Minocycline

What it is used for

• Hemotropic mycoplasmosis
• Adjunctive treatment atypical mycobacterial dermal infections
• Adjunctive treatment of Nocardiosis, Actinomycosis
• Susceptible mycobacterial, L-Forms, or mycoplasma infections
• Bacterial, rickettsial, mycoplasmal and chlamydial diseases
• Susceptible soft tissue and urinary tract infections
• Brucellosis
• Adjunctive treatment of Nocardiosis, Actinomycosis
• Brucellosis in animals that are housed singly and neutered
• Ehrlichiosis (E. canis)
• Bacterial, rickettsial, mycoplasmal and chlamydial diseases

How it is given

Possible side effects

• Nausea and vomiting (most common)
• Dental or bone staining (if exposed in utero or early life)
• Increases in hepatic enzymes (rare)
• Ototoxicity (rare)
• Urticaria, shivering, hypotension, dyspnea, cardiac arrhythmias, and shock (if given rapidly IV)
• Superinfections (overgrowth of non-susceptible bacteria or fungi)
• Photosensitivity (reported in humans)
• Hepatotoxicity or blood dyscrasias (rare, reported in humans)
• CNS effects like dizziness/lightheadedness (reported in humans)
• Blue-gray pigmentation of skin and mucous membranes (reported in humans)
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea

Cautions & contraindications

• Hypersensitivity to tetracyclines
• Pregnant or nursing animals
• Animals less than 6 months old (relative contraindication)
• Pregnancy
• Young, developing animals
• > **Intravenous Administration:** Give IV injections slowly. Rapid IV injection in dogs has caused urticaria, shivering, hypotension, dyspnea, arrhythmias, and shock. - **Renal Impairment:** Can be used in moderate renal insufficiency without dosage adjustment, but oliguric renal failure may require adjustment. - **Pregnancy/Nursing:** Avoid use during pregnancy unless benefits outweigh fetal risks (can retard fetal skeletal development and discolor deciduous teeth). Avoid during nursing as it is excreted in milk. - **Laboratory Interference:** Can cause false-positive urine glucose results (cupric sulfate method) or false-negative results (glucose oxidase method).

Drug interactions

• Antacids, Oral (Aluminum, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Bismuth): Can chelate divalent or trivalent cations, decreasing absorption of the tetracycline. Give at least 12 hours before or after the cation-containing product.
• Bismuth subsalicylate, Kaolin, Pectin: May reduce minocycline absorption.
• Iron, Oral: Decreased tetracycline absorption. Give iron salts 3 hours before or 2 hours after the tetracycline dose.
• Isotretinoin: May increase the risk for nervous system effects when used concurrently.
• Penicillins, Cephalosporins, Aminoglycosides: Bacteriostatic drugs may interfere with the bactericidal activity of these antibiotics (clinical significance is controversial).
• Warfarin: Tetracyclines may depress plasma prothrombin activity; anticoagulant dosage adjustment may be needed.
• Antacids: Reduced absorption of minocycline
• Calcium salts: Reduced absorption of minocycline
• Magnesium salts: Reduced absorption of minocycline
• Iron salts: Reduced absorption of minocycline

Frequently asked questions