Doxyclycline Hyclate side effects: what 16,908 FDA adverse event reports show
Drug class
Tetracycline class drugs
Brand names
Doxycycline Hyclate
Who reports
16,908 reports · 59% serious · 2,246 with death outcome · 69% female
Used for
Doxycycline hyclate tablet is a tetracycline class drugs indicated for: Rickettsial infections ( 1.1 ) Sexually transmitted infections ( 1.2 ) Respiratory tract infections ( 1.3 ) Specific bacterial infections ( 1.4 ) Ophthalmic infections ( 1.5 ) Anth.
What it is
Doxycycline Hyclate Tablets USP contain doxycycline hyclate, a tetracycline class drug synthetically derived from oxytetracycline, in an immediate release formulation for oral administration.
Boxed warning
None in the current label
Causality screen of the 40 strongest signals
What the badges mean
- Labeled (related wording) The label describes this effect under different wording (e.g. 'neutropenia' for 'neutrophil count decreased'). Treated as known.
- Likely indication confounding The term appears in the label's indications: reports probably describe the disease being treated (or its progression), not a drug effect. Classic confounding by indication.
- Lab value / disease marker A laboratory result, investigation or disease-activity marker (antibody positive, CRP abnormal, swollen joint count) not described in the label. These usually mirror the monitored disease or testing protocol rather than a drug effect; not screened further.
- Not in label — unassessed Not found in the label text, not an artifact pattern. This is a genuine candidate for a formal causality assessment (Bradford Hill / WHO-UMC); it has NOT had one here.
Strongest disproportionality signals
Flagged terms (PRR ≥ 2, χ² ≥ 4, n ≥ 10), ranked by PRR; infinite PRRs (no comparator reports) excluded. The EBGM column is a second, shrinkage-based estimate (MGPS) with its 5th percentile EB05 and the BCPNN IC025; a pair flagged by PRR alone is marked PRR-only and should be read as fragile. The strata column recomputes the PRR on serious reports only (and, for the 300 most-reported drugs, adjusted for age band), and flags pairs whose reports are unusually skewed by sex or come mostly from consumers. Each row also shows the PRR against the other drugs of the same FDA class, which removes most confounding by the condition being treated, and a calibrated p-value: on validation, known non-causes average an ROR of about 2, so significance is judged against that empirical null (✓ = p < 0.05 after calibration). 1,111 further terms are in the interactive explorer. Reaction links open the term's cross-drug page.
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grip strength | 109 | 1,109.4 856.3–1,437.2ROR 1,116.6 · calibrated p 2e-17 ✓ | 527.6 EB05 449.6 · IC025 +7.0 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=109 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Swollen joint count | 89 | 705.8 543.9–915.9ROR 709.6 · calibrated p 4e-15 ✓ | 408.3 EB05 341.9 · IC025 +6.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=89 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody | 226 | 637.5 543.1–748.2ROR 646.1 · calibrated p 5e-15 ✓ | 404.8 EB05 362.4 · IC025 +7.5 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=226 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 97% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Lupus vulgaris | 371 | 563.6 498.8–636.8ROR 576.2 · calibrated p 2e-14 ✓ | 378.4 EB05 347.2 · IC025 +7.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=371 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Deep vein thrombosis postoperative | 499 | 424.1 383.5–469.0ROR 437.0 · calibrated p 3e-13 ✓ | 311.3 EB05 289.0 · IC025 +7.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=499 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Congenital hiatus hernia | 56 | 419.6 309.8–568.2ROR 421.0 · calibrated p 1e-12 ✓ | 282.4 EB05 225.6 · IC025 +5.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=56 · ♀ 0% (drug 69%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| C-reactive protein | 163 | 271.6 229.3–321.6ROR 274.2 · calibrated p 3e-11 ✓ | 216.7 EB05 190.2 · IC025 +6.8 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=163 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Retinitis | 297 | 268.5 237.0–304.2ROR 273.3 · calibrated p 3e-11 ✓ | 217.2 EB05 197.3 · IC025 +7.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=297 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 97% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Adjustment disorder with depressed mood | 349 | 259.7 231.6–291.3ROR 265.2 · calibrated p 3e-11 ✓ | 211.9 EB05 193.9 · IC025 +7.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=348 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Swollen joint count increased | 468 | 218.9 198.6–241.3ROR 225.1 · calibrated p 1e-10 ✓ | 184.4 EB05 170.8 · IC025 +7.1 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=468 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Dislocation of vertebra | 314 | 203.8 181.0–229.4ROR 207.6 · calibrated p 3e-10 ✓ | 173.0 EB05 157.5 · IC025 +6.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=314 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| X-ray abnormal | 237 | 189.8 165.7–217.5ROR 192.5 · calibrated p 6e-10 ✓ | 162.3 EB05 145.7 · IC025 +6.7 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=237 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Seronegative arthritis | 146 | 185.4 155.8–220.5ROR 187.0 · calibrated p 9e-10 ✓ | 157.8 EB05 137.4 · IC025 +6.