinic and one of the nurses told me to take some maalox and drink warm water. The maalox helped the pill go down. I also tried goggling with warm salty water. Then two day later, I had a headache so I took a ibprophin and drunk some apple just about an hour later. I started feeling nausea and I had stomach pains for about 15-20 minutes. All of a sudden, I began to vomit apple juice. I took a nap and when I woke up, I ate lunch and I had no problem eating. I no longer felt the heartburn while eating. I didn't even feel the pill. I am so happy that the pill is gone. I guessing it was the acid that's in apple juice. If anyone is looking for advice on how to make it go down, I'm pretty sure you could skip most of the steps I took and just try drinking the apple juice.

I'm taking doxycycline for dry eyes. I was in the sun for several hours yesterday and I feel nauseated, tired and have had a headache for 12 hours. Can I do anything to combat these symptoms?

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've been taking this medication for around 2 days and today I felt like I had heartburn even though I didn't eat anything that causes heartburn, also I had a headache. Has this happend to anyone else here?

bad headache, really bad soreness of throat, tiredness, dizziness, and some itching.

Day 6 after laying down after taking doxy. Difficult to swallow , eat or drink. Headache gone, but burning in throat intense. Feels like labor pains in the chest. Lots of saliva production in the mouth. Seeing GI Dr tomorrow. !st 2 Dr.s think its the doxy

After jsut 1 pill I had swollen hands, felt like head was swollen but it didin't look like it! Tremendously sore jaw and ears-like a very severe sinus infection. Intense head ache, felt like I was crawling out of my skin, fidgty-yet tired, severe muscle aches in upper body...This was after just one pill. I stopped and I was fine 24 hours later...none of the symptoms remained.

I was on Doxycyline for a rash around my nose. I had taken them for a few days, but only taking one pill instead of 2; mainly because I kept forgetting to take the second one at dinner.
Two nights ago, I took the second one and immediately felt like it was stuck in my esophagus. Two days later, I am still feeling the effects. It was so bad that I didn't eat or drink anything for a day ... even drinking water was painful. It wasn't until today that I realized what the reaction was from, I really thought I was having a heart attack. In addition to the major heart burn I had such a bad head ache. Not to mention I was eating yogurt every day to ward off the possibility of a yest infection; which this medication is also known to cause. I will NEVER take this medication again!

after taking for about a week of 100 mg of doxycyline, I had a severe headache that lasted for almost two days. I do not wish to take this drug again.

swelling on the face accompanied my redness. sensitivity to light and headache.

i only took 2 of the 8 tablets i was perscribed the following side effects occured;headache,very swollen lips and mouth,really hurt to swallow,upset stomach,fealing weak and very unwell , will advise anybody not to take these tablets!

Nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, acid stomach, dry mouth, dry throat, tight breathing.

I'm taking 200 mg doxycycline, twice a day. I'm 6 weeks into a 9 week regimen for suspected but unconfirmed lyme disease (no memory of tick bite and no positive tests), and in conjunction with permanent Ceftin 500 mg twice daily as a prophylactic against strep which triggered an apparent and ongoing Rheumatic Fever. (I think my doctor is more confused than I am.)

I've gotten nausea and acid stomach, but both of these are lessened if I drink a large glass of water with the doxycycline. 200 mg can be hard to keep down.

I vomited once but only after taking it with other medicines which my doctor assured me wouldn't interfere. So I spaced them apart by 2 hours and started eating some food prior to the doxycycline, and the result was no more nausea or vomiting, and a much easier time.

Headache & dizziness are reduced when I take the doxycycline with food, and then it seems not to hit me as fast or as hard, and so I tolerate it much better.

At first I thought the doxycylline was helping relieve some kind of bronchial infection, but it was actually just drying out my mucus membranes. Now I wake up early with dry mouth, dry throat, and even my lungs get dry which is causing mild difficulty breathing. The bronchitis I thought it was helping was actually not an infection but an autoimmune symptom of the Rheumatic Fever, and it wasn't really helping with that, it just made it drier. Now instead of coughing up fluid, I get this unproductive dry pain when I cough, and my cough sometimes tastes like blood. I feel the dry pain in my lungs all the time now. I'd rather have the fluid.

3 weeks left on this regimen, which seems like an eternity, but I'll try to stay the course since I want to rule out lyme disease. All these high-dose powerful antibiotics and doctors don't even know what I have. They don't seem to be helping me much.

