Vibramycin (Doxycycline) Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Dosage - Verywell Health
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What Is Vibramycin?
Vibramycin (doxycycline) is an inexpensive prescription oral antibiotic that treats many different types of bacterial infections. It belongs to a group of antibiotics called tetracyclines (named for similarities in their chemical structure).
Vibramycin works by blocking a bacterium's production of new bacterial proteins inside your body. As with nearly all antibiotics, Vibramycin is good at treating certain kinds of bacteria but does not work against all germs.
Vibramycin is available to be taken orally as a tablet, capsule, liquid, or syrup. In some circumstances, it can also be received through an intravenous (IV) line. However, this article will focus on the oral versions of Vibramycin.
Drug Facts
Generic Name: Doxycycline
Brand Name(s): Vibramycin
Drug Availability: Prescription
Administration Route: Oral
Therapeutic Classification: Antibiotic
Available Generically: Yes
Controlled Substance: N/A
Active Ingredient: Doxycycline calcium (suspension), doxycycline hyclate (capsules and tablets), or doxycycline monohydrate (film-coated tablets)
Dosage Form(s): Suspension, capsules, syrup, tablet
What Is Vibramycin Used For?
Vibramycin can be used to treat infections caused by different types of bacteria. Due to its effectiveness, it is the preferred drug or one of a few preferred drugs for certain infections.
Vibramycin is commonly used to treat the following:
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia
- Respiratory infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Infections of the urethra caused by Ureaplasma urealyticum
Vibramycin can also effectively treat certain uncommon diseases such as:
- Cholera (severe diarrheal illness)
- Anthrax (serious disease caused by a spore-forming bacterium)
- Brucellosis (infection spread from animals)
- Q fever (disease with flu-like symptoms)
- Tularemia (illness of the skin, eyes, lymph nodes, and lungs)
Some of these are diseases spread by ticks, including:
Vibramycin is also an important drug for people who can't take penicillin, another commonly used antibiotic.
Other uses of Vibramycin approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include:
- Treatment for severe acne when combined with additional therapies
- Preventive treatment for malaria
- Treatment for malaria when combined with other therapies
Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a common issue with many types of antibiotics, including Vibramycin. Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria develop ways to avoid being killed by a certain kind of antibiotic. For example, some strains of an important bacteria called Escherichia coli (E. coli) are killed effectively by Vibramycin, but others are not.
Vibramycin works very well, but not if you have an infection caused by a resistant strain of bacteria. For it to be effective, the antibiotic must attack both the type and strain of the bacteria causing the infection (e.g., nonresistant E. coli).
With some types of illnesses, antibiotic resistance to Vibramycin is quite common. Your healthcare provider may prescribe Vibramycin if lab tests show that it works effectively against the particular strain of your infection. If not, you'd need another type of antibiotic.
How to Take Vibramycin
Vibramycin is available as capsules, tablets, syrup, and an oral suspension.
If you take Vibramycin orally, drink plenty of water and don't take it right before bed, which can irritate your esophagus. This is one of the potential side effects. This medication is best taken on an empty stomach, at least one or two hours before a meal. However, you can take it with milk or a little bit of food if you experience stomach upset. Do not lie down for at least 10 minutes after taking this medication.
Follow your healthcare provider's instructions about the number of times you should take the antibiotic each day. You will usually need to take Vibramycin once or twice a day. It's important to take your antibiotic for the total number of days that your healthcare provider recommends to avoid developing antibiotic resistance and ensure you've completely cleared your infection.
Take this medication two to three hours before or after taking any products containing aluminum, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, or bismuth subsalicylate.
You should also not give your Vibramycin to anyone else who is sick. You need to finish your prescription even if you are feeling better. If you experience any side effects from the medication, notify your healthcare provider for further instructions.
Storage
Store at room temperature (between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit), away from excess heat or cold. Do not store in the bathroom or other moist areas.
Off-Label Uses
Vibramycin can be used in ways that are not specifically FDA approved. This is known as off-label use.
For example, in addition to their ability to kill bacteria, Vibramycin and some other tetracyclines may also reduce inflammation.
Because of this, they have been used to treat other medical conditions, including:
Vibramycin is used off-label in other health conditions as well.
Off-Label Use in Certain Populations
Vibramycin is not FDA approved for children under the age of 8 because of the theoretical risk of certain long-term side effects. For similar reasons, it is not approved for use during pregnancy.
However, taking Vibramycin might still be beneficial for people in these groups under certain circumstances. It might be prescribed for a serious infection that is best treated with Vibramycin or if other effective treatments are not readily available.
