Doxycycline Dosage & Overdose

Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic use in the treatment of number of different clinical conditions. In this article, we shall briefly review the commonly prescribed doses of doxycycline in these conditions.

Available doses

Doxycycline is available as oral medication and intravenous medication. The dosage can range from 50 mg to 200 mg in single or divided doses depending upon the condition being treated. Below are some of the commonly treated conditions with the doxycycline. Please note while these are the recommended doses they must not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Acne vulgaris

Doxycycline may be administered as an oral medication of 200 mg in treat for divided doses. This is given for a day following which doxycycline 100 mg is given orally once a day or in two divided doses. The duration of therapy depends upon the patient’s response. Read more.

Acute bronchitis

Here, depending on how severe the acute bronchitis is, patients may be prescribed intravenous or oral doxycycline. Intravenous doses can range from 200 to 400 mg per day administered in divided doses. Oral medication can be a small dose of doxycycline 100 to 200 mg per day given as a single dose or in divided doses. However, doxycycline is not first-line treatment in the management of acute bronchitis.

Chlamydia

Doxycycline is used in the treatment of simple chlamydial infections and is prescribed in the dose of 100 mg twice a day orally for a period of 1 week. Higher doses may be given if the infection is serious.

Gonorrhoea

Doxycycline is useful in the management of gonococcal infections and is prescribed at 100 mg twice a day orally for seven days.

Pneumonia

Doxycycline is useful in the treatment of Mycoplasma pneumonia infections. It is prescribed orally or intravenously depending upon the severity of the condition. As is the case with most bacterial infections, doxycycline is administered at 200 mg to 400 mg in divided doses for varying durations depending upon the response. In some cases, small doses of 100 milligrams twice a day are given intravenously for a period of up to 3 weeks.

Sinus infections

Doxycycline is used in the treatment of sinus infections at a dose of 100 mg daily for 7 to 10 days. Read more.

Doxycycline overdose

It is strongly recommended that patients taking doxycycline take it is as per the recommendations made by the prescribing physician. Doxycycline dosage over and above what is been prescribed can result in doxycycline overdose. Patients who overdose can develop nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea and must seek the assistance of a health care professional as soon as possible. Often, stopping the drug is sufficient though severe cases of vomiting and diarrhoea may require admission and intravenous rehydration. Doxycycline overdose can also damage the kidneys and tests may need to be conducted to ensure that this is not the case.

Doxycycline dosage varies depending upon the clinical condition. The available doses of 50 mg, 100 milligrams and 200 mg are used in different combinations to treat different illnesses. However, dosage must be followed as per the prescription since overdoses can cause significant problems to a patient health.