Tetracycline is prescribed for patients unable to deal with their bacterial infections without taking drugs. This can have to do with quick growth of the bacteria that can be controlled through the use of tetracycline. Make sure you take tetracycline for as long as recommended by your health care provider for the infection to be treated completely. If you stop using tetracycline before it's time, a relapse of infection is possible. This drug is supposed to be taken 2 to 4 times a day, but your health care provider may give different recommendations. Each dose of tetracycline should be taken with a full glass of water. Try to avoid using tetracycline with food, especially dairy products, as it may affect its properties and absorption. There are special kinds of tetracycline that you may take with some milk if the regular way of taking it is not suitable because of stomach upset. Any medications you are taking at the moment are supposed to be reported directly to your doctor. The following ones are important to mention: penicillin, herbal products, anticoagulants, oral contraceptives, vitamins, antacids, and nutritional supplements. If you are taking any other products f the kind but they are not mentioned here - talk about them to your doctor as well to exclude the possibility of any kind of interference. Certain medications (those containing magnesium) can make your tetracycline less effective. You will need to wait for at least 2 hours before you can take any medications mentioned after a dose of tetracycline. Another variant is to take tetracycline an hour before using any of the products mentioned. The following health conditions are supposed to be reported to your doctor before starting the treatment, as they may require a dose adjustment or other modifications will need to be made to your treatment: diabetes, hay fever, allergies, hives, asthma, and kidney or liver disease, as they can affect the dose you are prescribed. In some cases your health care provider may want you to have some tests done to establish the safety of tetracycline in your particular case. The following mild side effects are sometimes reported when tetracycline is used: vaginal itching or discharge, mild nausea, swelling in your rectal or genital area, swollen tongue, vomiting, stomach upset, trouble swallowing, and diarrhea. There is no need to call your health care provider about the side effects mentioned. Instead, watch them carefully and in most cases they will disappear on their own. In some cases mild side effects mentioned can change in intensity and bother you too much - that is when it's best to tell your doctor about them. More serious side effects can include itching, fever or chills, extreme tiredness, unusual bleeding, difficulty breathing, joint stiffness, stomach pain, skin rash, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin or eyes, hives, dark-colored urine, upset stomach, blurred vision, vomiting, confusion, and decreased urination. However, these side effects are quite rare.