Doxycycline Hyclate and lyme

I was prescribed Doxycycline 1 dose twice a day for 2 weeks because of my lyme disease diagnosis. I am now at the end of the 2 weeks. For the first 9 days I felt pretty good. Lyme Disease symptoms were almost gone and my energy was very high. Now I am in a zoned out haze and I urinate like crazy. Whatever I drink just runs right through me. I feel tired and kind of achy. The craziest thing is the frequent urinating. I suppose I could have a urinary tract infection. This medication is messed up.

I started this antibiotic because of symptoms my ER physician thought paralleled those of lyme disease... At first I had mild to severe nausea... which was assisted with the intake of a meal or snack. Those symptoms I could deal with... that and a wonderful yeast infection that occurred around the fifth day. The side affects that became unruly, were those of confusion, panic, paranoia (I became extremely jealous/thought my partner wanted to leave me/ and felt un-trusting of just about anyone near - people mocking me, wanting to avoid me, unloved me), and had random bouts of crying - which affected my libido tremendously.... one moment I was in the mood.. the next I wanted to be held in a fetal position and cry. I finished the 14 day regiment about three days ago, however I still have some side effects remaining... I still have panicky thoughts.. almost flash backs of past anxieties... as though I am relieving them again... and paranoia... that people are talking about me, or scheming. I can understand these behaviors if they were pertinently normal.. and a justified part of my general existence... however, I am generally a stable, upbeat and cheerful individual with normal reactions to stress... being that the only time I act reasonably irrational is around my period, where I feel fat and uncomfortable. The panic and rage I felt on this medication was coupled with insane thoughts and neurosis.

I do not recommend this to sensitive individuals.... or any one who is prone to medication side effects.... truly an awful experience... glad there is a support group. Still waiting to return back to normal.

Have been on med for two weeks for confirmed case of Lyme Disease. It being August, I spent a good deal of time in the sun. Even with constant application of 50 spf sunblock, ended up burned. Hands and feet, especially. After that initial (horrible) sunburn went away, have stayed inside. Somehow, yesterday my nose became very red. Ho ho ho. My lips are also burned, strangely, and seemed to have swollen to Angelina Jolie proportions... worried will continue to swell to Bubba Gump size. Will be interesting when I meet my eighth grade students for the first time tomorrow. As for nausea, not so bad. All in all, I'd much rather suffer these symptoms than continue the excruciating joint pain of the Lyme.

I started Adoxa (generic form of Doxy) about 2 weeks ago for a cyst. About 5 days after taking the med, I was swimming and my hands had the weirdest sensation... After I got out of the pool, my feet were on fire as were my hands. Thought I just had gotten sunburn, though I don't normally burn. A couple days later, I had a severe tingling/burning in my fingers and toes. Couldn't sleep because of the pain. This lasted 2 night and I stopped taking the Adoxa. Went to Urgent Care because the burning was not subsiding and and my toes and fingers were EXTREMELY sensitive. I couldn't even open a pop can. Dr. said I had Periphrial Neuropathy and it is not a side effect of the Adoxa that I was taking. Told me I had symptoms to a bigger problem. I have been off Adoxa now for 4 days and the tingling/burning/sensitivity has all gone away! I know that it is the Adoxa and will not ever take it again!!! Remember to trust your instincts when you take medications!!!!

I started Doxycycline Hyclate several days ago (100 mg 2x daily) as part of 3 week regimen to treat Lyme Disease. I have had some stomach upset, a generally reduced appetite, and cottonmouth... but by far and large the biggest effect has been this overwhelming exhaustion.

Went to bad at 9:30 last night and woke up at 9:00 am this morning but could not drag myself outta bed until almost noon. Its now the middle of the afternoon and I feel like a complete zombie. Spacy and unmotivated, my head might as well be made of wood and can't pull it together to even take a shower yet.

I am a real outdoors guy and keep up a busy routine of work and exercise. Another 2 and a half weeks of this is gonna drive me nuts. I guess it is better than having Lyme, but does it get any easier?

