Doxycycline

Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic of the tetracycline class used in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria and certain parasites. It is used to treat bacterial pneumonia, acne, chlamydia infections, Lyme disease, cholera, typhus, and syphilis. It is also used to prevent malaria. Doxycycline may be taken by mouth or intravenously.

Common side effects include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and an increased risk of sunburn. Use during pregnancy is not recommended. Like other agents of the tetracycline class, it either slows or kills bacteria by inhibiting protein production. It kills Plasmodium—microorganisms associated with malaria—by targeting a plastid organelle, the apicoplast.

Doxycycline was patented in 1957 and came into commercial use in 1967. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Doxycycline is available as a generic medicine. In 2023, it was the 77th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 8 million prescriptions.

In addition to the general indications for all members of the tetracycline antibiotics group, doxycycline is frequently used to treat Lyme disease, chronic prostatitis, sinusitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, severe acne, rosacea, and rickettsial infections. The efficiency of oral doxycycline for treating papulopustular rosacea and adult acne is not solely based on its antibiotic properties, but also on its anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic properties.

In Canada, in 2004, doxycycline was considered a first-line treatment for chlamydia and non-gonococcal urethritis and with cefixime for uncomplicated gonorrhea.

Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is employed in the treatment of numerous bacterial infections. It is effective against bacteria such as Moraxella catarrhalis, Brucella melitensis, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Additionally, doxycycline is used in the prevention and treatment of serious conditions like anthrax, leptospirosis, bubonic plague, and Lyme disease. However, some bacteria have shown resistance to doxycycline, including Haemophilus spp., Mycoplasma hominis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is also effective against Yersinia pestis (the infectious agent of bubonic plague), and is prescribed for the treatment of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Specifically, doxycycline is indicated for treatment of the following diseases:

When bacteriologic testing indicates appropriate susceptibility to the drug, doxycycline may be used to treat these infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria: