Can you get immune to doxycycline?

[redandunhappy]

Hi all,

I've been taking 100mg/day of doxycycline for about six months now - when I first started it it helped enormously with my MGD/posterior blepharitis. However in the last couple of months I've noticed that it isn't helping too much anymore.

I know that it is the anti-imflammatory properties (not anti-bacterial) that is helping my eyelids, but does anyone know if the effects of the drug can wear off?
In other words can you become immune to it? Or build up a resistance to it? (if that even makes sense)

It was an amazing discovery for me and I really don't want it to stop working!

Would be grateful for anyone's thoughts.

[Trac]

I wonder the same thing about all of the medications I am on for my eyes. The medications seem to help a lot in the beginning and then it seems to plateau.

[Angela]

Hi all,

I've been taking 100mg/day of doxycycline for about six months now - when I first started it it helped enormously with my MGD/posterior blepharitis. However in the last couple of months I've noticed that it isn't helping too much anymore.

I know that it is the anti-imflammatory properties (not anti-bacterial) that is helping my eyelids, but does anyone know if the effects of the drug can wear off?
In other words can you become immune to it? Or build up a resistance to it? (if that even makes sense)

It was an amazing discovery for me and I really don't want it to stop working!

Would be grateful for anyone's thoughts.

I actually wondered the same thing. I tried it for a couple of months for Blepharitis/MGD (same dosage as you) and it didn't do anything for me. The thing is, I have used Doxycycline many times in the past, each for an extended period of time. Two times as an acne treatment (each time for a month), and once for 2 weeks for a bad wisdom tooth infection. For the acne I was only on 100mg which I think was used for the same anti inflammatory effects as used to treat MGD, and dosage for my tooth infection was 200 mg for the anti bacterial properties. So I wonder if I was already immune to it when using it to treat MGD. If that's the case for me, it's possible it is the case for you. BUT.. I've heard that building a resistance has to do with actual BACTERIA becoming resistant to the antibiotic, not just building a tolerance and the med losing it's effectiveness. Good thing to ask a doctor, maybe re-post as a question for Dr. Latkany?

Also, I have considered going back on Doxy. You say it helped a ton at first, how long before you started noticing improvements, and what were those improvements? I too have posterior blepharitis and my main bothersome symptom is huge swollen, puffy lids.

[doc k]

I don't know the answer to your excellent question.

I will say that 100mg is a higher dose than what I read in the literature. 20-50mg daily is possibly enough.

Is it possible that you are not being as careful about taking it on an empty stomach?
http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.as...ast=Kshirsagar

[Trac]

I did not realize that you had to take it on an empty stomach. I generally do, but not on purpose. How long after you take Doxy until you should eat? I am pretty sure they said to eat something with it if you had stomach upset.

[doc k]

Good question! Here's a real scientific resource for you!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...2080609AAj5Lzk

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...5225825AAZHjuK

A pharmacist (if you can find one that's not too busy) would understand the pharmacokinetics and could look up the answer.

I was going to say "one hour", because that seems to be the pat answer.

[Trac]

Since Doxy should be taken on an empty stomach would it be best to take it at night that way you sleep through the absorption process and through any mild stomach upset. I have low bone density and I have to take calcium supplements and I know I cannot take that for 2 hours before or after the doxy. I am only on 20 mg a day, does it really make that big of a difference since it is not killing bacteria only for reducing inflamation?

[doc k]

Bedtime seems like good advice.

I'm not aware of any "exact" dosage recommendations on the doxy, but you are obviously taking the minimum. Any studies would have to take into effect the absorbtion variables, etc.

Maybe someone here knows the studies.

[Angela]

Bedtime seems like good advice.

I'm not aware of any "exact" dosage recommendations on the doxy, but you are obviously taking the minimum. Any studies would have to take into effect the absorbtion variables, etc.

Maybe someone here knows the studies.

