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 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 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.