Doxycycline for Pneumonia User Reviews

• Bet...
• December 12, 2012

"Doxycycline is very responsive to pneumonia. If you follow the directions on the pamphlet, you will be successful! For example, sit up 10 minutes after taking it with a full glass of water. Refrain from dairy, calcium/magnesium supplements for a couple of hours to let it absorb into the bloodstream. Take exactly every 12 hours (twice a day), even if you have to get up at 3:30 am! Drink fluids all day and rest, strictly for the first 4 days, no errands! Additionally, 20 mg of prednisone once helps with cough and wheeze, so you can rest. When you do cough, it is productive, which is good. Turn on a vaporizer for 24 hours and clean it every other day with white vinegar! You will be a champ in 4 days."

• ros...
• February 21, 2018

"What are all these bad comments towards doxycycline? First of all, taking it for 2 days? Come on now. Take your full course. Second of all, nausea? It is a side effect. It is a 7-day course, you should persist. I’m sure sepsis is a lot worse. Photosensitivity? It’s not even sunny. If it is, wear sun cream. I was on this medication, and as a result, I did not get sepsis, and I did not die. My lungs did not necrose, and I did not choke on my own purulent sputum. This medicine is amazing."

• Chu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2019

"I let cough go untreated for 4 weeks because of no insurance, didn't want to create another bill I couldn't pay, and by end of week four I started coughing up blood so went to clinic. Pneumonia diagnosis. Was given doxycycline 100 mg x2 daily for 7 days. I'm on day two and already lungs are clear. Second day had a little stomach upset but I'd not drink much water that time. That is the key...drink water, drink water and drink water. Other than that one instance, no stomach trouble at all. It's a strong antibiotic and it works great, so glad I wasn't given amoxicillin which always tears my stomach up and works nowhere near as good as this has so far. First time using it and I'm thoroughly impressed so far. Tough out the stomach issues if you have any, again drink that water, cannot stress enough, not only for this drug but for helping the body to expel the mucus. Not cokes, not coffee or any caffeine, it's a diuretic and will keep you dehydrated."

• Joe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2019

"Seven-day prescription for doxycycline taken for community-acquired pneumonia. Was as sick as I’ve ever been for a week. Started meds on a Sunday afternoon, and by Monday evening, I was feeling so much better, not perfect, but I was sure I was going to live after all. Prior to the meds, I wasn’t so sure. Make sure to take with food. I took it on an empty stomach one morning and dry-heaved for about 15 minutes. But I've taken it with food every other time, and I haven’t even had heartburn. This antibiotic made me feel so much better so quickly."

• bus...
• December 24, 2019

"Thought I had a bad cold with cough and shortness of breath. After about 7 days, when I got the pain going clear through the lung (front to back), I knew it was pneumonia (had it before). Started doxy 2 x a day, also using a nebulizer with albuterol solution 3 x a day and an emergency albuterol inhaler for nighttime breathing help. Better on day 3 but no further improvement until I began doxy 3 x a day. Always eat 30 minutes before taking doxy or you will have stomach issues. Drink a bottle of water every two hours to help flush the crud out of your system. You will be tired for 8-10 days after stopping doxy, but it has done its job."

• cor...
• October 23, 2008

"Used twice for Atypical Pneumonia and when all other drugs failed, this one always works. I've had pneumonia twice in the last year, the first time for 3 months. A pulmonary specialist was called in from within the hospital, and he prescribed the doxycycline, and it instantly worked - in about 24 hours, I felt almost normal. This time around, the same experience - first we tried my new doctor's way, and then doxycycline, and it worked."

• Kar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 27, 2023

"Had COVID, then developed pneumonia. Started on amoxicillin, didn’t do much. Went back to the doctor and was given doxycycline and steroids. Within a couple of hours, started to feel better. Had no side effects. I’ll be asking for this medication first from now on. It’s magic! xx"

• Rav...
• October 17, 2018

"I've used doxy for 20 years. First 2 days you may feel horrible; means doxy is working. When bacteria begin to die off, it creates a reaction called Herxheimer's. Do NOT take it with milk. Drink a glass of water, THEN take the pill, drink more water. Always talk to your pharmacist about drugs you take, food interactions. Wish you healing."

