minocycline

What is the most important information I should know about minocycline?

Do not use this medicine if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby or cause permanent tooth discoloration later in life.

Minocycline can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while using minocycline.

Minocycline passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing baby. Do not take this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Children should not take minocycline. Minocycline can cause permanent yellowing or graying of the teeth in children younger than 8 years old.

Avoid exposure to sunlight or tanning beds. Minocycline can make you sunburn more easily. Wear protective clothing and use sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) when you are outdoors.

Do not take iron supplements, multivitamins, calcium supplements, antacids, or laxatives within 2 hours before or after taking minocycline. These products can make minocycline less effective.

Take this medication for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may improve before the infection is completely cleared. Skipping doses may also increase your risk of further infection that is resistant to antibiotics.

Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date on the label has passed. Using expired minocycline can cause damage to your kidneys.

What is minocycline?

Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that fights bacteria in the body.

Minocycline is used to treat many different bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, skin infections, severe acne, gonorrhea, tick fever, chlamydia, and others.

Minocycline may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking minocycline?

You should not take this medicine if you are allergic to minocycline or to other tetracycline antibiotics such as demeclocycline (Declomycin), doxycycline (Adoxa, Doryx, Oracea, Vibramycin), or tetracycline (Brodspec, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap).

To make sure you can safely take minocycline, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

• liver disease;
• kidney disease;
• asthma or sulfite allergy; or
• if you are also using a penicillin antibiotic such as amoxicillin (Amoxil, Augmentin, Dispermox, Moxatag), ampicillin (Principen, Unasyn), dicloxacillin (Dycill, Dynapen), oxacillin (Bactocill), or penicillin (Bicillin L-A, PC Pen VK, Pfizerpen).

If you are using minocycline to treat gonorrhea, your doctor may test you to make sure you do not also have syphilis, another sexually transmitted disease.

FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use minocycline if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby or cause permanent tooth discoloration later in life. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment.

Minocycline can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while using minocycline.

Minocycline passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while you are taking minocycline.

Children should not use minocycline. Minocycline can cause permanent yellowing or graying of the teeth in children younger than 8 years old.

How should I take minocycline?

Take exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Take this medicine with a full glass (8 ounces) of water.

Most brands of minocycline may be taken with or without food.

Take Minocin (pellet-filled capsules) on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal.

Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow it whole. Breaking the pill may cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.

Take this medication for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may improve before the infection is completely cleared. Skipping doses may also increase your risk of further infection that is resistant to antibiotics. Minocycline will not treat a viral infection such as the common cold or flu.

To be sure this medicine is not causing harmful effects, your blood will need to be tested often. Your kidney, liver, or thyroid function may also need to be tested. Visit your doctor regularly.

If you need surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are using minocycline. You may need to stop using the medicine for a short time.

Minocycline can cause false results with certain urine tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using this medication.

Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

Throw away any unused minocycline when it expires or when it is no longer needed. Do not take any minocycline after the expiration date printed on the label. Using expired minocycline can cause damage to your kidneys.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

What should I avoid while taking minocycline?

Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or bloody, stop taking minocycline and call your doctor. Do not use anti-diarrhea medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

Avoid exposure to sunlight or tanning beds. Minocycline can make you sunburn more easily. Wear protective clothing and use sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) when you are outdoors.

Do not take iron supplements, multivitamins, calcium supplements, antacids, or laxatives within 2 hours before or after taking minocycline.

This medication may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

What are the possible side effects of minocycline?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

• stomach cramps, diarrhea that is watery or bloody;
• flu symptoms, sores in your mouth and throat;
• pale or yellowed skin, weakness, dark colored urine, unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, or rectum), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin;
• fever, skin rash, bruising, severe tingling or numbness, muscle weakness,
• upper stomach pain, loss of appetite, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
• chest pain, irregular heart rhythm, cough, wheezing, feeling short of breath;
• confusion, vomiting, swelling, weight gain, urinating less than usual or not at all;
• headache or pain behind your eyes, ringing in your ears, vision problems;
• joint pain or swelling with fever, swollen glands, muscle aches, general ill feeling, unusual thoughts or behavior, and/or seizure (convulsions); or
• severe skin reaction -- fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

Less serious side effects may include:

• dizziness, tired feeling, spinning sensation;
• joint or muscle pain;
• discoloration of you skin or nails;
• mild nausea, mild diarrhea, upset stomach;
• mild skin rash or itching;
• swollen tongue, discoloration of your gums; or
• vaginal itching or discharge.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect minocycline?

Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:

• other antibiotics;
• acetaminophen (Tylenol);
• isotretinoin (Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis, Sotret);
• methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall);
• antifungal medicine such as itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Extina, Ketozole, Nizoral, Xolegal), miconazole (Oravig), or voriconazole (Vfend);
• a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven);
• cholesterol medications such as niacin (Advicor, Niaspan, Niacor, Simcor, Slo Niacin, and others), atorvastatin (Lipitor, Caduet), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev, Advicor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), or simvastatin (Zocor, Simcor, Vytorin);
• heart or blood pressure medicine such as benazepril (Lotensin), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and others;
• migraine headache medicine such as ergotamine (Ergomar, Cafergot, Migergot), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal), or methylergonovine (Methergine); or
• an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, Naprelan, Treximet), celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), indomethacin (Indocin), meloxicam (Mobic), and others.

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with minocycline. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about minocycline.