Doxycycline 50mg 28 Capsules for Acne

Always take your medicine exactly as your doctor has instructed. If you are unsure, you can check with one of our medical experts. You should not take more than your doctor has recommended.  

The usual dose for treating Acne is one 50mg capsule to be taken daily for 6 to12 weeks, with food or at least 150ml of fluid. 
 
If you forget to take it 
Take the dose as soon as you remember to take it unless it is nearly time to take your next dose. If that is the case, leave the missed dose and take your next dose at the usual time.  

Never take two doses at the same time. Never take an extra dose to make up for a forgotten one. 

If you find that you struggle to remember to take your doses, it could help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember to take your medicines. 

If you take too much 
It is unlikely to harm you if you take an extra dose of doxycycline, however, contact us if you are worried or you have taken more than one extra dose. 

Doxycycline is not suitable for some people. To make sure it is safe for you, tell your doctor if you: 

• have ever had an allergic reaction to doxycycline or any other medicine 
• have an inflamed food pipe (oesophagitis) 
• have myasthenia gravis, a condition that causes severe muscle weakness 
• have kidney or liver problems 
• are pregnant or breastfeeding 
• have lupus, an autoimmune disease 

Possible side effects

Like all medicines, Doxycycline can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.  

Stop taking your medicine and tell your doctor immediately or go to an accident and emergency if you notice any of the following symptoms.  

Although the symptoms are very rare, they may be severe.  

• A ringing or buzzing noise in the ear (tinnitus)  
• Severe skin reactions such as erythema multiforme (circular, irregular red patches), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (rash with flushing, fever, blisters or ulcers), toxic epidermal necrolysis (reddening, peeling and swelling that resembles burns)  
• Symptoms of an allergic reaction - sudden wheeziness, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, fever, sudden swellings of the face, lips, tongue, throat, hands or feet, rash or itching (especially affecting the whole body),  
• Pericarditis (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart)  
• Worsening of systemic lupus erythematosus (autoimmune disease) 
• Fever, swollen lymph nodes or skin rash. These may be symptoms of a condition known as DRESS (Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms) and can be severe and life-threatening.  
• If you experience any of the side effects listed below, tell your doctor as soon as possible:  
• Sensitivity to sunlight - you may get a skin rash, itching, redness, or severe sunburn when out in sunlight or after using a sunbed  
• Swollen tongue, severe watery or bloody diarrhoea, fever, and cramps (pseudomembranous colitis), stomach pains  
• Low blood pressure  
• Aches in the joints or muscles  
• Unusual rapid heartbeats (palpitations) 
• Fainting  
• Porphyria (sensitivity of the skin to sunlight, inflammation of nerves and stomach pains)  
• The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction which causes fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and a skin rash that is usually self-limiting. This occurs shortly after starting doxycycline treatment for infections with spirochete such as Lyme disease 

The side effects listed below may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell us if any of these side effects continue to bother you:  

Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people  

• Feeling or being sick  
• Headache  

Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people  

• Vaginal infection  
• Heartburn  

Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people  

• Increased levels of urea in the blood  
• Bulging fontanelles (soft spot on the head) of infants  
• Increased pressure in the skull (severe headache which may be associated with visual disturbances such as blurred vision, double vision, or loss of vision)  
• Anxiety  
• Inflammation and/or ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract (symptoms may include sore mouth, indigestion, and difficulty swallowing)  
• Loss of appetite  
• Diarrhoea  
• Soreness and itching of the rectal and/or genital area  
• Skin reddening (flushing)  
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or white of the eyes) has rarely been reported  
• Pancreatitis (manifested by severe upper abdominal pain) has rarely been reported  
• Discolouration of thyroid tissue (does not affect thyroid function)  
• Changes in liver function tests  
• Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)  
• Liver failure  
• Loosening of the nail from the nail bed after exposure to the sun  
• Blood disorders (symptoms may include tiredness, weakness, easy bruising or susceptibility to infection)  
• Yeast infection around the anus or genitals  
• Skin Hyperpigmentation (with chronic use of doxycycline)  

Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data  

• Vaginitis  
• Discolouration and/or lack of growth of teeth