tetracycline
Tetracycline is an antibiotic used to treat many types of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections and urinary tract infections (UTIs). It's also sometimes used to fight acne-causing bacteria. Tetracycline is available as a lower-cost generic capsule that's safe for adults and children over 8 years of age to take. The dosage is taken multiple times a day. Tetracycline can cause unpleasant stomach side effects. There's also a risk of teeth staining in young children whose teeth are still growing.
What is Tetracycline?
What is Tetracycline used for?
- Bacterial skin infections
- Severe acne
- Respiratory tract infections, including in the nose, throat, and lungs
- Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea, chancroid, syphilis)
- Urinary tract infections (UTI)
- Rickettsial infections (usually from ticks, fleas, or mites), such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and typhus fever
- Other less common bacterial infections
How Tetracycline works
Tetracycline is a tetracycline antibiotic. It prevents bacteria from making certain important proteins for growth. This stops the bacteria from multiplying and spreading in your body.
Drug facts
Side effects of Tetracycline
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain or discomfort
- Loss of appetite
- Skin rash
Less Common Side Effects
- Difficulty swallowing
- Inflammation or ulcer in esophagus
- Skin inflammation or irritation
- Nail problems or discoloration
- Sun sensitivity
Tetracycline serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (infectious diarrhea): watery diarrhea (often several times a day), bloody stools, stomach cramps and pain, fever, loss of appetite
- High pressure around the brain: headache, dizziness, blurred vision, vision changes, blind spots
- Severe allergic reaction: shortness of breath; chest tightness; swelling of lips, tongue, or face
More on Tetracycline side effects
The following Tetracycline side effects have also been reported
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
For all tetracyclines
More common
Increased sensitivity of skin to sunlight (rare with minocycline)
Rare
Abdominal pain
bulging fontanel (soft spot on head) of infants
headache
loss of appetite
visual changes
yellowing skin
For demeclocycline only
Less common
Greatly increased frequency of urination or amount of urine
increased thirst
unusual tiredness or weakness
For minocycline only
Less common
Pigmentation (darker color or discoloration) of skin and mucous membranes
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
For all tetracyclines
For minocycline only
More common
Dizziness, light-headedness, or unsteadiness
In some patients tetracyclines may cause the tongue to become darkened or discolored. This effect is only temporary and will go away when you stop taking this medicine.
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
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Pros and cons of Tetracycline
Pros
- Treats a wide range of bacterial infections, including acne
- Good option for people with penicillin allergies
- Available as a lower-cost generic medication
- Safe to use in children over the age of 8
Cons
- Need to take multiple times a day for most infections
- Can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight
- Interacts with certain antacids and dairy products, such as milk
- Not safe for use in pregnancy or young children
Pharmacist tips for Tetracycline
- Be sure to take tetracycline as directed and finish the full course of the medication, even if you start to feel better. Stopping antibiotics too early can worsen your infection or make it harder to treat.
- Take each dose of tetracycline with plenty of water. This helps prevent the medication from causing burning, irritation, and harm to your esophagus (the tube that connects your throat to your stomach).
- Tetracycline can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Avoid the sun and sunlamps while you're taking tetracycline. Wear protective clothing and sunscreen whenever you're outside.
- Take tetracycline at least 2 hours before any medications (e.g., antacids, laxatives) or supplements that contain calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, aluminum, or sodium bicarbonate. If these products are taken too close to the antibiotic, they can prevent your body from absorbing tetracycline properly. This might affect how well the antibiotic works. Check with your pharmacist if you're not sure whether any of your medications contain these ingredients. They can also help you plan a medication schedule that works for you.
- Make sure your providers know which medications you're taking before you start a new one. This is especially important if you take blood thinners, such as warfarin (Coumadin), because they can interact with tetracycline and raise your risk of bleeding. If appropriate, your provider might prescribe a lower dose of your blood thinner while you're taking tetracycline.
- Like many other antibiotics, tetracycline can interact with birth control pills and make them not work as well. You might experience breakthrough bleeding or spotting while you're taking tetracycline. Consider using a back-up form of birth control, such as condoms, when you're taking tetracycline.
- Never use tetracycline once it's expired. Studies show that taking expired tetracycline might cause serious kidney problems.
Common questions about Tetracycline
No. Tetracycline isn't a penicillin. Tetracycline and penicillin medications belong to two different groups of antibiotics. The chemical structures of the medications are different, and they fight against bacteria in different ways. Because of these differences, you can take tetracycline if you have a penicillin allergy in most cases. If you have a penicillin allergy, check with your provider to see whether tetracycline is a good option for you.