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=146 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Sleep disorder due to general medical condition, hypersomnia type | 13 | 184.6 103.1–330.7ROR 184.8 · calibrated p 1e-8 ✓ | 130.3 EB05 81.0 · IC025 +3.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=13 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Rheumatic fever | 520 | 167.5 153.0–183.3ROR 172.8 · calibrated p 1e-9 ✓ | 146.6 EB05 136.3 · IC025 +6.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=520 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Overlap syndrome | 81 | 164.9 130.8–207.8ROR 165.7 · calibrated p 3e-9 ✓ | 140.6 EB05 116.7 · IC025 +5.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=81 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Facet joint syndrome | 359 | 159.3 142.8–177.6ROR 162.7 · calibrated p 3e-9 ✓ | 140.0 EB05 128.2 · IC025 +6.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=359 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Rheumatoid factor positive | 609 | 146.2 134.6–158.8ROR 151.7 · calibrated p 4e-9 ✓ | 130.2 EB05 121.7 · IC025 +6.8 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=609 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Bone erosion | 352 | 136.7 122.6–152.5ROR 139.6 · calibrated p 9e-9 ✓ | 122.2 EB05 111.9 · IC025 +6.5 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=352 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 98% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Malignant melanoma stage 0 | 18 | 136.5 83.9–222.2ROR 136.7 · calibrated p 6e-8 ✓ | 109.0 EB05 72.9 · IC025 +4.0 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=18 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Gastrointestinal mucosal necrosis | 14 | 133.6 77.0–231.9ROR 133.7 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓ | 103.8 EB05 65.7 · IC025 +3.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=14 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Porphyria acute | 131 | 129.9 108.5–155.4ROR 130.9 · calibrated p 2e-8 ✓ | 115.5 EB05 99.9 · IC025 +6.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=131 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Duodenal ulcer perforation | 605 | 111.3 102.5–120.8ROR 115.3 · calibrated p 4e-8 ✓ | 101.7 EB05 95.1 · IC025 +6.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 99.6 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Intestinal sepsis | 19 | 100.5 62.9–160.3ROR 100.6 · calibrated p 4e-7 ✓ | 85.2 EB05 57.6 · IC025 +4.0 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=19 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Subcutaneous drug absorption impaired | 40 | 98.1 71.1–135.3ROR 98.3 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓ | 87.2 EB05 66.8 · IC025 +4.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=40 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| C-reactive protein abnormal | 468 | 97.6 88.9–107.1ROR 100.4 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓ | 90.1 EB05 83.5 · IC025 +6.2 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=468 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Drug tolerance decreased | 199 | 94.8 82.1–109.4ROR 95.9 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓ | 87.3 EB05 77.6 · IC025 +5.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=196 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 90% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Sleep disorder due to general medical condition, insomnia type | 428 | 88.2 80.0–97.2ROR 90.5 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓ | 82.0 EB05 75.7 · IC025 +6.1 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=428 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Muscle injury | 540 | 87.2 80.0–95.1ROR 90.1 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓ | 81.3 EB05 75.7 · IC025 +6.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 85.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome | 34 | 86.5 61.1–122.5ROR 86.7 · calibrated p 7e-7 ✓ | 77.5 EB05 58.0 · IC025 +4.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=34 · ♀ 0% (drug 69%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positive | 463 | 86.3 78.6–94.7ROR 88.7 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓ | 80.4 EB05 74.5 · IC025 +6.1 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious PRR 79.1 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Helicobacter infection | 652 | 84.6 78.3–91.5ROR 88.0 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓ | 79.0 EB05 74.1 · IC025 +6.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 81.5 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Peripheral venous disease | 252 | 83.4 73.5–94.7ROR 84.7 · calibrated p 4e-7 ✓ | 77.7 EB05 70.0 · IC025 +5.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=252 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 92% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Granuloma skin | 52 | 82.9 62.6–109.8ROR 83.2 · calibrated p 7e-7 ✓ | 75.6 EB05 59.9 · IC025 +5.0 3/3 methods agree | Likely indication confounding shares a disease stem with the indications wording | serious n=52 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hypocholesterolaemia | 19 | 81.4 51.2–129.5ROR 81.5 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓ | 71.2 EB05 48.1 · IC025 +3.