I took this medication as a malarial prevention whilst traveling through India.
Never EVER again. My boyfriend had suffered from depression in the past and we had heard bad things about Larium in relation to anxiety and insomnia so we specifically asked our doctor for the malarial tablets with the least amount of side effects associated with that kind of stuff. He reassured us that there was no record of Doxcycline ever having caused those sorts of effects.
So off we went- we followed the instructions exactly and began our trip.
A week or so into India I began to notice shortness of breath and stomach pain- I put it down to typical India travelers upset and thought no more about it. A bit later I began to suffer moments of anxiety that were really out of character ( I've never suffered from anxiety or depression). I'm very well traveled ( I work in the travel industry and have traveled extensively in the Americas, Africa, Australasia and se Asia) and so although this was my first trip to India- i knew my anxiety had nothing to do with India itself. ( people kept telling me this but I loved India)
It came to a head on a overnight bus from Goa to Hampi- I was feeling really anxious, sweating and clammy, I couldn't sleep and my breathing was really tight. Eventually I had a full blown panic attack that was almost like a out of body experience- I couldn't see and I couldn't breath. The whole bus had to stop ( embarrassing!) at 3am in the morning. Eventually I managed to get back on and make it to the next town ( although not as far as Hampi) so we could take stock.
I was petrified and had no idea whatsoever what was going on. It never occurred to me it could be the malaria tablets as we had been so clear and our doctor so confident they didn't have these kinds of side effects.
I was worried about being on buses, trains even planes again since I didn't know what caused the attacks and I was terrified another one would happen. I had no valium or any other sort of thing that might have helped. In the end we had to cut our trip short and make it back to Mumbai - In Mumbai I suffered from another two panic attacks- one where I could see the walls closing in in our cheap hotel room. Shortness of breath, tightness all through my body, hysteria, blurry vision - it was awful! And also this ongoing pain and upset in my stomach.
I ended up cutting short a RTW trip that my boyfriend and I had been saving for for over a year and coming home to Australia 2 months early.
It was devastating and I still had no idea what was causing it. Finally a friend said her doctor had mentioned sleeplessness and anxiety as a rare side effect of this drug when she was taking it for some problems to do with vaginal bleeding and spotting. I started searching on the internet and was amazed to find loads of sights with people experiencing heaps of the side effects that I'd been told were never a problem with this drug!
Obviously Malaria is really serious but if I had been properly informed I could have made the decision to come off the drugs and look at alternate medication. For now - Im taking the risk of no malaria tablets at all for my next couple of trips (to Borneo- so not a major risk anyway) and will actually research much harder before taking anything again!

Am on my second 3-week course of doxycycline for Lyme disease since the first go round didn't eradicate the infection. Have all the classic side effects mentioned, however the stomach ailments are GREATLY alleviated by taking a strong (70 billion parts per capsule) probiotic. Take it half way between the 2 doxycycline doses and although it isn't magic it does make a difference.
Although I have no appetite, I try to graze lightly on foods that appeal to me throughout the day and that seems to help with many of the horrific side effects.
Also, my MD suggested I take Aleve and NOT Ibuprofen for headaches since the Ibuprofen can cause a "headache" kickback (and causes stomach pain). Don't know if that's true, but the Aleve seems to help a little.
Worst side effects for me are utter exhaustion, dizziness, stomach pain, sore throat, and a head that hurts feels like it is filled with wet cotton. Also heart palpitations which may be part of the Lyme disease.
Hope some of this helps.

On doxycycline now for 3 weeks 100 mg twice per day. I can't stop yawning. I am so tired and it is difficult to concentrate.
Suppose to take the regimen for at least 6 weeks for chronic lyme disease. I skipped last night's dose. Although I am so tired I feel at night like I have a fever and do not sleep more than 6 hours.
-Lizydoo

