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Tetracycline Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of tetracycline include drug hypersensitivity, off label use, and nausea, based on 6,559 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 4.8% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Tetracycline side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for tetracycline.

1
Drug Hypersensitivity27.0%1,772
2
Off Label Use6.2%409
3
Nausea5.7%374
4
Rash4.8%317
5
Drug Ineffective4.8%316
6
Headache4.5%293
7
Vomiting4.4%288
8
Diarrhoea4.3%282
9
Pain4.0%262
10
Fatigue4.0%260
11
Urticaria3.7%240
12
Dizziness3.5%228
13
Hypersensitivity3.3%219
14
Dyspnoea3.2%212
15
Chronic Kidney Disease3.2%211

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that tetracycline caused these reactions.

Report severity

59.0%Serious3,867 reports
25.3%Hospitalizations1,659 reports
7.8%Fatal511 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Tetracycline drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside tetracycline. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Metronidazole19.6%1,286
2
Bismuth15.4%1,013
3
Omeprazole7.2%471
4
Adalimumab5.8%382
5
Erythromycin5.2%341
6
Methotrexate5.1%335
7
Acetaminophen5.1%335
8
Dihydrocodeine-bitartrate4.8%313
9
Prednisone4.5%296
10
Minocycline-hydrochloride4.4%290
11
Amoxicillin4.1%272
12
Etanercept4.1%270
13
Doxycycline4.0%262
14
Rituximab4.0%260
15
Abatacept3.9%257

Taken alongside

1
Acetaminophen10.6%693
2
Omeprazole6.7%437
3
Aspirin6.5%424
4
Prednisone6.5%424
5
Metronidazole6.3%415
6
Ergocalciferol5.5%362
7
Albuterol4.8%316
8
Pantoprazole-sodium4.8%313
9
Metformin4.7%311
10
Amoxicillin4.7%309
11
Atorvastatin-calcium4.5%297
12
Ibuprofen4.5%297
13
Lisinopril4.4%291
14
Levothyroxine-sodium4.4%290
15
Furosemide4.3%285

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports tetracycline side effects

63.8% of tetracycline adverse event reports involve female patients and 26.7% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 63%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female63.8%
Male26.7%
Unknown9.5%

Age group

< 20.4%
2–111.0%
12–172.8%
18–6463.0%
65+32.7%

What is tetracycline used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking tetracycline when the adverse event was reported.

Abdominal InfectionAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAbdominal Wall HaematomaAbdominal Wall InfectionAcinetobacter SepsisAcneAcne ConglobataAcne CysticAcne FulminansAcne VarioliformisActinomycosisAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAlopecia ScarringAmoebiasis

Showing 15 of 386 indications

Tetracycline brand names and reporting trend

Tetracycline is sold under the brand name Tetrex.

Brand names

Tetrex1

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking tetracycline with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.