Indications: chronic prostatitis; sinusitis, syphilis, pelvic inflammatory disease, treatment and prophylaxis of anthrax; malaria treatment and prophylaxis, recurrent aphthous ulceration, adjunct to gingival scaling and root planning for periodontitis; oral herpes simplex; rosacea, acne vulgaris.

Cautions: hepatic impairment; alcohol dependence; photosensitivity (avoid exposure to sunlight or sun lamps); porphyria.

Contra-indications: Deposition in growing bone & teeth causes staining & dental hyperplasia in children below 12 years: pregnancy, breast feeding.

Side Effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dysphagia, oesophageal irritation, anorexia, flushing, and tinnitus, rarely hepatotoxicity, pancreatitis, blood disorders, hypersensitivity reactions.

Dose: 200 mg on first day, then 100 mg daily; severe infections (including refractory urinary-tract infections), 200 mg daily.

Early syphilis, 100 mg twice daily for 14 days; late latent syphilis 200 mg twice daily for 28 days.

Uncomplicated genital chlamydia, non-gonococcal urethritis, 100 mg twice daily for 7 days (14 days in pelvic inflammatory disease Anthrax (treatment or post- exposure prophylaxis, 100 mg twice daily;

CHILD (only if alternative antibacterial cannot be given) 5 mg/kg daily in 2 divided doses (max. 200 mg daily)

Pregnancy: First trimester; Effects on skeletal development in animal studies. Second and Third trimester; Dental discoloration; maternal hepatotoxicity with large parenteral doses.

Breast feeding: Avoid (although absorption and therefore discoloration of teeth in infant probably usually prevented by chelation with calcium in milk).