Take tetracycline on an empty stomach to avoid any interactions with certain food and beverages. You especially shouldn't take tetracycline with milk or any other dairy product that contains a lot of calcium. Taking tetracycline with dairy products can prevent the medication from being properly absorbed in your body, which can affect how well it works. To avoid any interactions with your meals, you can take tetracycline at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating or drinking any dairy products.
No, don't stop taking the medication until your healthcare provider instructs you to, even if your symptoms improve. Some people can start feeling better a day or two after starting tetracycline, but it will take longer than that for the medication to clear your infection completely. Stopping a course of antibiotics earlier than prescribed can worsen your infection and make it harder to treat. Make sure to take tetracycline as directed by your healthcare provider.
No, you shouldn't use tetracycline for the flu or a common cold. These are usually viral infections. Tetracycline is an antibiotic that should only be used to fight against bacteria, not viruses. Taking this medication for viral infections can lead to unwanted side effects and might cause it to not work as well for future infections.
Yes. While few adults have reported teeth-staining from tetracycline, young children are at highest risk of this happening. In fact, children younger than 8 years of age shouldn't take tetracycline. This medication can affect the development of children's teeth by causing permanent teeth discoloration, staining, and thinning. This unpleasant side effect is more common if children take tetracycline for a long time, but it can happen at any time. While young children should avoid taking tetracycline if possible, there might be certain situations where this antibiotic is the best option for your child. Discuss with your child's provider about the best treatment options for them.
If you notice some teeth staining while you're taking tetracycline, contact your dentist. Depending on how severe the staining is, there might be a few ways your dentist can help remove them from your teeth. First, start by asking them whether they're able to bleach your teeth or scrape off the affected areas. If this doesn't work, your dentist might choose to offer you veneers or crowns to cover the discolored areas, but this might be costly. No matter what, it's best to talk with your dentist to take care of the discoloration professionally rather than attempting to fix the stains on your own.
No. You shouldn't take tetracycline together with the acne medication called isotretinoin (Claravis, Amnesteem). This is because there's a higher risk of developing a serious problem where there's high pressure around the brain when these two medicatioins are taken together. This serious condition can cause headaches, ringing in the ears, changes in vision, and even lead to permanent vision loss. Before starting any acne treatment, make sure your provider knows about all of the medications you're taking so they don't prescribe these two for you at the same time.
No, tetracycline isn't safe to take while you're pregnant. This antibiotic can cause harm to your unborn baby. Animal studies show that tetracycline can cross the placenta and have harmful effects on the development of your unborn baby's bones and teeth. If you're pregnant, you shouldn't take tetracycline unless you absolutely need to. Ask your healthcare provider about safer alternatives.
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Risks and warnings for Tetracycline
Tetracycline can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Color changes to teeth
- Risk factors: Use during the last half of pregnancy | Children age 8 and younger | Using tetracycline for a long time or multiple times
Tetracycline antibiotics can affect teeth that are still developing in young children. The teeth might permanently turn a yellow, gray, or brown color. In some cases, the teeth might not grow to be as strong because the medication might also affect the enamel of the teeth. Teeth development problems can also happen to an unborn baby if tetracycline is taken during the second half of pregnancy. People who are pregnant and young children should avoid tetracycline unless there isn't a safer alternative.
Severe infectious diarrhea
Like all antibiotics, tetracycline can raise your risk of developing infectious diarrhea. Normally, normal bacteria in your gut usually keep a specific bacteria called Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) under control. But when antibiotics change the amount of the normal bacteria, C. diff can overgrow in your gut, lead to an infection, and cause severe diarrhea. C. diff diarrhea can be very contagious and can lead to life-threatening dehydration. Get medical attention right away if you experience rapid heart rate, foul-smelling diarrhea, fever, nausea, frequent bowel movements (even up to 15 times per day). You might need to get tested for C. diff infection and receive treatment.
Sensitivity to sunlight
Tetracycline can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and cause you to get a sunburn more easily. Make sure to wear sun-protective clothing and use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 when you go outside, even on overcast days and during the winter. Also avoid tanning beds while you're taking tetracycline.
