Tetracycline: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Tetracycline is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Available as
- Capsule · Suspension · Fiber, extended release · Tablet
- Sold as
- 3 products — Achromycin V, Actisite and Tetracycline Hydrochloride
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $17 for a 30-count supply — not your price
Every tetracycline product we track (3)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $17 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Fiber | Generic | $17 | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $17 | View → |
What tetracycline pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Combination products containing tetracycline
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
How long tetracycline keeps
No tetracycline label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Tetracycline and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for tetracycline: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadA number of reviews have stated that tetracycline is contraindicated during breastfeeding because of possible staining of infants’ dental enamel or bone deposition of tetracyclines. However, a close examination of available literature indicates that there is not likely to be harm in short-term use of tetracycline during lactation because milk levels are low and absorption by the infant is inhibited by the calcium in breastmilk. Although the manufacturer recommends avoiding breastfeeding during administration of tetracycline, short-term use of tetracycline is probably acceptable in nursing mothers. As a theoretical precaution, avoid prolonged or repeat courses during nursing. Monitor the infant for rash and for possible effects on the gastrointestinal flora, such as diarrhea or candidiasis (thrush, diaper rash).
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised June 15, 2025. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about tetracycline
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 838 reports naming tetracycline, and the FDA flagged 67% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- drug hypersensitivity160 reports
- hypersensitivity127 reports
- pneumonia105 reports
- intentional product use issue101 reports
- pain in extremity97 reports
- vomiting97 reports
- arthralgia94 reports
- nausea94 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean tetracycline caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 26, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
Can you take tetracycline with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run tetracycline against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is tetracycline sold under?
We track 3 tetracycline-containing products in the U.S.: Achromycin V, Actisite and Tetracycline Hydrochloride. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does tetracycline come in?
Across the brands we track, tetracycline is currently marketed as capsule, suspension, fiber, extended release and tablet, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic tetracycline?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic tetracycline product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Tetracycline: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/tetracycline
- MLA
- “Tetracycline: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/tetracycline.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for tetracycline on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.