Doxycycline 100mg Capsules – 5-Day Sinusitis Course (6 Capsules)

Doxycycline is a prescription-only antibiotic from the tetracycline group. Ways Pharmacy supplies this 5-day course for acute sinusitis, mainly for people who are allergic to penicillin and are not pregnant, when the pharmacist judges that a bacterial infection is likely. Most sinusitis is caused by a virus and gets better without antibiotics, and a steroid nasal spray is often the first medicine to try. Doxycycline is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed your symptoms and confirmed that it is suitable.

How to access this medicine

1. Start your free online assessment. Answer the health questions online and confirm your identity (upload photo ID, or show it on a video call).
2. Pharmacist reviews and speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must join the video call.
3. If suitable, order and pay on this page. Once the pharmacist confirms the medicine is suitable, you order and pay on this page, or call 020 8106 7084. If it is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends self-care instead — you pay nothing, and the pharmacist explains your other options. If you have already paid and the pharmacist finds the medicine is not suitable, you receive a full refund.
4. We post your medicine or you collect it. Orders placed by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from Holborn.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

About this medicine

Dosage

• Day 1: take 200mg (2 capsules) together as a single dose
• Days 2 to 5: take 100mg (1 capsule) once a day
• Swallow each dose with a full glass of water while sitting or standing, and do not take it just before lying down or going to bed
• Keep indigestion remedies and iron, calcium, magnesium or zinc supplements away from your dose, as they can stop doxycycline working
• Avoid strong sun and sunbeds during the course and use sun protection, because your skin may burn more easily
• Finish the whole course, even if you feel better sooner

One course is supplied for the current episode. If you are not getting better after treatment, you need a new assessment rather than a repeat supply. See our sinusitis service for the other options, including the steroid nasal spray.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Children under 12
• Pregnancy — doxycycline is not used. Tell the pharmacist if you are breastfeeding; doxycycline is usually avoided
• Anyone allergic to doxycycline or another tetracycline antibiotic
• Call 999 or go to A&E instead if you have swelling or redness around the eye, changes in your vision, a severe headache, a stiff neck, confusion, or difficulty breathing or swallowing
• Please see a GP if you have sinusitis 4 or more times a year, symptoms for more than 12 weeks, only one side of the nose blocked, bloody discharge, nasal polyps, a weakened immune system, or an antibiotic has already failed for this episode
• People taking oral retinoids such as isotretinoin, warfarin or other blood thinners, or some epilepsy medicines such as carbamazepine or phenytoin — always tell the pharmacist everything you take
• Tell the pharmacist if you have difficulty swallowing, problems with your oesophagus, or liver or kidney problems

Possible side effects

Common side effects include feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, stomach discomfort, headache and sunburn-like skin reactions. Stop and seek advice if swallowing becomes painful. Get urgent medical help for signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips or throat or difficulty breathing, a severe skin reaction, or severe or persistent diarrhoea.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.