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=19 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Folliculitis | 617 | 78.7 72.6–85.2ROR 81.6 · calibrated p 5e-7 ✓ | 73.8 EB05 69.1 · IC025 +6.0 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 84.5 · ♀ 99% (drug 69%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Autoimmune disorder | 502 | 68.5 62.7–74.9ROR 70.6 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓ | 64.8 EB05 60.2 · IC025 +5.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 67.9 · ♀ 99% (drug 69%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Breast cancer stage iii | 332 | 67.4 60.4–75.2ROR 68.7 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓ | 63.7 EB05 58.1 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=332 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 476 | 64.8 59.2–71.0ROR 66.7 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓ | 61.5 EB05 57.0 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 64.0 · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hand deformity | 643 | 64.0 59.2–69.2ROR 66.5 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓ | 60.8 EB05 56.9 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 64.6 · ♀ 100% (drug 69%) · 97% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Most frequently reported reactions
By raw co-report count, regardless of disproportionality. Common terms here are often the illness itself or generic outcomes.
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug hypersensitivity | 2,273 | 14.7 14.1–15.2ROR 16.8 · calibrated p 0.004 ✓ | 14.5 EB05 14.0 · IC025 +3.8 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious PRR 13.0 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Fatigue (tiredness) | 1,755 | 2.8 2.7–2.9ROR 3.0 · calibrated p 0.623 | 2.8 EB05 2.7 · IC025 +1.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 4.1 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Nausea | 1,652 | 2.6 2.5–2.7ROR 2.8 · calibrated p 0.706 | 2.6 EB05 2.5 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 3.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pain | 1,439 | 2.9 2.8–3.0ROR 3.1 · calibrated p 0.602 | 2.9 EB05 2.8 · IC025 +1.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 3.9 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Rash | 1,416 | 4.1 3.9–4.3ROR 4.3 · calibrated p 0.321 | 4.0 EB05 3.9 · IC025 +1.9 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 6.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Off label use (used outside approved label) | 1,373 | 2.0 1.9–2.1ROR 2.0 · calibrated p 0.969 | 2.0 EB05 1.9 · IC025 +0.9 | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 2.9 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Headache | 1,362 | 2.7 2.6–2.8ROR 2.8 · calibrated p 0.678 | 2.7 EB05 2.6 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 4.3 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Drug ineffective (drug did not work) | 1,355 | 1.3 1.2–1.3ROR 1.3 · calibrated p 0.507 | 1.3 EB05 1.2 · IC025 +0.3 | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 2.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Diarrhoea (diarrhea) | 1,318 | 2.5 2.4–2.7ROR 2.7 · calibrated p 0.743 | 2.5 EB05 2.4 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 3.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Dyspnoea (shortness of breath) | 1,292 | 2.8 2.7–3.0ROR 3.0 · calibrated p 0.631 | 2.8 EB05 2.7 · IC025 +1.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 3.3 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Vomiting | 1,292 | 3.4 3.2–3.6ROR 3.6 · calibrated p 0.456 | 3.4 EB05 3.3 · IC025 +1.7 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 4.1 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pneumonia (lung infection) | 1,131 | 4.3 4.1–4.6ROR 4.6 · calibrated p 0.285 | 4.3 EB05 4.1 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | Likely indication confounding term in indications | serious PRR 4.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pruritus (itching) | 1,114 | 3.7 3.5–3.9ROR 3.8 · calibrated p 0.408 | 3.6 EB05 3.5 · IC025 +1.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 6.5 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Dizziness | 1,070 | 2.7 2.5–2.8ROR 2.8 · calibrated p 0.703 | 2.7 EB05 2.5 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 3.9 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Condition aggravated | 1,053 | 4.3 4.1–4.6ROR 4.6 · calibrated p 0.289 | 4.3 EB05 4.1 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 5.6 · ♀ 89% (drug 69%) | no trial arm names this drug |
Unlabeled candidate signals
These flagged terms were not found in the FDA label text and do not match an artifact pattern. They are the pairs that would merit a structured assessment (temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across databases, trial or cohort evidence). The screen has not done that; string-matching misses label wording, and a strong PRR can still be stimulated reporting, co-medication, or the disease itself.
