Side Effects of Doxycycline Oral Tablet: What You Need to Know

What are the more common side effects of doxycycline?

Some people may experience mild to serious side effects during doxycycline treatment. Examples of the drug’s commonly reported side effects include:

• diarrhea
• nausea
• vomiting
• increased sensitivity to sunlight (see “Side effects explained” for details)

What are the mild side effects of doxycycline?

Mild side effects have been reported with doxycycline. These include:

• appetite loss
• diarrhea
• difficulty swallowing
• headache
• increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
• increased sensitivity to sunlight (see “Side effects explained” for details)
• nausea
• skin rash
• superficial discoloration of adult teeth that may be removed by dental cleaning
• permanent tooth discoloration, if taken during tooth development
• tongue inflammation
• vomiting

In most cases, these side effects should be temporary. And some may be easily managed. But if you have symptoms that are ongoing or bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. And do not stop taking doxycycline unless your doctor recommends it.

Doxycycline may cause mild side effects other than those listed above. See the drug’s prescribing information for details.

Experiencing side effects? After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug, it tracks and reviews side effects of the medication. If you develop a side effect while taking this drug and want to tell the FDA about it, visit MedWatch or call 800-FDA-1088.

What are the serious side effects of doxycycline?

Serious side effects have been reported with doxycycline. These include:

• blood cell problems, including:
  • hemolytic anemia
  • low neutrophil count (neutropenia)
  • low platelet count (thrombocytopenia)
• Clostridium difficile (C. diff)-associated diarrhea (CDAD)
• inflammation and ulcers in your esophagus*
• liver damage
• pancreatitis
• severe skin reactions, including:
  • toxic epidermal necrolysis
  • Stevens-Johnson syndrome
  • drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS syndrome)
• intracranial hypertension
• pericarditis
• Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (fever, chills, and muscle pain occurring shortly after starting treatment for certain infections)

To learn more about some of these side effects, see the “Side effects explained” section.

If you develop serious side effects while taking doxycycline, call your doctor right away. If the side effects seem life threatening or you think you’re having a medical emergency, immediately call 911 or your local emergency number.

* To reduce the risk of esophageal irritation and ulcers, you should take doxycycline with adequate amounts of fluid and avoid lying down immediately after taking a dose.

ALLERGIC REACTION

For some people, doxycycline can cause an allergic reaction.

In general, symptoms of an allergic reaction can be mild or serious.

What might help

If you have mild symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. They may suggest a treatment to manage your symptoms and can determine whether you should keep taking doxycycline.

If you have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or difficulty breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. These symptoms could be life threatening and require immediate medical care.

If your doctor confirms you’ve had a serious allergic reaction to doxycycline, they may have you switch to a different treatment.

Doxycycline side effects in children

Doxycycline is used to help treat certain infections in children ages 8 years and older.

This drug may be prescribed for children under the age of 8 years when:

• there are no alternative therapies for their infection
• the risks of not treating the infection outweigh the risks of taking doxycycline

Doxycycline can cause permanent tooth discoloration or enamel hypoplasia if the drug is taken by children under 8 years old. These side effects can be permanent and are possible even if doxycycline is only taken for a short time.

Due to this risk, doctors typically avoid prescribing doxycycline to children under 8 years of age unless there are no other treatments available or the benefits of using doxycycline outweigh the risks.

For more information about potential side effects of this medication in children, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

FAQ about doxycycline’s side effects

Side effects explained

Learn more about some of the side effects doxycycline may cause.

Increased sensitivity to sunlight

Increased sensitivity to sunlight (photosensitivity) was a common side effect reported in studies of doxycycline. This side effect increases your risk of sunburn and other skin symptoms if you’re exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) light.

Photosensitivity may cause symptoms such as skin itchiness and exaggerated sunburn or skin rash, which may blister, peel, or weep in severe cases.

What might help

To lower your risk of photosensitivity symptoms, you should try to avoid excessive exposure to direct sunlight and other UV light, like tanning beds. If you’ll be exposed to the sun while taking doxycycline, it’s very important to protect your skin using sunscreen or protective clothing, such as long sleeves and a hat.

If you have symptoms of photosensitivity during doxycycline treatment, talk with your doctor. They’ll likely recommend a treatment based on your symptoms, such as a corticosteroid cream to reduce inflammation in the affected area. They’ll also likely have you stop taking doxycycline.

Intracranial hypertension (IH)

IH (increased pressure in fluid around the brain) is a rare side effect reported with doxycycline. This side effect can be serious and may cause long-term eye problems in severe cases.

Symptoms of IH may include headache, blurred vision, double vision, or vision loss.

Factors that increase your risk of IH while taking doxycycline include:

• being a female who has previously had IH
• being a female of childbearing age who is overweight
• taking the medication isotretinoin (Accutane) at the same time as doxycycline

Note: The use of binary terms such as “male” and “female” in this article reflects the language of the sources we’ve used. Unless otherwise noted, it’s unclear whether the research we reference included participants with expansive gender identities.

What might help

IH often goes away once you stop taking doxycycline. But in rare cases, this side effect can cause irreversible complications, including permanent vision loss.

Due to this risk, immediately contact your doctor if you have symptoms of IH while taking doxycycline — especially eye or vision symptoms. They’ll likely have you stop taking doxycycline and recommend that you schedule an eye exam with an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

Pericarditis

Pericarditis (inflammation around your heart) has been reported with doxycycline treatment. It’s not clear how often this side effect happened in these studies, but it’s thought to be rare.

Symptoms of pericarditis can include:

• chest pain
• difficulty breathing, especially when lying down
• fever
• heart palpitations
• fatigue

What might help

If you have chest pain, seek immediate medical attention by calling 911 (or your local emergency number) or going to the nearest hospital or emergency room. Chest pain can be a symptom of a more serious medical emergency, such as a heart attack.

Pericarditis can be treated, although it can take weeks for your symptoms to go away. If your doctor believes you have pericarditis, they’ll likely suggest you stop taking doxycycline. They can also recommend appropriate treatment for your pericarditis, such as colchicine or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.

Doxycycline warnings

Doxycycline can sometimes cause harmful effects in people with certain conditions. This is known as a drug-condition interaction. Other factors may also affect whether doxycycline is a good treatment option for you.

Talk with your doctor about your health history before starting this medication. Be sure to tell them if any of the following factors apply to you:

• blood cell problem, such as anemia
• chronic pancreatitis
• CDAD after taking doxycycline or another antibiotic in the past
• intracranial hypertension in the past
• liver condition, such as hepatitis
• occupation that requires prolonged time in the sun
• pericarditis or other heart condition, such as heart failure
• previous allergic reaction to doxycycline
• pregnancy
• breastfeeding
• alcohol consumption