... that we just figured out was because of the meds. He was passing out regularly, said his brain felt numb, tongue thick, terrible anxiety and heart palpitations. The doctor referred us to a cardiologist but the day before the appt I thought about a possible drug reaction. After researching I stopped the meds. The next day he was feeling a little better but we went to the appt. He was very dehydrated, low sodium and was instructed to wear a heart monitor for 48 hours. Within 48 hours of stopping the meds he was feeling like himself again. The cardiologist says the dehydration caused the passing out and and heart palpitations and that the anxiety was also a symptom of the whole mess. I have since read several blogs about this drug and its side affects and I would not give it to a dog that I didn't like. We thought that our A student, 3 sport athlete was having a psychotic breakdown and can't believe that we were not warned. Please think twice before taking this medication and if you do watch for these signs
Doxycycline - Side effects? Our son has taken this med for 2 months for acne and has had a reaction?
Question posted by cfb0730 on 14 Feb 2013
Last updated on 12 December 2016
3 Answers
Hello cfb0730
We are experiencing a VERY similar situation. My 3 sport athlete fainted in the middle of a sprint at a track meet. It was unbelievable. She also experienced severe anxiety, brain fog and yes, the term "psychotic breakdown" came to our minds too. Very scary. She has been referred to a cardiologist because of the fainting, but I think it was the doxycycline and she is off of it now. Feeling close to normal (but disappointed she will miss much of the track season now.) I will never put her on it again. I do think most people probably don't have this experience with this drug, but some do. It has made me think twice about any systematic medication. Thank you for your post. Your experience almost mirrors mine.
cfb0730:
I was prescribed doxycycline, and I am a 16 yr old female. I haven't started taking it yet. I am concerned after reading ur post. How many mg did ur son take of doxy?? Are those side affects common? PLEASE REPLY I don't want any issues with the medicine.
He was taking 100 mg once per day. If you decide to take it please drink 80 to 100 oz of fluids per day. Be sure that this includes sports drinks. Someone told me that you should also eat salty snacks like pretzels and salted nuts. I don't have any confirmation of this part. I know that it took awhile for the symptoms to show up so just be aware that if you start feeling bad look there first. I have taken doxy short term for other issues and never had a problem it is the long term prescriptions that might have side effects. If you are dizzy, cranky, anxious, and such tell someone. Make sure your parents know what is going on so they can help you remember to connect the symptoms to the drug. When we take something long term and develop the symptoms after a period of time we forget to link it to the meds. Drink!
thanks! did the dr confirm that the side effects were because of the medicine?
chicalette, these are not common side effects. Many people take this drug with no problems. just be sure that if you do start to feel strange that you report it to your Dr. More than likely you will have no problems other than a little bit of stomach upset if anything.
My son was on that med for almost a year with no problems whatsoever. Not everyone has bad side effects but ANY medicine can have serious side effects for some. NO medication should ever be taken lightly. One can never know who will have bad side effects until they take a medication themselves. Always read up on the side effects for ANY med and be aware of them and watch for them. It is important to stay well hydrated while on almost any medication. Your sons side effects were not common other than dizziness. The most common side effect is gastric upset (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, as is common for most antibiotics) and dizziness. Doxycycline is an important drug that has saved the lives of many and is not a bad drug but as with ANY drug, some people do have side effects. Being dehydrated and having electrolytes imbalanced (especially sodium) could have caused fainting and heart palpitations even without the drug (doxycycline).
Water and electrolytes (sodium, potassium etc) are crucial for the body to work correctly. Children who are in sports need to be kept well hydrated and sometimes need added electrolytes. Sports drinks like gatorade or powerade can help to replace lost electrolytes from sweating while active in sports. His symptoms could happen again even without his taking the doxycycline if he becomes dehydrated and his electrolytes are out of balance. Many electrolytes are crucial to proper heart activity. He needs to be sure to stay well hydrated and be sure that if he is sweating that he drinks some kind of electrolyte replacment to avoid reoccurance.
He is a cross country runner and is well hydrated. He drinks 120+ ounces of fluids per day including sports drinks and eats a 3 meal balanced diet plus snacks. I am one of the people who reads all the small print and inserts. We don't take any meds lightly in our house. We barely take Advil. I just think people need to be aware of the fact that anxiety is a real side effect with this medication and just because it is low on the list it should not be ignored.
That is certainly true but many people dont have side effects at all and I wouldnt want someone to be scared away from taking a drug that many people use without any side effects (like this girl who posted below-I worried when I read your post that someone would see it and become scared and that is why I responded as I did) It is definitely good to be aware of side effects. In your sons case, it could have been dehydration and low electrolytes that caused his problems too, and not related to the drug at all. I do encourage everybody to do as you do and read all the information that you can about every medication before you take it. Remember though that just because a drug may be bad for one individual doesnt make it bad for everyone.
Many antibiotics can cause anxious feelings and some people seem to be more sensitive to this effect than others. The anxiety feelings could very well have been due to the medications but his other symptoms seem more in line with dehydration.
The symptoms ended within 24 hours of stopping the medication.
I had been taking this medication for acne for a month and started to experience severe heart palpitations. I called a Kaiser after hours nurse and asked if the medication could be causing the palpitations she said it wasn't listed as a side affect of the drug and recommended I go to the ER. When I got to the ER I asked them if it could be a side affect to the drug. They said not likely. Unfortunately, I was not put on a heart monitor until 3 hours later and by then the palpitations has stopped. They recommended I follow up with a cardiologist and wear a 24 hour heart monitor. Despite all the medical professionals discounting the drug as the cause I decided to stop taking the drug. It was the only variable I could think of that would cause me not to be my otherwise normal healthy self. By the time I was able to get fitted with a heart monitor I had been off of the drug for 72 hours with barely noticeable palpitations.
I noticed after 48 hours of being off of the drug the palpitations were less severe. I'm waiting to get the results from the monitor but I have been off of the drug for 96 hours and I'm feeling much better. I wish I would have found this information earlier. I would have pressed the medical professionals to take it into serious consideration. Instead I read the side affects listed on the pamphlet I received from the pharmacy. Always trust your instincts. Sometimes you just know your body.
I have been on this medication for almost 2 of the 3 months I was prescribed as a less harsh option for adult acne, as I told the Dr I have been pretty sensitive to medication.
Within a few weeks I began to feel the worst anxiety of my life, as well as severe nausea every time I take this (even with a big meal). Last night I was laying down and started feeling dizzy and all the sudden couldn't see or hear. I fainted while laying down and felt sick for the rest of the night. I was not dehydrated and had just eaten a full meal 20 minutes before taking the medication.
After reading this I am 100% convinced this was due to this medication, and will no longer be taking this. While I agree, there are some people that may not experience these side effects, I think it is really important that people are aware that this is a side effect of this drug that I was never told about by a doctor even after discussing my sensitivity to medication and my reasons for not wanting to be put on accutane (depression, anxiety, etc) I was assured this was the better route. Be very cautious with this one.
Related topics
arrhythmia, acne, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, doxycycline, side effect, doctor, heart
Further information
- Doxycycline uses and safety info
- Doxycycline prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Doxycycline (detailed)
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