Demeclocycline (INN, BAN, USAN, brand name Declomycin) is a tetracycline antibiotic which was derived from a mutant strain of Streptomyces aureofaciens.
Uses
Demeclocycline is officially indicated for the treatment of various types of bacterial infections. It is used as an antibiotic in the treatment of Lyme disease, acne, and bronchitis. Resistance, though, is gradually becoming more common, and demeclocycline is now rarely used for treatment of infections.
It is widely used (though off-label in many countries including the United States) in the treatment of hyponatremia (low blood sodium concentration) due to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) when fluid restriction alone has been ineffective. Physiologically, this works by reducing the responsiveness of the collecting tubule cells to ADH.
The use in SIADH actually relies on a side effect; demeclocycline induces nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (dehydration due to the inability to concentrate urine).
The use of demeclocycline in SIADH was first reported in 1975, and, in 1978, a larger study found it to be more effective and better tolerated than lithium carbonate, the only available treatment at the time. Demeclocycline used to be the drug of choice for treating SIADH. Furthermore, demeclocycline might have psychotropic side effects similar to lithium.
Tetracyclines bind to cations, such as calcium, iron (when given orally), and magnesium, rendering them insoluble and nonadsorbable for the gastrointestinal tract. Demeclocycline should not be taken with food (particularly milk and other dairy products) or antacids. Exactly how demeclocycline does this has yet to be elucidated, however.