Oracea

Generic Name: doxycycline (dock sih SYE kleen)

What is Oracea?

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Oracea is used to treat the inflammatory bumps and pimple-like blemishes of rosacea in adults. It works by reducing skin inflammation caused by rosacea.

Oracea is a tetracycline antibiotic. Tetracyclines are often used to treat infections, however this formulation has not been evaluated in the treatment or prevention of infections.

Oracea may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important information about Oracea

Do not use Oracea if you are pregnant. It could cause harm to the unborn baby, including permanent discoloration of the teeth later in life. Oracea can make birth control pills less effective. Use a second method of birth control while you are taking Oracea to keep from getting pregnant. Oracea passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing baby. Do not take Oracea without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Do not use this medication if you are allergic to doxycycline, or to similar medicines such as demeclocycline (Declomycin), minocycline (Dynacin, Minocin, Solodyn, Vectrin), or tetracycline (Brodspec, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap). Before taking Oracea, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease. You may not be able to take Oracea , or you may need a dose adjustment or special tests during treatment. Throw away any unused Oracea when it expires or when it is no longer needed. Do not take any Oracea after the expiration date printed on the bottle. Expired Oracea can cause a dangerous syndrome resulting in damage to the kidneys.

Before taking Oracea

Do not use Oracea if you are allergic to doxycycline, or to similar medicines such as demeclocycline (Declomycin), minocycline (Dynacin, Minocin, Solodyn, Vectrin), or tetracycline (Brodspec, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap). Before taking Oracea, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease. You may not be able to take Oracea,or you may need a dose adjustment or special tests during treatment. FDA pregnancy category D. Oracea can cause harm to an unborn baby, including permanent discoloration of the teeth later in life. Do not use Oracea without your doctor's consent if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. Oracea can make birth control pills less effective. Use a non-hormonal method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while you are taking this medication. Oracea passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing infant. Do not take Oracea without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take Oracea?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Take Oracea with a full glass of water (8 ounces).

It is recommended that Oracea be taken at least one hour prior to or two hours after meals.

Do not crush, break, or open a Orecea delayed-release capsule. Swallow the capsule whole. It is specially made to release medicine slowly in the body. Breaking or opening the pill would cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.Take Orecea for the entire length of time prescribed by your doctor. Your symptoms may get better before the infection is completely treated. Do not give this medicine to another person, even if they have the same condition you have.

If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are taking Oracea. You may need to stop using the medicine for a short time.

Throw away any unused Oracea when it expires or when it is no longer needed. Do not take any Oracea after the expiration date printed on the label. Using expired Oracea can cause damage to your kidneys. Store Oracea at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

What should I avoid while taking Oracea?

Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or has blood in it, call your doctor. Do not use any medicine to stop the diarrhea unless your doctor has told you to.

Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Oracea can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn may result. Use a sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) and wear protective clothing if you must be out in the sun. Do not take iron supplements, multivitamins, calcium supplements, antacids, or laxatives within 2 hours before or after taking Oracea.

Oracea side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop using Oracea and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

severe headache, dizziness, blurred vision;
fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;
severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;
urinating less than usual or not at all;
pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, fever, confusion or weakness;
severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, fast heart rate;
loss of appetite, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or
easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness.

Less serious Oracea side effects may include:

swollen tongue, trouble swallowing;
mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach upset;
white patches or sores inside your mouth or on your lips;
sores or swelling in your rectal or genital area; or
vaginal itching or discharge.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect Oracea?

Before taking Oracea, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:

cholesterol-lowering medications such as cholestyramine (Prevalite, Questran) or colestipol (Colestid);
isotretinoin (Accutane);
tretinoin (Renova, Retin-A, Vesanoid);
an antacid such as Tums, Rolaids, Milk of Magnesia, Maalox, and others;
a product that contains bismuth subsalicylate such as Pepto-Bismol;
minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and over-the-counter vitamin and mineral supplements;
a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin); or
a penicillin antibiotic such as amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox, others), penicillin (BeePen-VK, Pen-Vee K, Veetids, others), dicloxacillin (Dynapen), carbenicillin (Geocillin), oxacillin (Bactocill), and others.

If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to use Oracea, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.

There may be other drugs not listed that can affect Oracea. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about Oracea.

What does my medication look like?

Doxycycline is available with a prescription under the brand names Adoxa, Doryx, Orecea, Vibramycin, Vibra-Tabs, Monodox, and Periostat. Other brand or generic formulations may also be available. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about Oracea, especially if it is new to you.

Oracea 40mg - beige capsule printed with CGPI 40
Doryx 100 mg - transparent-yellow/opaque-blue capsules with yellow pellets
Vibramycin 50 mg - white/light-blue capsules
Vibramycin 100 mg - light-blue capsules
Vibra-Tabs 100 mg - round, salmon-colored, film-coated tablets
Monodox 50 mg - opaque white capsules
Monodox 100 mg - opaque yellow/brown capsules
Periostat 20 mg - round, white tablets

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use Oracea only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.