Tetracycline hydrochloride belongs to a group of oral antibiotics called the tetracyclines. It is used to treat infections caused by bacteria and works by interfering with the ability of bacteria to produce proteins. These proteins are essential to the bacteria for growth and reproduction. Tetracycline therefore stops the spread of the bacterial infection and allows the immune system to kill the bacteria. Tetracycline is a broad spectrum antibiotic that is active against a wide variety of bacteria.
Oral antibiotics such as tetracycline hydrochloride help to reduce the symptoms of rosacea, including redness, pimples and eye symptoms. People with mild rosacea may only need antibiotic creams. Moderate or severe symptoms usually require oral antibiotics, followed by topical creams such as MetroCream.
Common side effects of oral antibiotics include:
- nausea or vomiting
- diarrhea
- allergic reaction
- yeast infections (eating live yogurt may help counter-act this side-effect