What is the most important information I should know about Minomycin?

• Do not use this medication if you are pregnant. It could cause harm to the unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
• Minomycin passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing baby. Do not take this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
• Do not give Minomycin to a child younger than 8 years old. Minomycin can cause permanent yellowing or graying of the teeth, and it can affect a child's growth.
• Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Minomycin 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 Minomycin. These products can make Minomycin less effective.
• Minomycin can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.
• Throw away any unused Minomycin when it expires or when it is no longer needed. Do not take any Minomycin after the expiration date printed on the label. Using expired Minomycin can cause damage to your kidneys.

What is Minomycin?

• Minomycin is a tetracycline antibiotic. It fights bacteria in the body.
• Minomycin is used to treat many different bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections, severe acne, gonorrhea, tick fever, and chlamydia.
• Minomycin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Minomycin?

• Before taking Minomycin, tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver disease, or if you are allergic to any tetracycline medication. You may not be able to take Minomycin, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special tests during therapy.
• If you are using Minomycin to treat gonorrhea, your doctor may also test you to make sure you do not also have syphilis, another sexually transmitted disease.
• FDA pregnancy category D. This medication can cause harm to an unborn baby. Do not use Minomycin if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. Use an effective form of birth control while you are using this medication.
• Minomycin passes into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing baby. Do not take this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
• Do not give Minomycin to a child younger than 8 years old. Minomycin can cause permanent yellowing or graying of the teeth, and it can affect a child's growth.
• This medication can cause you to have unusual results with certain medical tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using Minomycin.

How should I take Minomycin?

• Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger or smaller amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor.
• Take each dose with a full glass (8 ounces) of water.
• You may take this medication with or without food. Do not take the medication with milk or other dairy products, unless your doctor has told you to. Dairy products can make it harder for your body to absorb the medicine. Certain brands of Minomycin may not have restrictions about taking them with dairy products. If your doctor has instructed you to take minocyline with milk, tell your pharmacist that you need a brand of Minomycin that can be taken with milk.
• Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet (Solodyn). Swallow the pill whole. It is specially made to release medicine slowly in the body. Breaking the pill would cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.
• Take this medication for the entire length of time prescribed by your doctor. Your symptoms may get better before the infection is completely treated. Minomycin will not treat a viral infection such as the common cold or flu. Do not give this medicine to another person, even if they have the same condition you have.
• Throw away any unused Minomycin when it expires or when it is no longer needed. Do not take any Minomycin after the expiration date printed on the label. Using expired Minomycin can cause damage to your kidneys.
• Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose of this medication unless otherwise directed by your doctor.

What happens if I overdose?

• Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
• Symptoms of a Minomycin overdose may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

What should I avoid while taking Minomycin?

• 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). Minomycin 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 Minomycin. These products can make Minomycin less effective.
• Minomycin can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

What are the possible side effects of Minomycin?

• 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 Minomycin and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
  • severe headache, blurred vision, or confusion;
  • nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
  • easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness;
  • urinating less than usual; or
  • worsening of pre-existing asthma.
• Continue using Minomycin and talk with your doctor if you have any of these less serious side effects:
  • mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach upset;
  • dizziness, numbness or tingling, ringing in your ears;
  • white patches or sores inside your mouth or on your lips;
  • redness or pain where the injection is given;
  • swollen tongue, trouble swallowing; or
  • vaginal yeast infection (itching or discharge).
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

What other drugs will affect Minomycin?

• Before taking Minomycin, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:
  • cholestyramine (Questran) or colestipol (Colestid);
  • 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;
  • ergot medicines such as ergotamine (Ergomar, Cafergot, Migranal, Wigraine), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45), and others;
  • a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
  • isotretinoin (Accutane);
  • 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; or
  • methoxyflurane (an inhaled anesthetic gas used during surgery).
• If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to use Minomycin, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.
• Minomycin 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 Minomycin.
• There may be other drugs not listed that can affect Minomycin. 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.