Treatment / Antimicrobials / Tetracyclines
Tetracyclines
Selection Strategy
Choosing among doxycycline, minocycline, oxytetracycline, and TETRACYCLINE:
- Know efficacy vs. the bug:
TETRACYCLINE has best activity
- Identify route of administration:
TETRACYCLINE and oxytetracycline are incompletely absorbed (topical actions?)
Other considerations:
- TAKE WITH FOOD in order to decrease absorption (see #2 above), thereby increasing its actions in the lumen of the stomach
- N.B. this is the opposite of normal recommendations, which are to take TETRACYCLINE 1-2 hours before meals
- DON'T TAKE WITH ANTACIDS or dairy products (chelates)
TETRACYCLINE can be used to treat H. pylori infections. Co-administration of TETRACYCLINE with antacids (or any substance containing metal ions) significantly decreases antibiotic efficacy due to chelation. |
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MECHANISM OF ACTION and UNIQUE TOXICITIES:
- bacterioSTATIC
- protein synthesis inhibitor (binds to 30S subunit and prevents addition of amino acids to the growing peptide)
- GI irritation, photosensitivity, brown discolouration of growing teeth (contraindicated in pregnancy)