For example, Vibramycin is the most effective treatment for a certain type of bacteria called rickettsia. Rickettsia causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis. These are serious diseases, and treatment with doxycycline is often the best choice, even for children and pregnant people.
How Long Does Vibramycin Take to Work?
Depending on the infection, you should start to feel better within a few days. However, make sure to finish your full treatment course, even if your symptoms have improved.
What Are the Side Effects of Vibramycin?
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. A healthcare provider can advise you on side effects. If you experience other effects, contact your healthcare provider. You may report side effects to the FDA at fda.gov/medwatch or 800-FDA-1088.
Common Side Effects
Common side effects of Vibramycin include:
- Mild stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Vaginal yeast infection
- Skin sensitivity
Mild stomach upset and diarrhea are common side effects of taking antibiotics, including Vibramycin. These side effects usually stop once you've finished taking your antibiotic. However, see your healthcare provider if they do not go away within a few days, if you have severe symptoms, or if there's blood in your stool.
An increased risk of vaginal yeast infection (vaginal candidiasis) is a common problem for people while taking or shortly after taking Vibramycin.
Some people also notice that their skin is more sensitive to light while taking Vibramycin. It's a good idea to use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher and to wear protective clothing when you are outdoors. Avoid excess sunlight or tanning beds during your treatment. If you develop a serious skin rash, let your provider know. You might need to stop taking Vibramycin.
Severe Side Effects
Vibramycin has a very low risk of causing serious problems. However, severe side effects can occur in rare circumstances.
Like all antibiotics, Vibramycin can cause an overgrowth of another type of dangerous bacteria called Clostridium difficile (C. diff). Symptoms from this can be mild to severe.
Other potentially severe problems from Vibramycin include:
- Severe, dangerous skin reactions (such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
- Intracranial hypertension (high pressure around the brain)
- Severe allergic reaction
- Severe irritation of the esophagus
Any of these problems will require medical attention, and you will probably need to switch to a different antibiotic. If you have serious side effects, call your healthcare provider right away. For any life-threatening symptoms, like difficulty breathing, call 911.
Long-Term Side Effects
One key concern with Vibramycin is the potential to cause long-lasting problems in children and pregnant people. For this reason, it's usually not prescribed for these groups. However, it's not clear if Vibramycin carries these risks.
Drug manufacturers developed Vibramycin after several other types of tetracycline antibiotics had been available for several years. Some of these earlier tetracyclines had caused potential problems in young people and fetuses, such as permanent tooth discoloration and bone growth disruption. Liver damage was also a concern.
For many years, regulators put Vibramycin in the same safety category as other tetracycline drugs. However, Vibramycin seems to be safer than the older tetracyclines when it comes to these risks.
Report Side Effects
Vibramycin may cause other side effects. Call your healthcare provider if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your healthcare provider may send a report to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program or by phone (800-332-1088).
Dosage: How Much Vibramycin Should I Take?
The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.
The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.
- For oral dosage forms (capsules, suspension, syrup, tablets):
- For infections:
- Adults—100 milligrams (mg) every 12 hours on the first day, then 100 mg once a day or 50 to 100 mg every 12 hours.
- Children 8 years of age or older weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—100 mg every 12 hours on the first day, then 100 mg once a day or 50 to 100 mg every 12 hours.
- Children 8 years of age or older weighing less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 4.4 mg per kg of body weight per day and divided into 2 doses on the first day of treatment. This is followed by 2.2 mg per kg of body weight per day, taken as a single dose or divided into two doses on the following days.
- Children up to 8 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
- For the prevention of malaria:
- Adults—100 milligrams (mg) once a day. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout your travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children 8 years of age or older weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—100 mg once a day. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout your travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children 8 years of age or older weighing less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2 mg per kg of body weight per day, taken as a single dose. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children up to 8 years of age—Use is not recommended.
- For anthrax after possible exposure:
- Adults and children weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—100 milligrams (mg) two times a day (taken every 12 hours) for 60 days.
- Children weighing less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2.2 mg per kg of body weight per day, two times a day for 60 days.
- For infections:
- For oral dosage form (delayed-release capsules):
- For the treatment of pimples from rosacea:
- Adults—40 milligrams (mg) or one capsule once a day, in the morning.
- Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
- For the treatment of pimples from rosacea:
- For oral dosage form (Doryx® delayed-release capsules, Doryx® delayed-release tablets):
- For anthrax after possible exposure:
- Delayed-release capsules:
- Adults and children weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—100 milligrams (mg) two times a day (taken every 12 hours) for 60 days.
- Children weighing less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2 mg per kg of body weight per day, two times a day for 60 days.
