Doxycycline 100mg capsules

Doxycycline is part of a group of antibiotics called tetracyclines. You can use doxycycline to prevent getting malaria by taking it before, during and after going to an area where there is a high risk of malaria.

Malaria is a disease carried by Anopheles mosquitoes in tropical areas of the world. When these mosquitoes bite your skin, they can inject a parasite into your blood. The parasites that cause malaria are from the Plasmodium family. There are several types but Plasmodium falciparum is the most common. Malaria is a serious disease which can be life threatening.

Doxycycline works by stopping the parasites from multiplying inside your blood cells, which stop them from being able to make you unwell.

Doxycycline is an antibiotic that is used to treat other types of infections too. If you think that you might need this treatment for another reason, speak to your doctor before using it.

Doxycycline works by stopping the malarial parasite from making the proteins it needs to multiply and spread throughout your body. In this way, doxycycline prevents malaria from infecting you and making you ill. For doxycycline to work it must be present in your blood, so you have to take it daily before, during and after your trip.

You can take doxycycline if you are travelling to a malarial area or country where doxycycline is recommended.

Even if you take doxycycline daily, you must protect yourself from mosquito bites by also:

• wearing insect repellent on your bare skin, such as DEET
• wearing long sleeves and loose clothing
• staying away from areas where mosquitoes breed, such as swamps, lakes or ponds
• sleeping with a mosquito net
• using chemical plug-in mosquito repellents
• wearing long socks and avoid open shoes like sandals

To check if an area you’re travelling to has malaria, speak to a doctor or pharmacist.

Who should not use doxycycline

Speak to a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist, if you:

• are allergic to any of the ingredients in doxycycline
• are allergic to any tetracycline antibiotic
• are pregnant or planning to be pregnant
• are breastfeeding
• have kidney or liver disease
• have had diarrhoea in the past when taking antibiotics
• have systemic lupus erythematosus
• have myasthenia gravis (a condition that causes muscle weakness)
• have syphilis
• have porphyria (a disease of the blood)

Doxycycline should not be used by children under the age of 12 years.

Possible side effects of doxycycline are nausea or vomiting and heartburn. Taking doxycycline with food and when standing or sitting upright can help to prevent this. Vaginal thrush is another possible side effect.

Doxycycline can cause sensitivity to sunlight. Keeping out of the sun and wearing sunscreen with high SPF and UVA protection can help to prevent sunburn.

If you have a condition called systemic lupus erythematosus, doxycycline can make it worse.

Read the patient information leaflet inside your pack of doxycycline for more details.

If you get any the following, you must stop taking doxycycline and contact the local emergency services:

• chest pain
• difficulty breathing
• diarrhoea that will not stop or contains blood
• stomach pain
• strong headache
• fast heartbeat
• swollen face, eyelids or lips

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

You should not take doxycycline if you’re pregnant as it can affect your developing baby.

If you’re breastfeeding, you should not take doxycycline either because it can get into your breast milk. Doxycycline can affect your child’s tooth development and cause tooth discolouration.

Doxycycline drug interactions

Doxycycline may interact with other medicines you take. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if you’re currently taking:

• acne treatment, such as isotretinoin or tretinoin
• epilepsy treatment, such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, or barbiturates like phenobarbital
• antacids for heartburn that contain calcium, magnesium or aluminium, including over-the-counter products you have bought from a pharmacy
• iron supplements
• medicines containing zinc or bismuth
• blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin or aspirin
• birth control pills (contraceptives)
• penicillin antibiotics, like amoxicillin
• ciclosporin

Doxycycline with food and alcohol

Do not have these at the same time as doxycycline, because they may stop it from working properly and reduce your protection from malaria:

• alcohol
• vitamins or food with zinc, iron or magnesium
• heartburn medicines or antacids high in calcium, magnesium or aluminium

Instead, have these about 2 hours after or before you take your doxycycline.

Which active ingredients does doxycycline contain?

The active ingredient in doxycycline capsules is doxycycline hyclate 100mg.

The other ingredients in doxycycline capsules are microcrystalline cellulose, sodium lauryl sulphate, magnesium stearate, colloidal anhydrous silica, gelatin, talc, titanium dioxide (E171), erythrosine (E127) and indigo carmine (E132).

If you have an allergy to any of these ingredients, please speak to your doctor for advice before taking doxycycline.

Check the patient information leaflet for the most up to date details on the ingredients of generic doxycycline capsules.

How should doxycycline be disposed of?

Your unused or expired doxycycline should be disposed of at your local pharmacy. To prevent harm to the environment, do not dispose of doxycycline in your household waste bin or throw it down the drain.

How should doxycycline be stored?

You should store doxycycline inside its box. Do not pop out a doxycycline capsule from its protective blister strip until you want to take it. Store your doxycycline in a place away from direct sunlight, children and pets.

In which pack sizes are doxycycline capsules available?

Doxycycline 100mg is available in pack sizes of 28 and 50 capsules. You may need more than 1 pack of doxycycline for a complete course to protect you from malaria. Your doctor will prescribe enough pack sizes to cover you for your trip.