Has anyone taken Doxycycline before?

[Saltire]

I got prescribed it today for sinusitis. I have it on one side of my head - headache, earache, swollen lymph glands (feels like there's pebbles in my chin), swollen gums etc.

The leaflet says
Do not lie down within 30 mintues of takign tehis medication.
Take it standing up
and has the usual lsit of side effects.
Do not drink alcohol

The doc said to take it with food as I'd be very sick otherwise, and not to go out in thesun - even on a day like today - without lashings of sunscreen

I'm a bit about it all, it seems like the cons of this outweigh the pros !

Just wondered if it is that bad.
oh and it doesn't say in the leaflet and the doc and dispenser didn't say either - does it affect the efficiency of my contraceptive pill?

It is amazing for sinusitis for me it improved my symptoms twice as fast as any previous antibiotics.

I took 200mg, as told by the doc, about 45 mintues ago and feel very sick and my throat feels sore - although don't know if that's the sinusitis or not!

The sunlight warnings are for those who are taking it on a long term basis as they tend to develop photosensitivity.

It can make you feel sick, so taking it with food is normally the best way to prevent/lessen this.

I've taken it as a malarial prophylaxis, and although I felt queasy for the first couple of days, I powered through and was fine with it after that. I did all the things you're not supposed to - drank alcohol and was out in the sun (but with my usual factor 50 on) and was fine. Just watch the sun - I did feel the effects sooner than normal.......

Yup, definitely do not take on an empty stomach or lying down.

I did this, popped one on my way to work (using it as anti-malarial), thinking 'Ha! This is me! the Woman with the Iron Stomach!'

by the time I got to work it felt as if someone had lit a match in my stomach, the shit-awful burning pain was unbearable. I had to sit in the staff room with a glass of milk and someone else had to go and do my class' register.

I did recover after half an hour, and NEVER took it on an empty stomach again.!!!

Can't remember about the pill, it was quite long ago - I THINK it does affect it, and would err on the side of caution if I were you, antibiotics usually do affect the pill.

It is all true.

The sun will give you a severe eczema. It will "burn" your stomach if you lie down, equally if you dont take any food.

Yes to the contraceptive pill, use alternative.

I always take it as an anti-malarial when travelling. Didn't know you weren't supposed to drink alcohol though! It does affect the pill.

yes i have had it for chest infections, i prefer it to clarythromicin

I've had 3 weeks of this for a suspected sinus infection ( mainly gone but a susp[icious hard lump remains at roof of moutn ) and didn't twig the bit about not lying down .
But was taking after evening meal a time when I'm not normally to be found prostrate .
No ill effects here ,and I'm very fair skinned .

Yes turns out I'm allergic to it.... 10 mins after I took it I was vomiting for 8 hours straight
You will have been prescribed it for a reason and this will outweigh the cons of taking it .... This applies to most meds.

I take a RA drug that increases (quite a lot) my chances of cancer but the benefits if taking it outweigh this risk (RA unchecked can cause a lot of serious damage to heart, lungs and joints shortening life expectancy, progressive disability and making life very painful)
The side effects for the AB's are temporary and precautionary.
On less serious drugs Dr will weigh up risks on their own , more serious ones like my RA ones they tend to involve you too, if that makes sense.

I got very burnt as a child when I took this for tonsillitis, one warm summer. My Mum thought fresh air would be beneficial and set up the sun bed in the shade in the garden. I don't think it is given to under 12s now and of course there are now warnings of that particular side effect. The point is that I got seriously burnt in the shade so do wear sun protection. It was very painful and left permanent damage.