Don't lie down for an hour following doxycycline intake to prevent one of the most formidable doxycycline side effects, esophageal damage. If reclined, the medication may dissolve in the esophagus instead of the stomach. If this doxycycline side effect occurs, a patient may gag on something as innocuous as sips of water. Treatment may take days for this condition to abate, depending on the extent of the irritation or damage

Read more: How to Avoid Doxycycline Side Effects | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2165217_avoi...#ixzz1VRYfbili

[Mewkiss]

Hi, I just wanted to ask if you guys on doxycyline are taking stuff to counteract any candida you might get from it?

Antibiotics are notorious for causing yeast infections so it's important to take probiotics with it to counteract the yeast.

If you google it there is tons of documentation about the cause and treatments.

[Trac]

My urine has been fluorescent yellow since I started retaking my doxy almost 2 months ago. I just realized today that that it is only like that when I take my vit B at the same time as I take my doxy. I don't think I am suppose to take vitamins within 2 hours of doxy. Have I been wasting my doxy and vit B for the last 2 months?

[redandunhappy]

Thank you all so much for your replies - I've only just logged in and noticed them.

how long before you started noticing improvements, and what were those improvements?

In answer to your question Angela, I reckon it started working within about a week - it was really very quick...although it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly because I had been doing some sort of lid massage for a couple of weeks before that. But it seemed to be a marked improvement, directly as a result of the doxycyline - l have MGD and posterior blepaharitis, and my eyelids were a little bit puffy all the time. This improved substantially and my eyes themselves got a lot better too - when I had my tear break up time measured a few weeks ago it was around 6/7, whereas previously it had been around 3.

Is it possible that you are not being as careful about taking it on an empty stomach?

doc K - that's a really good question. When I first started taking it I wasn't following the instructions properly and took it last thing at night before lying down and going to bed, and without water.

But, although it was working brilliantly, I suffered from terrible acid reflux which meant I had to stop taking the doxycyline.

I restarted again about six months ago, taking it in the middle of the day, and have tried to be really careful about always having a drink of water with it. However, I have been taking it after lunch, because I didn't realise that if taken with a full stomach, absorption would be reduced.

Have definitely noticed the doxcycline has been less effective the second time round (not taking it last thing at night), and perhaps this is the reason why.

However this doesn't explain why in the last couple of months, it seems to be working even less - I can't think that i've really changed my routine.....although I do forget to take it about once a week - could this impact the effectiveness?

And in fact in the last couple of weeks, my eyes have totally flared up - swollen eyelids, red veiny eyes....as if the doxycyline is not working at all....which I'm really depressed about. Have even tried to up my dose to 150mg a day for the last few weeks, but it has made no difference.
I wonder though if it's the lid hygiene I've been doing that I've started doing again because I thought I needed to - using a bit of heat and following the lid spa (as per Dr Latkany).
I've noticed before that using heat causes irritation, as does fiddling around with my eyes....it's so hard to know what is going on - this time I've only been using a warm flannel on my eyes for a few minutes, and not every day.....so who knows if this is what is causing the eyelid swelling/irritation or whether it's simply the eye disease itself (and the doxy no longer working)

I think I will try taking doxycycline on an empty stomach and seeing what happens. Although taking it in the morning makes me feel sick (as I learnt from being on it in the past for other things), so it's very hard to know what to do for the best.

But Moorfields doctors do say have a two month break every six months....

[littlemermaid]

redandunhappy: are you taking flaxseed/fish oil?

[redandunhappy]

Hi littlemermaid, no I'm not - when I tried to take it I suffered other side effects. Also John Dart says there is no evidence that it actually helps....I tend to trust what he says

[littlemermaid]

Hi r&u ~ we are getting toxic bacterial MGs and golden-red eye surface inflammation on flaxseed oil 1/day - does that sound familiar? - although I think 3/week + improved diet has been essential to clear meibom. Has he got you on topical antibacterial? blepharokeratoconjunctivitis, J Dart et al. 2005