- Delayed-release tablets:
- Adults and children weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—100 milligrams (mg) two times a day (taken every 12 hours) for 60 days.
- Children weighing less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2.2 mg per kg of body weight per day, two times a day for 60 days.
- Delayed-release capsules:
- For infections:
- Adults and children weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—100 milligrams (mg) every 12 hours on the first day, then 100 mg once a day or 50 to 100 mg every 12 hours.
- Children weighing less than 45 kg with severe or life threatening infections (eg, anthrax, Rocky Mountain spotted fever)—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2.2 mg per kg of body weight taken every 12 hours.
- Children older than 8 years of age and weighing less than 45 kg with less severe infections—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 4.4 mg per kg of body weight per day and divided into 2 doses on the first day of treatment. This is followed by 2.2 mg per kg of body weight per day, taken as a single dose or divided into two doses on the following days.
- Children up to 8 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
- For the prevention of malaria:
- Adults—100 milligrams (mg) once a day. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout your travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children 8 years of age or older weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—100 mg once a day. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout your travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children 8 years of age or older weighing less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2 mg per kg of body weight per day, taken as a single dose. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children up to 8 years of age—Use is not recommended.
- For anthrax after possible exposure:
- For oral dosage form (Doryx® MPC delayed-release tablet):
- For infections:
- Adults and children older than 8 years of age and weighs 45 kilograms (kg) or more, with or without severe or life-threatening infections—120 milligrams (mg) every 12 hours on the first day, then 120 mg once a day or 60 to 120 mg every 12 hours.
- Children older than 8 years of age and weighs less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 5.3 mg per kg of body weight per day and divided into 2 doses on the first day of treatment. This is followed by 2.6 mg per kg of body weight per day, taken as a single dose or divided into two doses on the following days.
- Children weighing less than 45 kg with severe or life-threatening infections—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2.6 mg per kg of body weight per day given every 12 hours.
- Children 8 years of age and younger—Use is not recommended.
- For prevention of malaria:
- Adults and children weighing more than 45 kilograms (kg)—120 milligrams (mg) once a day. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout your travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children 8 years of age and older—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2.4 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day, taken as a single dose. You should take the first dose 1 or 2 days before traveling to an area where malaria may occur, and continue taking the medicine every day throughout your travel and for 4 weeks after you leave the malarious area.
- Children up to 8 years of age—Use is not recommended.
- For anthrax after possible exposure:
- Adults and children weighing 45 kilograms (kg) or more—120 milligrams (mg) two times a day for 60 days.
- Children weighing less than 45 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2.6 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day, two times a day for 60 days.
- For infections:
Modifications
Vibramycin is available orally as capsules, tablets, and a liquid. If you have trouble swallowing pills, you may want to ask for the liquid version.
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you are close to your next dose, do not double up. Skip that dose and continue to take your medication as prescribed.
Overdose: What Happens If I Take Too Much Vibramycin?
You are most likely to need medical attention if you have taken a large amount of Vibramycin. However, you should still check with a healthcare provider even if you have taken just a little more than the recommended dose.
These professionals can let you know if you need an in-person medical evaluation. This might be more likely if you take certain medications, have certain symptoms, or have other medical conditions.
What Happens If I Overdose on Vibramycin?
If you think you or someone else may have overdosed on Vibramycin, call a healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center (800-222-1222).
If someone collapses or isn't breathing after taking Vibramycin, call 911 immediately.
Precautions
If your symptoms do not improve within a few days, or if they become worse, check with your doctor.
Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using this medicine, tell your doctor right away.
This medicine may darken the color of your skin, nails, eyes, teeth, gums, or scars. Talk with your doctor if you have any concerns.
Doxycycline may cause diarrhea, and in some cases it can be severe. It may occur 2 months or more after you stop taking this medicine. Do not take any medicine to treat diarrhea without first checking with your doctor. Diarrhea medicines may make the diarrhea worse or make it last longer. If you have any questions about this or if mild diarrhea continues or gets worse, check with your doctor.
Birth control pills (containing estrogen) may not work properly while you are using doxycycline. To keep from getting pregnant, use other forms of birth control. These include condoms, a diaphragm, or a contraceptive foam or jelly.
Doxycycline may cause your skin to be more sensitive to sunlight than it is normally. Exposure to sunlight, even for short periods of time, may cause skin rash, itching, redness or other discoloration of the skin, or a severe sunburn. When you begin taking this medicine:
- Stay out of direct sunlight, especially between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., if possible.
- Wear protective clothing, including a hat. Also, wear sunglasses.
- Apply a sunblock product that has a sun protection factor (SPF) number of at least 15. Some patients may require a product with a higher SPF number, especially if they have a fair complexion. If you have any questions about this, check with your doctor.