I've been on doxycycline for two months now for adult acne. My acne got pretty severe, but has calmed down a lot due to the medication. Originally my doctor prescribed me minocycline, which is in the same family (tetracyclines), because of my hunger with the doxycycline. The minocycline gave me an incredibly bad migraine, the worst in my life. I was unstable, and dizzy. After doing research on the net and talking with the pharmacists I work with ( no, i'm not a pharmacist, i am just a tech) we agreed it was intracranial hypertension and that I needed to stop right away. Being on the doxycycline doesn't give me nearly the headache I had being on the minocycline. I found that when I take the doxycycline before bed OR if I am not upright at least at a 90 degree angle, my esophogus will begin to burn.. I usually fix that with drinking A LOT of cool water and it goes away. My doctor told me to take the doxy twice daily, but I find that taking it once daily does the trick for my acne, it just takes a little longer for it to clear up. I guess I'd rather my acne take longer to clear then to have all the side effects everyone else is having.... which I have experianced. But like I said I take it two hours before bed staying in an upright position with lot's of water at hand... and I'm completely fine.

Side effects from 100mg one a day for long term treatment of chronic sinus problem; after 7 days: profound fatigue, appearance of pink rash to both hands that burns, painful feet, headache, and a feeling that the heart was too tired to pump, feeling very cold despite warm weather.

Have been on Doxycycline 100 mg - 2 x day, for only 2 day's and feel terrible. Headache, joint's ache, severe diarrhea (dark watery squirts), stomach cramps, dizzy, nausea, and I am freezeing in 70 degree sunshine! This suck's. I thought med's were supposed to help you feel better! I think I prefer the illness over the cure.

I began taking this medication at 100mg twice daily for a sinus infection and have experienced negative side effects. I actually experienced side effects and then decided to check the side effect listings for the drug online and they defintly match. I have experienced extreme dehydration, nauseau, headache, disorientation, drowsiness, and stomach pain. I have not experienced vommitting but have felt close to it. I have also experienced a loss of appetite.

I started taking doxycycline just 9 days ago,I couldn't believe it when I read these posts..I am having alot of the same symptoms as the rest of you. I have been getting sick to my stomach, no matter if i take it with food or not...more so if i don't take it with food. I have ringing in my ears..icy/hot flashes, headache and my eyes hurt. I am not sure if this med is worth all these side effects. I am taking it for adult acne. I also noticed that my face is quite red and sore to touch.I will give this med a month or two and if i don't see considerable improvement, i will stop taking it. I feel miserable.

I'm taking doxycycline for acne on my chest...there isn't any on my face. I'm five days into it now and I feel terrible. I vomited this morning. Now my calves are starting to hurt, I'm dizzy, have severe nausea, slight headache, and I'm weak. I'm done with this drug. I've been on many antibiotics for at one time almost two years straight...I've never had a problem like this! I'd rather have my acne.

dizziness, fatique, headache, diarreha, vison changes. i went to the er and the doctor told me there was no way i was having a reaction to the antibotic but yet i didnt feel this way till a good 24 hours into taking it and the reverse reaction sheet said i could

I have been taking doxycycline 100mg once a day for 5 weeks, now i am suffring from headache tingly hands ,DROWSINESS AND DIZZINESS,spasmodic contractions in stomach and esophagus ,as i feel it,and cardiac arrhythmia as well as palpitation feelings and Dark circles under or around the eyes .by the way ,i was taking nystatin as candida prevention.

took over a month for mild acne until i started getting headaches and cloudiness in my head ( i felt out there) the headache i would get was this pain in the left side above my ear.. so i stopped taking the doxy-whatever.. for a few wks now i still have this pain, especially when i touched the spot, it just feels really tender. i had a headache yesterday, it felt like it was my sinuses.. well stupid me decided to try the medicine out again today and a few hrs later what happens?.. i started to feel light-headed.. i called the doctor he told me to stop using it and i am seeing him on tues.. he also told me that the medicine shouldnt be giving these side effects.. so to tell you the truth everyone acts differently to medicines..
i am soo done with this medicine!! especially after reading everyone's comments.. im going to look into accutane which i heard works really well. hopefully i wont have any more problems!

I have taken Doxy several times now and usually end up discontinuing use because of strange side effects. Once because of intense burning of my skin (lasted several days). Another time because of disorientation and headache. Now I am taking it for a sinus infection. Giving it one last shot. I have only taken two doses, one last night and one this morning; and I am already extremely nauseous and lightheaded. My doctor told me if I dont finish this, my infection may turn into pnuemonia. I guess i will suffer through it.