• Pot...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2020

"I started a 10-day round of this antibiotic, doxycycline, for walking pneumonia. I am on day 7. Things to note: DO NOT TAKE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. You will feel like it is the end of your life. I have tried every way possible to keep the nausea away, and the best thing I have found is eating before you take it. Be sure to drink a full glass of water with it (8 oz should suffice) and then maybe finish whatever you were eating. The nausea will still come, or in my case, it did. You can have some sweats with this med too, and it does make you feel crappy. No way around it. My repeat chest X-ray was this morning. I have no clue what the results are yet, but I am also doing an emergency ProAir albuterol inhaler at night, and I did a 6-day round of prednisone. Again, and I cannot stress this enough, be sure to eat prior to taking. I am hopeful this med is doing its job clearing the pneumonia. I do feel better a little each day since beginning it."

• MN2...
• February 17, 2018

"Had been sick with a fever on and off, cough, congestion for 2 weeks before discovering it was bacterial pneumonia. Dr. prescribed doxy 100 mg twice per day. Literally better in 24 hrs after 3rd dose. I never have been so impressed with an antibiotic."

• ART...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2017

"I developed pneumonia after the flu, and my doctor prescribed 100 mg of doxycycline twice a day for 10 days. While the medicine was effective in lessening my pneumonia symptoms, it was very difficult to live and function with the side effects. I learned what worked for me, and that was to eat an hour or two before taking the medicine. I had extreme nausea and diarrhea on days when I didn't eat enough before taking the medicine, but I only had mild nausea when I had eaten enough before. Overall, it worked for me, but if a doctor prescribes this for me again, I will ask for a different medicine. DO NOT TAKE THIS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH."

• Mod...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2015

"I had been diagnosed at a local walk-in clinic with bronchitis. The next evening, however, I developed a high fever and experienced difficulty breathing. At the emergency department, I was then diagnosed with pneumonia. This is my third day on doxycycline, and I feel so much better! Fever is normal, and my lungs are not so congested and tight-feeling. The only minor side effect I've experienced is slight nausea when taking the pills on an empty stomach. Having a little something to eat first did the trick - though no dairy!"

• Alx...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 25, 2022

"So to start, I was first prescribed a Z-Pak: Azithromycin for suggestive pneumonitis. I’ve taken a Z-Pak before, so I thought nothing of it. Unfortunately, I had the worst watery diarrhea and stomach pain an hour after taking it, along with a fast heartbeat. I took it with food and everything. Those are not good side effects, by the way. Yikes. So I made an urgent care virtual visit, and that doctor prescribed me Doxycycline. I was terrified to take it because I reacted badly to the other antibiotic. I'm pleased to report I’ve had NO side effects at all. Not even a stomachache! Literally no side effects. I'm so happy! I'm supposed to take it twice daily for a week, and I'm almost halfway through it. It’s too early to tell if it’s working for the pneumonitis or not, but I'm happy to keep taking it because I feel nothing from it! If you’re on the fence, just take it and see what happens!"

• cha...
• October 16, 2008

"I'm pretty active with very high energy levels, and woke up one morning extremely tired... went to urgent care and was told I had walking pneumonia... took doxycycline and within an hour, my energy was back... almost instantly. Amazing stuff."

• No ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 15, 2019

"I am currently in between day 2 and day 3 with Doxy, which is prescribed for community-acquired pneumonia. Doing so much better. Friday, I had a fever, couldn't sleep, was coughing every minute, and was absolutely miserable. Though I'm still taking it easy to play safe, now all I have is just the occasional cough. Doxy will give you a headache though, so make sure to eat and drink a lot of fluids with it."

• Anonymous
• April 19, 2012

"The person above me mentions he takes it with an ice cream sandwich. Don't. You aren't supposed to have dairy when you take this medicine. You have to wait until it's absorbed 3-4 hours later. That's what the pharmacist told me."

