A-Tetra
| Company | Acme Laboratories Ltd. | |
|---|---|---|
| Active Ingredient |  Tetracycline Hydrochloride | |
| Variants |
| |
Dose
Adult: PO Susceptible infections As HCl: 250 or 500 mg 6 hrly, up to 4 g/day in severe infections.
Acne As HCl: 0.5-1 g/day in 4 divided doses for 1-2 wk or till clinical improvement occurs. Maintenance: 125-500 mg/day till clinical improvement allows drug discontinuation.
Intrapleural Pleural effusions As HCl: 500 mg dissolved in 0.9% NaCl and instilled into pleural spaces.
Children : 25-50 mg/kg daily.
Hepatic impairment: Max: 1 g daily.
Alternative Brands to A-Tetra
Indication
Acne, Lyme disease, Uncomplicated gonorrhea, Syphilis, Psittacosis, Q fever, Pleural effusions, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lymphogranuloma venereum, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Trachoma, Nongonococcal urethritis
Contra Indication
Hypersensitivity; pregnancy, lactation, children; renal impairment.
Side Effect
Oesophageal ulceration, nausea, vomiting, oral candidiasis, diarrhoea, epigastric burning, sore throat, black hairy tongue, pancreatitis, oncholysis, discolouration of tooth (children with developing teeth) and nails, tinnitus, visual disturbances, superinfections, photosensitivity, hypersensitivity,
Potentially Fatal: Anaphylaxis, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, blood dyscrasias.
Interaction
Impaired absorption w/ antacids containing divalent and trivalent cations (e.g. Al, Ca, Mg), Fe, Zn and Na bicarbonate preparations, kaolin-pectin, bismuth subsalicylate, sucralfate, strontium ranelate, colestipol and colestyramine. May interfere w/ the bactericidal action of penicillin. May potentiate the effect of anticoagulants. May decrease efficacy of oral contraceptives. Nephrotoxic effects may be exacerbated by diuretics or other nephrotoxic drugs. May increase the hypoglycaemic effect of insulin and sulfonylureas in patients w/ DM. May increase toxic effects of ergot alkaloids and methotrexate.
Potentially Fatal: Concurrent methoxyflurane may result to fatal renal toxicity. Increased risk of benign intracranial HTN w/ vit A or retinoids (e.g. acitretin,isotretinoin, tretinoin).
Therapeutic Classes
- Tetracycline Group of drugs
Indicaitons
- Bronchiectasis
- Pneumonia
- Acne
- Lyme disease
- Rosacea
- Non-gonococcal urethritis
- Gonorrhoea
- Syphilis
- Gangrene
- Gas gangrene
- Psittacosis
- Q fever
- Tularaemia
- Proctitis
- Brucellosis
- Atypical pneumonia
- Uncomplicated gonorrhoea
- Relapsing fever and louse-borne typhus
- Scrub typhus
- Urethritis
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Balantidiasis
- Acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis
- Pleural effusions
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Lymphogranuloma venereum
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Trachoma
Precaution
Hepatic impairment. Myasthenia gravis, SLE. Should be administered with plenty of water, while sitting or standing, and well before going to bed to avoid oesophageal ulceration. Avoid exposure to sunlight. Periodic evaluation of renal, hepatic and haematological system during prolonged therapy.
Mode of Action
Tetracycline exhibits its bacteriostatic action by reversibly binding to the 30S subunits of the ribosome, thus preventing protein synthesis and arresting cell growth. It has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity including Chlamydiaceae, Mycoplasma spp., Rickettsia spp., spirochaetes, many aerobic and anaerobic gm+ve and gm-ve pathogenic bacteria and some protozoa.