Tetracycline

Tetracycline is a broad-spectrum of antibiotic and it is used to treat bacterial infections like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, typhus fever, tick fevers, upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, gonorrhea, amoebic infections and urinary tract infections. It is also helpful in severe acne, trachoma and conjunctivitis. It also works as an alternative drug for people who are allergic to penicillin. Tetracycline should not be given to the last half of pregnancy or in children under age of 8 years, because there is a chance that it will damage in developing teeth and may cause permanent discoloration.

Take the medication as prescribed to you by your doctor and finish the entire prescription. When you are purchasing the medication then be sure that the medication is not outdated because outdated tetracycline is highly toxic to the kidneys. You should avoid taking antacids containing aluminum, calcium, or magnesium while taking tetracycline, because they can affect the absorption of the medication. The effective time of the medication is 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals, because foods, milk or other dairy products may affect the absorption of the drug. You should continue the medication for at least 24 to 48 hours after your symptoms have fallen down. If miss a dose then take it as soon as you remember and if it is almost the time to take next dose then you should follow the below procedure. If you take tetracycline once a day then first you should take the missed dose and take the next dose after 10 to 12 hours. If you take it twice a day then you should take the missed dose and take the next dose 5 to 6 hours later. If you take 3 doses or more doses a day then take the missed dose and then take the next dose 2 to 4 hours later and then follow your regular scheduled doses. Keep the medication at room temperature and the liquid form of the medication in the refrigerator and don’t let it freeze.



Side effects of the medication cannot be anticipated but they occur or become intensified then inform your doctor. The more common side effects include anemia, blurred vision, diarrhea, difficult or painful swallowing, dizziness, blood disorders, bulging soft spot on the head, genital or anal sores or rash, hives, inflammation of large bowel, inflammation of the tongue, inflammation of upper digestive tract, increased sensitivity of light, loss of appetite, nausea, ringing in the ears, swelling due to fluid accumulation, vision disturbance, and vomiting.

First tell your doctor if you have kidney disease because you doctor may change your dose amount. Tetracycline can make you more sensitive therefore when you are out in the sun, use sunscreen or other protective clothing. In the adults, there may develop headache and blurred vision so in this condition, you should contact with your doctor but they usually disappear soon after the medication is stopped. There are certain drugs that if you take tetracycline with them then they can interact with it and the effect of the medication may be increased, decreased, or altered so it is important to check your doctor if are using any combination. These drugs include antacids containing aluminum, calcium, or magnesium like Mylanta and Maalox, coumadin, and oral contraceptives penicillin.