Doxycycline

Pronounced dox-i-SY-kleen

Brand names: Vibramycin, Doryx

Type: Tetracycline antibiotic · All Antibiotics & Infection Medicines

What Doxycycline is used for

  • Acne and rosacea
  • Lyme disease and tick-borne infections
  • Pneumonia and bronchitis
  • Certain sexually transmitted infections
  • Malaria prevention

◆ Kidney note

A preferred tetracycline in kidney disease because it is cleared mainly through the gut, not the kidneys.

Common side effects

  • Nausea
  • Sensitivity to sunlight
  • Heartburn
  • Diarrhea

Important cautions

  • Can burn and ulcerate the food pipe — it is taken with a full glass of water while upright, exactly as the label directs
  • Generally avoided in pregnancy and in young children because it can stain developing teeth

How it comes

Capsules, tablets, liquid, injection (hospital). This guide lists forms only — it never lists strengths or doses.

Related medicines — Antibiotics & Infection Medicines

Please note: This page is a patient-education summary, not medical advice, and it deliberately contains no doses. Medicines affect everyone differently — always follow your own prescription and talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.