minocycline minocycline minocycline, sold under the brand name minocin among others, is a tetracycline antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections such as pneumonia. it is generally (but not always) less preferred than the tetracycline doxycycline. minocycline is also used for the treatment of acne and rheumatoid arthritis. it is taken by mouth or applied to the skin. minocyclineclinical datatrade namesminocin, amzeeq, othersahfs/drugs.commonographmedlineplusa682101license data us dailymed: minocycline us fda: minocycline pregnancycategory au: d routes ofadministrationby mouth, intravenous, topicalatc codej01aa08 (who) a01ab23 (who), d10af07 (who)legal statuslegal status au: s4 (prescription only) us: ℞-only pharmacokinetic databioavailability90–100%protein binding70–75%metabolismliverelimination half-life14–22 (11–26) hoursexcretionmostly fecal, 10–15% renalidentifiers iupac name (2e,4s,4ar,5as,12ar)-2-(amino-hydroxy-methylidene)-4,7-bis(dimethylamino)-10,11,12a-trihydroxy-4a,5,5a,6- tetrahydro-4h-tetracene-1,3,12-trione cas number10118-90-8 ypubchem cid54675783drugbankdb01017 nchemspider16735907 yuniifyy3r43wgokeggd05045 ychebichebi:50694 nchemblchembl1434 ycomptox dashboard (epa)dtxsid1045033 echa infocard100.226.626 chemical and physical dataformulac23h27n3o7molar mass457.483 g·mol−13d model (jsmol)interactive imagespecific rotation [ α ] d 25 ^ = −166°solubility in waterlow smiles cn(c)c1ccc(c2c1c3c4(c(=c(c(=o)4(c(=c3c2=o)o)o)c(=o)n)o)n(c)c)o inchi inchi=1s/c23h27n3o7/c1-25(2)12-5-6-13(27)15-10(12)7-9-8-11-17(26(3)4)19(29)16(22(24)32)21(31)23(11,33)20(30)14(9)18(15)28/h5-6,9,11,17,27,29-30,33h,7-8h2,1-4h3,(h2,24,32)/t9-,11-,17-,23-/m0/s1 ykey:dykfcllonbreil-kvuchllusa-n y ny (what is this?) (verify) common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, allergic reactions, and kidney problems. serious side effects may include anaphylaxis, a lupus-like syndrome, and easy sunburning. use in the later part of pregnancy may harm the baby and safety during breastfeeding is unclear. it works by decreasing a bacterium's ability to make protein thus stopping its growth. minocycline was patented in 1961 and came into commercial use in 1971. it is available as a generic medication. in 2020, it was the 236th most commonly prescribed medication in the united states, with more than 1 million prescriptions. medical uses minocycline 100-mg capsules manufactured by ranbaxy pharmaceuticals acne in the united states, minocycline is indicated to treat inflammatory lesions of non-nodular moderate to severe acne vulgaris in people nine years of age and older. minocycline and doxycycline are frequently used for the treatment of acne vulgaris. both of these closely related antibiotics have similar levels of efficacy, although doxycycline has a slightly lower risk of adverse side effects. historically, minocycline has been an effective treatment for acne vulgaris. however, acne that is caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a growing problem in many countries. in europe and north america, a number of people with acne no longer respond well to treatment with tetracycline family antibiotics because their acne symptoms are caused by bacteria (primarily cutibacterium acnes) that are resistant to these antibiotics. in order to reduce resistance rates as well as increase the effectiveness of treatment, oral antibiotics should be generally combined with topical acne creams such as benzoyl peroxide or a retinoid (tretinoin, adapalene, etc.). infections minocycline is also used for other skin infections such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. although minocycline's broader spectrum of activity, compared with other members of the group, includes activity against neisseria meningitidis, its use for prophylaxis is no longer recommended because of side effects (dizziness and vertigo). it may be used to treat certain strains of methicillin-resistant s. aureus infection and a disease caused by drug-resistant acinetobacter spp. a list of uses includes: amoebic dysentery anthrax bubonic plague cholera ehrlichiosis gonorrhea (when penicillin cannot be given) gougerot-carteaud syndrome (confluent and reticulated papillomatosis) hidradenitis suppurativa for use as an adjuvant to haart leprosy periodontal disease perioral dermatitis respiratory infections such as pneumonia rocky mountain spotted fever rosacea syphilis (when penicillin cannot be given) urinary tract infections, rectal infections, and infections of the cervix caused by certain microbes other both minocycline and doxycycline have shown effectiveness in asthma due to immune-suppressing effects. minocycline and doxycycline have modest effectiveness in treating rheumatoid arthritis. however, the 2015 american college of rheumatology guideline for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis does not include minocycline. recent research indicate that centrally infused minocycline attenuates brain microglial activation, neuroinflammation and sympathetic activation during pulmonary hypertension contraindications the drug is contraindicated in people with known hypersensitivity to tetracycline antibiotics, as there is complete cross sensitivity in this group. it is also contraindicated in people with severe liver impairment and after the 16th week of pregnancy. side effects