Drug interactions
Doxycycline + Porfimer
Severity: Moderate
Doxycycline and Porfimer: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Porfimer is a photosensitizer used in photodynamic therapy, and patients remain photosensitive for weeks afterward. Doxycycline is also phototoxic, so combined use may intensify skin reactions such as severe sunburn on light exposure.
What this interaction means in plain words
Doxycycline and Porfimer can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Doxycycline belongs to Anti Bacterial; Porfimer belongs to Miscellaneous.
Why it happens
Additive photosensitizing effects of the two drugs.
What to do
Counsel strict avoidance of sunlight and bright indoor light, with protective clothing, during the porfimer photosensitivity period. Prefer a non-phototoxic antibiotic if one is suitable.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Doxycycline
- Acitretin + Doxycycline Contraindicated
- Aminolevulinic acid + Doxycycline Major
- Cholera vaccine + Doxycycline Major
- Doxycycline + Isotretinoin Major
- Doxycycline + Methoxyflurane Major
- Doxycycline + Microbiota Major
Other interactions of Porfimer
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Doxycycline with Porfimer?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Doxycycline and Porfimer can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Porfimer is a photosensitizer used in photodynamic therapy, and patients remain photosensitive for weeks afterward. Doxycycline is also phototoxic, so combined use may intensify skin reactions such as severe sunburn on light exposure.
How serious is the interaction between Doxycycline and Porfimer?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Counsel strict avoidance of sunlight and bright indoor light, with protective clothing, during the porfimer photosensitivity period. Prefer a non-phototoxic antibiotic if one is suitable.
What other medicines interact with Doxycycline?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Doxycycline with, for example, Acitretin, Aminolevulinic acid, Cholera vaccine. The full list is on the Doxycycline page.
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