I'm taking Doxycycline 100mg 5x/day. Started a little over 2 weeks ago for Chronic Lyme. I have a 4 month course to complete.
In the past 14 years after that tick got me I was the living dead, those with Chronic Lyme know what I mean. I have virtually the same side effects as everyone else here and wonder if it even matters how much you take a day. A lot of you have the same doses (100mg 2x/day) and the same degree of side effects as I do. My side effects are headaches or a pain in my right temple whenever I cough, severe itching EVERYWHERE, blisters on my hands from itching, burns on my skin wherever the sun shines on me (I live in Florida), vomiting daily some days worse than others, mood swings, crying for nothing, nausea almost constantly, gassy (both ends), I have a bladder infection that started 2 days ago that after reading this can be attributed to the Doxy, asthma symptoms are getting out of hand, I also have this odd swelling/pain over my liver/gall bladder area that's been coming and going, ears ring, noise bothers me and actually starts a headache, diarrhea the first week and constipation the second week, skin feels tight and there's noticeable swelling all over.

With that said I want to say that yes this is not one of the more pleasant drugs to be on however in my case if I don't get these bugs out of me I am going to die so would rather deal with side effects knowing these bugs are being killed and I will be off them someday unlike the Lyme I will have for eternity. Lyme people and other chronically ill people on these meds say this is called "herxing" and this comes and goes also. You feel really bad and then you feel good, then bad and then good again and so on. I started out on this drug keeping in mind that any sikness/side effect was telling me those bugs are dying so in a sense I almost welcome them.

Good luck everyone:)

The backs of my hands burn and have red blotches...they burn if the sun even touches them (tough to do anything outdoors...michael jackson gloves, or what?)...they also burn when I run water over them. I'm taking 200mg twice daily for chronic lyme...and am toward the end of the second week of a three week protocol. After reading some of these comments and other allergic reactions elsewhere, I've taken my last dose about an hour ago...

(I love the sun, and am afraid I'm turning into some of those people you see with huge wrap around sunglasses and arab clothing...I want the beach, surf and sail...)

I find some of these posts interesting because it seems as if some folks either do not completely read the dosing instructions that come with all medications when they are picked up from a pharmacy or given by a doctor, or they just choose to ignore them. I have been on Doxy for six months for the treatment of Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. It's been no picnic at times but I feel 100 times better than before I started it. When I started taking Doxy, I too didn't pay much attention to the dosing instructions and I learned the hard way with some uncomfortable side-effects. Here are a few recommendations from someone who has been taking this drug long-term. 1. You must eat! Eat a small snack (banana, crackers, fruit) before you take the drug. Do not take it with something that you know upsets your stomach, also do not take it with dairy or any supplements containing magnesium or iron. 2. After taking the drug, eat another small snack, same as in #1. Avoid any of the supplements or dairy listed above for at least two hours. 3. Imperative!!! Take a good probiotic regularly (30-50 billion cfu). Antibiotics are designed to kill stuff in your body. They do not distinguish between bad and good however. You need the probiotic to replace the good bacteria in your digestive tract, otherwise your body will not digest properly. I was constipated for quite some time before I figured this one out. 4. I saw a few other folks mention this one. Do not lay down immediately following taking the drug. Again, I learned the hard way, I had severe GERD for a time as well. 5. Avoid long-term sun exposure. This was the latest. My skin has always had some natural pigmentation in it for a white guy and I have not burned too easily. On the Doxy though, I found out that I burn extremely fast. I guess I will be under an umbrella at the beach in a few weeks. 6. Don't panic! This drug was made to fight infections/disease. Be prepared for some side-effects, but also don't be afraid to see your doctor if they are just unbearable. All people do not respond to medications in the same manner. What works for you or me might not work for someone else. I hope this information helps someone out there. I know it is incredibly frustrating when you are taking something to cure an illness and more things go wrong.

I had to take Doxycycline for 3 weeks last August when a tick bite I had developed the classic "bulls eye"... a sign of Lyme disease. Everything went well for the first 10 days then I started getting kind of nervous and couldn't sleep well at night. I was constantly starving, really ravenous and had to eat constantly otherwise the nausea got worse. I was glad when I was finally able to stop taking the meds, BUT then after 24 hours I became depressed and really fuzzy in my head and disoriented. This lasted for another 2-4 days. I'm feeling much better now, but I have noticed that I'm just a lot more sensitive to other stimulants...coffee, sugar, alcohol, chocolate. I know I have a few other allergies, hay fever, food allergies etc. I was just wondering, does anyone else out there who has had a negative reaction to doxy have any other allergies or intolerances, or asthma? How much sugar, either in the form of sweets or alcohol do you usually consume? Daily, weekly, monthly...none at all? Feedback would be greatly appreciated. I would like to get to the root of this problem.