- Apply a sunblock lipstick that has an SPF of at least 15 to protect your lips.
- Do not use a sun lamp or tanning bed or booth.
If you have a severe reaction from the sun, check with your doctor.
Serious skin reactions, including drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms can occur with this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, red skin lesions, severe acne or a skin rash, sores or ulcers on the skin, fever or chills, cough, sore throat, swollen, painful, or tender lymph glands in the neck, armpit, or groin, or yellow skin or eyes while using this medicine.
This medicine may cause increased pressure inside the head (intracranial hypertension). This is more likely to occur in women of childbearing age who are overweight or have a history of intracranial hypertension. Tell your doctor right away if you have a headache, blurred vision, or changes in vision.
Contact your doctor immediately if fever, rash, joint pain, or tiredness occurs. These could be symptoms of an autoimmune syndrome where the body attacks itself.
You should not take antacids that contain aluminum, calcium or magnesium, or any product that contains iron, such as vitamin or mineral supplements.
If you are using this medicine to prevent malaria, take extra care not to get bitten by mosquitoes. Use protective clothing, mosquito netting or screens, and an insect repellent.
Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you are taking this medicine. The results of some tests may be affected by this medicine.
Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.
What Are Reasons I Shouldn't Take Vibramycin?
You should not take Vibramycin if you:
- Are allergic to it or any other tetracycline medication
- Are pregnant, except under specific circumstances in which the benefits outweigh the risks
- Are less than 8 years older, unless the benefits outweigh the risks
Vibramycin can make birth control pills less effective. If you take birth control pills, you might want to see if another treatment option is possible or use another form of birth control while taking the antibiotic. Additionally, some medications used to prevent seizures may not work as well when taken with Vibramycin. You may want to use a different antibiotic if you take anti-seizure medication.
Similarly, Vibramycin can increase how certain medications used to help prevent blood clots—blood thinners, like Coumadin or Jantoven (warfarin)—affect your blood clotting. You may want to ask your healthcare provider about taking a different antibiotic if you also take blood thinners.
What Other Medications Interact With Vibramycin?
Some drugs may interfere with the body's absorption of Vibramycin, potentially making it less effective.
On the other hand, Vibramycin may interfere with how other drugs that you are already taking work. Some medications to consider in this context are:
You should also avoid taking certain drugs and supplements close to your doxycycline dose.
These include:
For example, take Vibramycin one to two hours before or after taking antacids, calcium supplements, or laxatives containing magnesium. For iron preparations and vitamins containing iron, take Vibramycin two hours before or three hours after.
Depending on the situation, you may be able to stop taking these drugs temporarily (e.g., an antacid). You'll need to develop a plan for some of these drugs with your healthcare provider. Vibramycin might not be the best choice. Or, Vibramycin might still make sense, but you might need monitoring or dose adjustment for your other medication.
Discuss all the drugs you are taking, including over-the-counter (OTC) products and dietary supplements, with your healthcare provider.
What Medications Are Similar?
Vibramycin has many similarities to other tetracyclines.
Other tetracyclines that are similar to Vibramycin include:
However, not all tetracyclines are the same. Although there is overlap, they don't all effectively treat the same types of bacteria.
Moreover, they don't always share the same risks. For example, Vibramycin may not carry the same risks for children and pregnant people compared with older tetracyclines. However, the data on this is not complete. Vibramycin may also be better in terms of stomach upset compared with other tetracyclines.
Depending on the context, another type of antibiotic might be an option. For example, azithromycin is another antibiotic in a different class (macrolides). It may be another option if you need treatment for chlamydia.
Other types of antibiotics might be potential treatment choices, depending on the specific type of infection. However, these are alternative antibiotic options. Except in unusual circumstances, you will take only one type of antibiotic at a time.
Vibramycin is relatively cheap and comes with a low risk of side effects. Therefore, it is often a good treatment choice, mainly if your healthcare provider thinks it will be effective in your situation. However, don't hesitate to ask about other possibilities.
How Can I Stay Healthy While Taking Vibramycin?
Taking your prescription exactly as prescribed is best way to recover from your illness and reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
Remember to take Vibramycin with a lot of water to help reduce your risk of side effects. If you are having stomach discomfort, try taking it with food.
Fortunately, Vibramycin has a well-established safety record. But don't hesitate to contact your healthcare provider if you experience anything unusual while taking it.
Medical Disclaimer
Verywell Health's drug information is meant for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a healthcare provider. Consult your healthcare provider before taking any new medication(s). IBM Watson Micromedex provides some of the drug content, as indicated on the page.
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