Doxycycline is an antibiotic that is used to treat different types of bacterial infections. Antibiotics are divided into different classes and Doxycycline belongs to the tetracycline class.

Doxycycline is also one of the most common treatment courses for protection against Malaria when travelling to high risk areas.

Antibiotics work against bacteria. For their own survival and reproduction, bacteria need to produce certain proteins. Doxycycline works by entering the bacteria cells and blocking the production of these proteins.

When taken correctly, Doxycycline is effective at fighting bacterial infections like Chlamydia in 95% of cases. To make sure that you take it correctly, it’s important to complete the treatment by taking every single dose on time as prescribed.

In order to successfully treat chlamydia, doxycycline must be taken twice a day for 7 days. The capsules must be swallowed with water in the morning and in the evening, and can be taken with or without food.

Although Doxycycline is effective at fighting off existing bacterial infections in your body, it does not protect you from getting them again. That’s why it’s recommended that you avoid vaginal, oral, and anal sex, even with a condom, while you’re undergoing treatment. The same is true for your partner. This makes sure that you don’t catch it again while you’re recovering, and that you don’t spread it to anyone else.

Though a commonly prescribed antibiotic, not everyone can take Doxycycline. Doxycycline treatment is not right for you if you:

• are allergic to doxycycline, or tetracyclines in general
• are pregnant or breastfeeding
• are younger than 12
• have sucrose or fructose intolerance
• have enamel hypoplasia

If you have the following conditions, you should talk to a doctor to check if it’s safe for you to take doxycycline:

• liver problems
• kidney problems
• oesophagitis - an inflammation or irritation of the oesophagus
• an autoimmune disease, like lupus
• myasthenia gravis - a rare neuromuscular condition that causes muscle weakness

Doxycycline can react with other medications or supplements. If you’re taking the following medications, talk to a doctor before starting doxycycline treatment:

• Other antibiotics
• Antacids
• Food supplements containing aluminium, bismuth, calcium, magnesium, or zinc
• Iron supplements
• Retinoids – used to treat various skin conditions such as acne
• Quinapril – used to treat high blood pressure
• Anticoagulants, like warfarin
• Kaolin – used to treat diarrhoea
• Ergotamine or methysergide – used to treat migraines or headaches
• Methoxyflurane – used as an anaesthetic
• Methotrexate – used to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or cancer
• Antiepileptics, like carbamazepine or phenytoin
• Ciclosporin – used to adjust the body’s immune response after organ transplant
• Rifampicin – used to treat tuberculosis

Doxycycline can also interfere with the effectiveness of the typhoid vaccine. To make sure that doxycycline is the right treatment option for you, always get assessed by a qualified doctor, online or in person.

If you can’t take Doxycycline, there may be other treatment options available for you. Check our chlamydia treatment page.

Superdrug Online Doctor offers a safe way to get a prescription online. A fully qualified and UK registered doctor will analyse your medical information and history and, if Doxycycline is suitable for you, send you a prescription. You can then use it to buy Doxycycline in any pharmacy in Ireland.

Note that due to chlamydia often being a symptomless condition, the only way to know for sure that you have chlamydia and therefore need treatment is by doing a test. If your test result returns positive, you can then proceed to get treatment from Superdrug Online Doctor.

You are also at risk of chlamydia if you have unprotected sex with someone who is known to have chlamydia. In that case it is usually recommended to be treated for chlamydia, even without getting tested first.

The other antibiotic that is frequently used to treat chlamydia is Azithromycin (often known by the brand name Zithromax).

Azithromycin is taken as a 3-day course, making it a more attractive treatment option for some people.

If you are unable to take Azithromycin or Doxycycline, you will have to contact your GP and they will be able to prescribe you another course of treatment, such as amoxicillin, or erythromycin.

The most common side effects of chlamydia treatment are:

• tummy pain
• diarrhoea
• feeling or being sick (nausea/vomiting)
• thrush in women
• headache
• sensitivity to light

Side effects are possible, but not everyone taking doxycycline will get them. More severe side effects, which are much less common, but need immediate medical attention, include:

• severe skin reaction
• photo onycholysis: loosening of the nail from the nail bed after sun exposure
• severe headaches
• blurred vision, double vision, blind spots
• bulging fontanelle: soft spots on your head
• heartburn
• pseudomembranous colitis: severe watery or bloody diarrhoea with very painful stomach cramps
• teeth discolouration or underdevelopment
• low blood pressure, fast heart rate
• blood disorders
• muscle and joint pain
• hepatitis, liver failure

If you’re experiencing mild or severe side effects after taking doxycycline, talk about them with your doctor or pharmacist. They might suggest that you:

• stop the treatment
• switch to another antibiotic
• treat the side effects with other medications, like painkillers