Wow! Seems as if I'm one of many, many folks with Doxycycline issues. Was prescribed it for symptoms arising from a bad tick bite. Now, in my 5th day of a 10-day course, I have the crushing exhaustion, the mild nausea, the sudden hot flashes and sweats (I didn't even get those during an unmedicated menopause), the aches, the muzzy, on-another-planet head symptoms. I'm thinking that the side effects are better than, say, Lyme or Tularemia – but whew! This has been a stark realization that even if you're a "good patient", even if you read everything that's given to you in connection with a drug, you're still not getting even half the story. And doctors in this managed care world certainly aren't going to tell us. Thanks to everyone who has shared info on this site!

hi,
i have been on 100 mgs twice daily for bulls eye rash. i am awaiting initial lab results.
anyhow in the morning or whenever my stomach is empty.(told to take on empty stomach via enclosed pamphlet courtesy of pharmacy) The nausea takes over i try to get a piece of toast down it is agonizing! then when the nausea calms down, i them have burping problems the rest of the day also having slight boughs of dizziness. i want to quit after 9 days. i am really not eating because of the discomfort. these are my synopsis of issues with this med.
cc

I started taking Doxycycline on Jan 22, 2007 for Lyme Disease. I usually get nausea and/or vomiting with most antibiotics so I try and take precautions. The first day I took it I had nausea, headache, dizziness and a feeling of being "out of it". by the 3rd day the dizziness and the feeling of being "out of it" was gone but after I took it in the morning within 1/2 hour I started feeling severe esophagus pain. It's not like heartburn because it's right below my rib cage. That night I started noticing feeling like there was a lump in my throat. By the next morning the lump felt like a huge knot. Now, It hurts every time I swallow, the esophagus pain never ends. Last night I spent the night crying feeling like everything was hopeless. I thought it was just because I've been dealing with the pain from Lyme and now the pain from the medicine now that I read this message board, I wonder if the hopeless, despondent feeling is from this medication. I have 2 more weeks on this I don't think I can take it that long. I haven't eaten anything because it hurts to swallow and it burns. I cry all the time. I did not read that depression was a side effect but it seems a lot of people are experiencing the exact same symptoms. I don't know how some people have been on it so long. Just the thought of taking another is depressing me beyond belief.

Took only one Doxy, caused tremendous stomach pain. Subsided as day went on and felt ok. Went to bed and slept only a short time, awoke because of nightmares, hallucination type nightmares, very scary. I have checked around nightmares w/doxy are common. Very exhausted today will not take again until I hear from Md. Taking for Lyme Disease & I know symptoms can increase (herxing), but I believe this was side effect related.

I've been taking Doxy for a week now (100mg 2x daily) for epididomytis. The second day of taking the med I woke up with terrible heartburn. I thought that the med burned a hole in my lower esophagus from from taking the med late the night before. I have had nausia once for a few hours, though the worst side-effect is the terrible chest pain as I swallow or take deep breaths. It feels like I am swallowing a golf ball and it is stuck about 3/4 of the way down. Occasionally it feels like it is trying to come back up. I too have had some excess gas. I hope this stuff really works without causing long term side effects.

I have been taking Doxycycline 100mg twice a day for about 10 days now. It has for some reason effected my joints. It started in my knees and seems to be moving to other joints like my wrist. I did see other posting with the same problems, but not a lot. I also had one day of being a little light headed early on but it didn't last more that a few hours. I do a lot of sports, so having knees that hurt and I have trouble using sucks! I am done taking the drug and hope to see improvement shortly, but really have no idea how long before my knees may feel normal.