• jer...
• February 9, 2017

"This medicine is foul, never felt so bad on it, nausea, throwing up, no appetite, headache, increased heart beat, cough, shortness of breath. Once this med was stopped I started to feel much better. If you are offered this DO NOT take it, you'll fell 200% worse for it"

• LAn...
• March 10, 2016

"A few days into a one-week course of 100 mg twice daily, and symptoms have been less severe. After reading some input on dairy products with this drug, 'If gastric irritation occurs, it is recommended that Doxycycline Capsules be given with food or milk. Studies indicate that the absorption of doxycycline is not notably influenced by the simultaneous ingestion of food or milk.'"

• ENF...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2022

"I've had pneumonia several times. This time, my doctor prescribed doxycycline (2x a day, 100 mg for 10 days). First 2 doses, I felt okay, but by the 3rd dose, I had a severe coughing spell for 15-20 minutes straight. That was when I ate something before taking it. Then I tried it on an empty stomach. That time, I got so nauseous I almost wanted to stop taking it. Then I tried taking it again on an empty stomach, but about 15 minutes late, when the nausea began, I drank a little warm chicken broth, and that totally helped me tolerate the side effect. I also had some diarrhea, but not too bad. Totally agree with other reviews, doxycycline does work, and the key is to drink lots and lots of water."

• Ric...
• September 12, 2020

"I had double pneumonia when I started taking doxycycline. Took 4 or 5 days to start working. Took 2 per day for 5 days. I am 5 weeks from having it. I am still weak, and my lungs still hurt some. Still get short-winded. How long does it last? Medicine works, eat something before you take it."

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 23, 2020

"I had pneumonia and just finished the 7-day course of doxycycline two days ago. 48 hrs. The side effects using this with antibiotics and prednisone are still affecting me. Increased heart rate, palpitations, shortness of breath, anxiety attacks randomly (I don’t have anxiety), depression bouts where I feel sad, pressure in my head, and bloating and burping. The three combined were awful with side effects. Pretty sure the pneumonia is gone... gotta deal with these side effects until the medications are out of my system. Do not take doxy if you fear side effects."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2023

"Was sick with multi-focal pneumonia for 10 weeks. I took an X-pak initially and then amoxicillin with no luck whatsoever. Finally, was given doxycycline, and it worked. No side effects at all, as I followed directions meticulously. Wish I had been given the doxy first. 10 weeks was a long time to be laid up in bed."

• Ken...
• August 11, 2018

"Another visit to the doctor, I was prescribed doxycycline 100 mg 3x daily. During the office visit, I was also given Rocephin and Decadron injections to aid in recovery. I pushed for steroid and antibiotic injections because I desperately wanted to avoid a hospital stay. I'm now on day 3 of the doxycycline and finally feel like I'm turning the corner to wellness. I've had no side effects from the doxycycline and tolerated it well. I always finish the full course of antibiotics. I do not expect to fully recover after 2 days. I avoid stomach upset and take the medication with a meal or small snack, unless otherwise instructed. I am aware of medicinal interactions. I always check with my doctor to make sure another medication I am currently prescribed will not interact adversely. I am cautious if I have a history of antibiotic sensitivity. I use common sense while ill and on an antibiotic: rest, drink plenty of fluids, and report any serious side effects immediately."

• Box...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 9, 2020

"Seven days on a dose of 200 mg doxycycline the first day and 100 mg thereafter was absolutely a nightmare. Extreme fatigue and nausea, high anxiety and heart palpitations, low blood sugar probably stemming from difficulties eating and swallowing."

• jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2013

"Was prescribed for pneumonia, followed directions, no missed doses. After the first and second pill, still felt sick. From day three on, the sick feeling was much weaker, but massively fatigued. After ten days, I am more fatigued than before I started doxycycline and still congested. Last time, amoxicillin took away all symptoms in 4 days, and it's cheaper, with just upset stomach and nausea as symptoms."