Tetracycline can be prescribed to treat bacteria-induced infections, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and a wide array of urinary tract infections. Take tetracycline exactly as recommended by your doctor and make sure you keep this medicine out of the reach of children. This antibiotic is FDA pregnancy category D – it causes birth defects in unborn babies. Tetracycline can also pass into breast milk leading to abnormalities in bone and tooth development. Do not start breastfeeding and avoid getting pregnant if you are taking tetracycline. Do not give tetracycline to children younger than 8 or other people to whom it was not prescribed. This drug can cause permanent yellowing or graying of the teeth in young children.

If you have an allergy to some similar drugs (demeclocycline, doxycycline, minocycline) you are likely to develop an allergy to tetracycline. In that case talk to your doctor about other variants of treatment. Do not take antacids, multivitamins, laxatives, iron or calcium supplements simultaneously with tetracycline – at least 2 hours should pass between the two kinds of drugs. Do not stop taking this medicine until you have used the entire amount prescribed by your doctor – otherwise a relapse of infection may occur.