High pressure around the brain
- Risk factors: Women who can get pregnant and are either overweight or have history of high pressure in the brain | Taking isotretinoin with tetracycline
Tetracycline antibiotic use (like with [[EDITOR|DRUG_DISPLAY_NAM]]) might be linked to high pressure around the brain, a condition called intracranial hypertension. You might be a higher risk if you're also taking an acne medication called isotretinoin because it's also known to cause this problem. This high pressure around the brain usually goes away after you stop taking tetracycline, but permanent vision problems is possible. Call your healthcare provider right away if you experience headaches and changes in your eyesight, including blurry vision, double vision, or vision loss.
Harm to unborn and young babies
- Risk factors: Currently pregnant | Women who can have children | Premature babies
Avoid using tetracycline if you're pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant, as it can harm your unborn baby. Based on findings from animal studies, tetracycline can cross the placenta and have harmful effects on the growth and development of your unborn baby's teeth and bones. Similarly, premature babies who take tetracycline might not grow as quickly because the medication affects growing bones. If you're pregnant, you shouldn't take tetracycline unless your provider says it's absolutely necessary.
Possible kidney and liver damage in people with kidney problems
- Risk factors: Kidney problems | Taking tetracycline long term
If you have kidney problems, it's possible for tetracycline to cause more harm to your kidneys. And if you also take tetracycline for a long period of time, there's a risk that the antibiotic can damage your liver as well. Because of the risk for liver damage and worsening kidney problems, your provider will prescribe a lower dose of tetracycline for you to keep you safe. If you're taking the antibiotic long term, your provider might order lab tests so they can check your kidney and liver health.
Tetracycline dosage
Typical dosage for Tetracycline
General dosages
- Adults: The typical dose is 500 mg by mouth twice daily or 250 mg by mouth four times daily. You might need a higher dose for more severe infections or for infections that don't improve with smaller doses.
- Children over 8 years of age: The dose is based on your child's body weight. The typical dose is 25 mg/kg to 50 mg/kg of weight by mouth daily, split into four doses throughout the day.
Recommended dosages for specific infections
- Brucellosis: The typical dose is 500 mg by mouth four times daily for 3 weeks, taken along with another antibiotic called streptomycin.
- Syphilis: The typical dose is 500 mg by mouth four times daily for either 15 or 30 days, depending on how long you've had the infection.
- Gonorrhea or Chlamydia trachomatis infection: The typical dose is 500 mg by mouth four times daily for at least 7 days.
- Severe acne: The typical starting dose is 1 gram by mouth daily, divided into smaller doses throughout the day. Once you see improvement, you'll continue taking the medication at a maintenance dose ranging from 125 mg to 500 mg daily.
Your dose might differ if you have kidney problems.
Interactions between Tetracycline and other drugs
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking any of these medicines, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with a medication in this class or change some of the other medicines you take.
- Acitretin
- Methoxyflurane
Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Abametapir
- Acenocoumarol
- Amoxicillin
- Ampicillin
- Apixaban
- Ardeparin
- Argatroban
- Ascorbic Acid
- Atazanavir
- Bacampicillin
- Betrixaban
- Bexarotene
- Bivalirudin
- Carbamazepine
- Certoparin
- Cholera Vaccine, Live
- Cloxacillin
- Dabigatran Etexilate
- Dalteparin
- Danaparoid
- Desirudin
- Desogestrel
- Dicloxacillin
- Dienogest
- Digoxin
- Drospirenone
- Edoxaban
- Enoxaparin
- Enzalutamide
- Estradiol
- Ethinyl Estradiol
- Ethynodiol
- Etretinate
- Fondaparinux
- Fosphenytoin
- Gestodene
- Heparin
- Isotretinoin
- Lepirudin
- Levonorgestrel
- Lumacaftor
- Mestranol
- Methicillin
- Methotrexate
- Methoxyflurane
- Mitotane
- Nafcillin
- Nomegestrol
- Norethindrone
- Norgestimate
- Norgestrel
- Oxacillin
- Parnaparin
- Penicillin G
- Penicillin G Benzathine
- Penicillin G Procaine
- Penicillin V
- Phenindione
- Phenprocoumon
- Phenytoin
- Piperacillin
- Pivampicillin
- Porfimer
- Protein C
- Reviparin
- Rifampin
- Rivaroxaban
- St John's Wort
- Sultamicillin
- Temocillin
- Tinzaparin
- Tretinoin
- Warfarin
How much does Tetracycline cost?
$47.13
Tetracycline contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Tetracycline will not be safe for you to take.
- Allergy to other tetracycline antibiotics, such as doxycycline and minocycline
What are alternatives to Tetracycline?
Doxycycline hyclate is used to prevent malaria due to the parasite Plasmodium falciparum and to treat many different infections caused by bacteria. Some examples include:
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