Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic medication. Minocycline is commonly used for the treatment of bacterial infections, such as acne, urinary tract infections,Chlamydia, and gonorrhea.

Minocycline Precautions

As with many different antibiotics, it is possible that Minocycline, when taken in combination with birth control pills, can decrease their effectiveness. It's recommended that a second form of birth control be used while taking minocycline. Excessive exposure to sunlight should also be avoided, as your sensitivity may be increased while taking Minocycline.

Minocycline Directions

When taking your dose of Minocycline, you should also take a full glass of water. You can take Minocycline with or without food. Antacids, multivitamins, calcium and iron supplements shouldn't be taken within 2 hours of taking Minocycline, as the effectiveness of the antibiotic may be reduced.

Side Effects of Minocycline

If any of the following severe side effects occur when you are taking Minocycline, you should immediately stop taking the medication and seek medical assistance:

• a severe headache
• confusion
• an allergic reaction (swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, difficulty breathing)
• vision changes
• liver damage (yellowing of the skin or eyes, nausea, abdominal pain or discomfort, unusual bleeding or bruising, severe fatigue)
• genital sores or itching
• blood problems (fever, fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding)

If any of the less severe side effects occur, continue taking Minocycline and speak with your doctor as soon as you can:

• dizziness or lightheadedness
• vaginal yeast infection
• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or decreased appetite
• dark "furry" tongue, black tongue, or swollen tongue

Minocycline is part of the broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic group, being commonly used to kill diverse microorganisms and treat bacterial infections. The medication is particularly used due to the fact it has a long half-life. Minocycline is preferred to tetracycline, a dosage of 150 mg offering a higher availability of active ingredients than a dosage of 250 mg of tetracycline.

The antibiotic was originally used to treat inflammatory skin conditions, including acne. Minocycline is also useful for treating Lyme disease, caused by tick bites and manifested through joint swelling and high fever. The recommended dosage is of 100 mg, taken twice a day, every 12 hours. With tetracycline, the dosage remains the same but the medication has to be taken four times a day. Studies have found minocycline to be active against Neisseria meningitides but the medication is no longer indicated as prophylaxis, given the side-effects encountered (vertigo and lightheadedness). Patients infected with MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) but also with infections caused by Acinetobacter, a gram-negative bacteria belonging to the Proteobacteria group, have been treated successfully with this antibiotic.

Minocycline has also been used to treat intestinal infections, especially those marked by severe diarrhea, such as dysentery. Patients infected with bacillus anthracis, those diagnosed with acute choleric infections or gonorrhea have also taken advantage of the antibiotic properties minocycline presents. Bubonic plague, lower tract respiratory infections and spotted fever represent other indications for minocycline treatment. A lot of doctors prescribe minocycline to patients diagnosed with syphilis, genitor-urinary tract or rectal infections. New research has shown that minocycline presents neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties.

When entering the body, minocycline has a bioavailability of 100%. The antibiotic is metabolized in the liver, having a half life that varies between 11 and 22 hours. Minocycline is eliminated through the feces and partially through urine. One of the greatest advantages offered by minocycline is that this medication can be used in case of renal failure, without requiring dosage adjustment or treatment stopping. Patients who have been diagnosed with lupus erythematosus should be cautious when taking minocycline, as this antibiotic can worsen the suffering.

This medication can lead to a severe and rare medical condition, known as secondary intracranial hypertension. The symptoms include: cephalalgia, mental confusion and visual hallucinations. Cerebral edema and rheumatoid arthritis can also occur in patients following a treatment with minocycline but such situations are extremely rare. Just like other antibiotics from the tetracycline group, minocycline should never be taken past the expiration date. The medication not only fails to maintain its antibiotic effect but also becomes toxic for the human body.

If you have been prescribed minocycline, then you should know that the absorption of the medication is decreased if taken simultaneously with medication containing calcium or metals (iron). The absorption is also reduced if you associate dairy products, such as milk, cheese or ice cream.

You are not to take iron supplements, vitamins or calcium products with two hours before or after taking minocycline. The side-effects of minocycline treatments include but are not limited to: indigestion, frequent bowel movements (diarrhea), vertigo, equilibrium problems, somnolence, cephalalgia and vomiting. The medication increases your skin's sensitivity light; thus, you are advised to wear sunscreen and protect yourself from sunburns. If possible, avoid excessive exposure to direct sunlight.

Seldom, patients experience high fever, yellow sclera and skin coloration. Other adverse reactions caused by minocycline include stomach pain, pharyngitis, blurred vision and mental distress. The antibiotic is not recommended for long-term usage, causing unwanted side-effects, including skin discoloration. It is possible for patients to experience allergic reactions to minocycline, with rash and urticaria, swelling and intense lightheadedness. If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above or you have trouble breathing, the best thing to do is to contact your doctor immediately or request emergency medical attention. Be careful of the risks presented by minocycline when it comes to increased intracranial hypertension and present yourself to the doctor in case you suffer from intense headaches.

Minocycline is not recommended to pregnant women or those who are currently breast-feeding. The fetus can be affected by the active ingredients of minocycline, the harmful effects being noticed at the level of the bones and the teeth. As the antibiotic can pass into the mother's milk, the same effects can harm the newborn baby.

The antibiotic is available as capsules and tablets, taken by mouth. There are also extended-release tablets, recommended to be taken in specific situations. The tablets should be taken as such, without being crushed, chewed or broken into pieces. Doing this might cause a high dosage of active ingredients to be released into the body, leading to more severe side-effects. Newly made studies have demonstrated that minocycline could have positive antibacterial properties when it comes to treating typhus fever, Q fever, contagious viral diseases (trachoma) and tularemia (infectious disease transmitted through rodents).