- Grip strength — n=109, PRR 1,109.4
- Swollen joint count — n=89, PRR 705.8
- Lupus vulgaris — n=371, PRR 563.6
- Deep vein thrombosis postoperative — n=499, PRR 424.1
- Congenital hiatus hernia — n=56, PRR 419.6
- Retinitis — n=297, PRR 268.5
- Adjustment disorder with depressed mood — n=349, PRR 259.7
- Dislocation of vertebra — n=314, PRR 203.8
- Seronegative arthritis — n=146, PRR 185.4
- Rheumatic fever — n=520, PRR 167.5
Want to assess one of these properly? The runbook describes the Bradford Hill / trial-evidence workflow used on the assessment page, and handoff_top1000_signals.csv lists the strongest unassessed pairs across all drugs.
Common questions
What are the most reported side effects of Doxyclycline Hyclate?
In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Doxyclycline Hyclate are drug hypersensitivity, fatigue, nausea, pain, rash, headache. These are report counts, not rates: FAERS has no denominator, reporting is voluntary and uneven, and a term can be reported because of the illness being treated rather than the drug.
Does Doxyclycline Hyclate have an FDA boxed warning?
No. The FDA label retrieved for Doxyclycline Hyclate has no boxed warning; see the label's Warnings and Precautions for the recognised risks.
Do FAERS signals prove that Doxyclycline Hyclate causes these side effects?
No. A disproportionality signal (PRR, ROR) means a reaction is reported more often with this drug than with others in the database. That can reflect a real effect, but also the disease being treated, stimulated reporting after news or litigation, co-medications, or how reports are coded. Causality needs temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across data sources and, ideally, trial or cohort evidence. This page screens each term against the FDA label and ClinicalTrials.gov results; it does not establish causation.
Sources & methods
- FDA label via openFDA (set ID f234f419-42da-4a6d-82c6-92106cd77c67, effective 20250919; matched on
openfda.generic_name.exact:"DOXYCLYCLINE HYCLATE") - Bayesian shrinkage measures computed offline over all 1,317,300 cached pairs: BCPNN information component (IC, with Norén closed-form IC025) and MGPS empirical-Bayes geometric mean (EBGM, EB05) with a two-component gamma prior fitted by maximum marginal likelihood (α₁=0.57, β₁=0.02, α₂=1.42, β₂=0.70, w=0.17); unstratified
- FAERS pair statistics from the OpenPV build of 2026-09-14 (openFDA
count=aggregation, fieldpatient.drug.openfda.generic_name.exact, 1,151 reaction terms, min 3 co-reports); PRR/ROR with 95% CI, chi-square with Yates correction - Serious-only and stratified counts (serious:1, patient.patientsex, primarysource.qualification) from openFDA count queries; serious-only PRR uses the drug serious report total and the term global serious total (N_serious=11,882,979); strata shown only when n ≥ 20
- Seriousness and sex counts from openFDA
count=serious,patient.patientsex,seriousnessdeath - ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 (query
DOXYCLYCLINE HYCLATE, results-bearing studies sorted by enrollment)
Page generated 2026-10-14. Label and PubChem text are retrieved automatically and may lag the current label; always check the current prescribing information. OpenPV is a beta research tool of the Open Source Medicine Foundation.