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What Is Doxycycline Prescribed For?
Doxycycline is a prescription antibiotic. Many people may wonder, "What is it prescribed for?" Doxycycline is approved for several uses, such as:
- Treating bacterial infections, such as:
- Certain types of pneumonia
- Chlamydia
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Typhus fever
- Tick fever
- Syphilis (when unable to take penicillin)
- Some respiratory or urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Treating acne
- Preventing malaria
- Treating anthrax infections
- Treating rosacea
- Treating periodontitis (gum disease).
Doxycycline can also be prescribed "off-label" to treat infections that are resistant to another antibiotic known as vancomycin. This medication is approved for use in adults and children as young as 8 years old.
(Click Doxycycline Uses for more information on what this drug is prescribed for. This article also describes whether it is safe for use in children and discusses off-label uses of doxycycline.)
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD