Sarecycline (Seysara®)

Sarecycline is a tetracycline-like antibiotic available as a prescription for oral acne treatment. It is available as a tablet.

• Available forms:
  
  
  • Oral treatment:
    
    
    • Tablet
      Available as prescription
      Generic not available (US)
    • Brand names (US):
      • Seysara®
• Available in these doses:
  
  
  • Tablets: 60 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg
• Dosing information:
  
  Sarecycline is used once daily. The dose of sarecycline depends on the patient’s body weight. The recommended doses are:
  
  
  • Patients who weigh 33-54 kg should use 60 mg of sarecycline daily;
  • Patients who weigh 55-84 kg should use 100 mg of sarecycline daily;
  • Patients who weigh 85-136 kg should use 150 mg of sarecycline daily.
    
    The duration of sarecycline use should be as short as possible to minimize risk of side-effects and development of bacterial resistance. However, make sure to complete the prescribed course in its entirety even if your skin has cleared up before the end of your prescribed course.

• Who is it for?
  
  
  • Gender:
    • Males and females
  • Severity of acne:
    • Moderate-to-severe
  • Age:
    • Children of 9 years and older, adolescents, and adults

How to use it:

Sarecycline is an oral treatment and is available as a tablet.

Sarecycline can be used with or without food. However, make sure to drink a full glass of water when taking sarecycline. Sarecycline can cause irritation in your esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth and stomach. To minimize the chance of this kind of irritation, take sarecycline with enough fluid that would allow you to completely swallow the tablet.

Follow the instructions on your prescription carefully and use sarecycline exactly as prescribed by your physician. Do not change the dose or the frequency of your medication. If you have any questions about the medication or the prescription, ask your physician or pharmacist. 

Be aware of:

• Before using sarecycline, let your physician or pharmacist know if you are allergic to sarecycline, tetracycline, minocycline, doxycycline, demeclocycline, or any of the other ingredients in the sarecycline tablets. 
• Before using sarecycline, inform your physician about the prescription and non-prescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are using/taking. You will find a complete list of drug interactions below.
• Beware that the following medications interfere with sarecycline making it less effective: medications which neutralize stomach acid (antacids) and contain any form of magnesium, aluminum, or calcium; calcium supplements; iron products, and laxatives containing magnesium. Saracycline should be taken 2 hours before or 6 hours after taking these medications.
• Before using sarecycline, inform your physician if you currently suffer from or have ever suffered from intracranial hypertension (a condition characterized by high pressure in the skull that may cause headaches, blurry or double vision, vision loss, and other symptoms).
• Sarecylcine may make your skin more sensitive to sunlight so avoid unnecessary direct or prolonged exposure to sunlight, especially between 10am and 3pm, and wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen (with sun protection factor of at least 15) while taking sarecycline. Do not use a sunlamp or tanning bed. Inform your physician if your exposure to sunlight causes skin rash, itching, redness or other discoloration of the skin or a severe sunburn. 
• Do not drive a car or operate machinery while using sarecycline because it may make you dizzy.
• If you are using sarecycline and are pregnant or are planning on becoming pregnant, talk to your physician about using sarecycline during pregnancy because sarecycline can harm the fetus. Sarecycline use during pregnancy can cause permanent staining of the teeth in the baby. 
• Sarecycline may also affect fertility in male patients. Talk to your physician before starting with sarecycline if you are planning on becoming a father.
• If you are using sarecycline and are breastfeeding, talk to your physician about using sarecycline during this period.
• If sarecycline was prescribed for acne, you can continue your regular diet unless your physician advises otherwise. However, some evidence suggests dairy food may increase the risk of certain side-effects. Talk to your physician if you have any questions. 
• Do not share your medication with anyone else. 
• Keep your regular appointments with your physician to track your response to sarecycline.

Drug interactions: 

Some drugs interact with sarecycline and should not be used together with sarecycline. However, your physician may prescribe other drugs together with sarecycline which may cause a slight interaction, and in this case precautions are necessary.

Inform your physician or pharmacist about all the prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan on taking before starting sarecycline. Also inform your physician or pharmacist of the skin products you use including soaps, cleansers, moisturizers, and cosmetics. 

Drugs that should not be used with tetracycline at all are:

• Acitretin
• Colchicine

What if I overdose? 

In case of overdose, contact an emergency facility or call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at 1 (800) 222-1222 (available 24/7).

If immediate assistance is necessary because the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or cannot be awakened, call 911 at once.

Information can also be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help

What if I miss a dose?

As soon as you recall that you have missed a dose, take the missed dose. However, skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose and continue with your prescribed dosing schedule. Do not increase the quantity or frequency of dosing to make up for the missed dose. 

Storage:

Store your medication in the container that the pharmacist provided and keep it out of reach and out of sight of children. Many containers can be opened by children. Keep the container tightly closed. Always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location that is up and away from the sight of young children, to prevent poisoning (www.upandaway.org).

Store the medication at room temperature. Keep the medication away from excessive heat and moisture – do not store in the bathroom. Do not freeze sarecycline.

Disposal:

Do not keep outdated medication and medication that you no longer use. Unneeded medications should be disposed of in a way that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. Do not flush the medication down the toilet. Contact your pharmacist to learn about the availability of a medicine take-back program in your neighborhood, or get in touch with your local garbage/recycling department to ensure safe disposal. If you do not have access to a take-back program, you can find more information on safe disposal of medication on the FDA website: (https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/ucm186187.htm)