I took doxcycline for aprox. 12 days due to a definite tick bite. I had a very nasty bullseye on my upper leg. Even though the blood test showed negative - the bullseye rash was evident, & doxycycline was prescribed as the better, stonger medicine for treating Lymes disease. the symptoms that I was having were spuratic in the beginning. (3rd - 4th) day, - slight hot & cold feeling as I slept @ night resembling a slight fever, which was uncomfortably noticeable.
Some nausea also. On the 10th - 12th days I had an irritating thin skinned feeling in my hands - washing my hands with cool water would give an icy glow to my hands as well as a cool breze or wind an my hands; super sensitive discomfort. Also while sleeping with my hands under the blankets - I would feel the sensation as if my hands were glowing hot. My lips felt a sight burning also. In addition to those symptoms, I felt as though I was developing sort of a head cold with headache & my eyes hurt. Fatigue was evident. The doctor said to stop the medicine; & that 10 days of doxycycline was enough time to combat the Lymes.

Bad headache. right eye throbbing, all of my teeth ached, now my chest is very tight and it is difficult to breath. cant take a full deep breath. does anyone know if muscle relaxers will ease my pain? I have stopped taking the pills for 4 days now and all I have left is the very tight chest and difficulty with breathing. HELP!!

On the last day of my 7 day course of 100mg a day, i suddenly got a terrible headache in the front of my forehead and eye area on the left hand side. It got a lot worse and was truly agonising for a further 10 hrs or so through the night. That was 3 days ago and i still have considerable pain in the same area of my head. This did follow a few hours of exposure to sunlight through thin cloud cover.

I've been taking doxycycline for about 11 days now, and starting on day 3, I had occassional severe headaches that have been one long permanent severe headache for the past 4 days. I also have a high temperature, particularly in the evening, light hurts my eyes and I'm quite dizzy. I was prescribed this drug because of an infection in my uterus, and the doctor has told me to try to finish the prescription.

I have been taking the drug for over a week now to treat ehrlichiosis, a lyme disease. The low grade headache is more than I can bear. I also have reflux and this drug is making it much worse esp in the morning after I eat. I am very foggy but not sure if that is from the disease or the drug.

been taking for 8 days now. from the beginning, EXTREME nausea, stomach pain, after 4 days, ringing in ear. nonstop headache from the beginning. also lots of salivating and loss of appetite.

each day, i feel more and more tired, while the infection itself seems to be clearing (based on no more fevers or burning sensation where the infection was).

i hate this drug but fear to stop taking it because the pain of infection and with fever, the infection can spread. I'm going to finish all the way to the 14-day prescription and then take extra care to heal from the antiobiotic. If I wasn't worried about infection spreading - I'd NEVER take this drug.

nausea, vommiting when taken on empty stomach, headache & weird dizziness feeling. Also, very irritable, but thought it was due to PMS - however, I've read that others had irritability too, so I think it's from this EVIL medication, since it seemed worse than my normal monthly crabbiness. Also, I'm taking it to treat acne - & how ironic, it seems to be making my skin worse - breaking out in tiny whiteheads all over my chest, neck & shoulders - ugh! Don't know what I'm going to do now! Should I stop taking it, or will these little pimples subside?

Taking Doxycycline for sinus/bronchitis infection. Still have a bad deep dry cough.. wondering if its not from the medication... also have what looks like bug bites on my lower cheeks.. but thinking it might be a rash. Definitley have the headache and disconnected feeling.. can't concentrate or handle reading/light. Heading for Jamaica in 4 days.. I'm gonna stop taking it now.. (only have a few days left).

I was given 8 capsules of dexycycline, fortunately day 8 is tomorrow. I was fine until yesterday when I had the worst headache I have ever had. Today I have terrible heartburn and stomach pains. Also dhiorrea. I am taking the capsules for a sinusitis infection. This is the second antibiotic the other didn't work, amoxyllyn. I have a hiatus hernia, perhaps that has something to do with the pain in the stomach?

I'm using this to be treated for bilateral polycystic ovaries, inflammed fallopian tubes, minimal fluid, and pelvic infection (caused by muscle cramps or spasms). =) On Doxycycline, I experience severe chest pressure, nausea, headache, trouble swallowing, and more frequent urination from twice daily usage.
Glad to know I'm not alone!