Avidoxy, Doxycycline Monohydrate

Introduction

Written by Malini Ghoshal, RPh, MS
Medically reviewed by Rosanna Sutherby, PharmD
Updated on May 28, 2023

Doxycycline is a generic medication that’s prescribed for certain infections. Its brand-name versions include Acticlate, Doxy 100, Doxy 200, Doryx, Doryx MPC, Monodox, Oracea, and Vibramycin. The cost of doxycycline can depend on several factors. It might be lowered by using a coupon.

Doxycycline comes in these oral forms: liquid suspension (a type of liquid mixture), tablets, capsules, and delayed-release tablet. With delayed-release, the drug is released into your body in a certain amount of time after you take it. Doxycycline also comes as a liquid solution that’s given as an intravenous (IV) infusion (an injection into your vein given over time). This form is given by your doctor or another healthcare professional.

Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved doxycycline to:

• treat certain types of bacterial infections
• treat severe types of acne
• treat acute intestinal amebiasis (a sudden parasitic infection in the intestines)
• help prevent malaria

Read on to learn about doxycycline and cost. You’ll also find available coupons and suggestions for ways to save on your prescription. If you’d like more information about doxycycline, including its uses, refer to this overview article.

Cost of doxycycline

Like other medications, the cost of doxycycline can vary. Certain factors may affect its price, such as:

• your insurance plan, if you have coverage
• the pharmacy you use
• the cost to receive doxycycline infusions by a healthcare professional

To find out how much doxycycline costs, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. They may be able to suggest ways to save money on your prescription, including those described in this article. To find out what you’d pay using savings coupons, read the “Coupons for doxycycline” section.

Coupons for doxycycline

Prescription drug coupons can help you save money by lowering the cost of doxycycline. The Optum Perks coupons above can provide significant savings on your prescription costs.

Note: Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with any insurance copays or benefits.

Available app for coupons

To make finding and using these coupons easier, you can download the Optum Perks app. To learn more about this prescription discount app, see this article.

Common questions about doxycycline and cost

Here are some common questions about doxycycline and their answers. 

Does doxycycline 100 mg cost less than the drug’s other strengths?

It’s possible. The cost of doxycycline 100 milligrams (mg) compared with higher strengths of the drug depends on various factors. These include which form of the drug you’re prescribed, your dosage, and whether you have insurance coverage.

Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about the cost of doxycycline 100 mg.

Why are costs different for brand-name drugs vs. generic drugs?

Brand-name drugs can be expensive because of the studies needed to test how safe and effective they are.

Makers of a brand-name drug can sell their drug for up to 20 years. When the patent for a brand-name drug expires, other drugmakers can make and sell generic versions. A generic medication is an identical copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. (An active drug is the ingredient that makes a medication work.)

This competition may help keep the costs of generic medications lower. Also, generic medications contain the same active drugs as brand-name medications. So they don’t require the same testing, which can be costly.

If you’d like to know more about the cost differences between brand-name and generic drugs, talk with your doctor.

Insurance and other considerations for doxycycline

Here’s a list of things to consider about the cost of prescription drugs:

• Prior authorization. If you have prescription drug insurance, your insurance company may require prior authorization before it covers the cost of doxycycline. In this case, your doctor will communicate with your insurance company regarding your prescription for doxycycline. The insurance company will decide whether to cover the medication. If a drug requires prior authorization and you begin treatment without this, you may have to pay the full price of the drug.
• Insurance coverage. Even if your policy has prescription drug coverage, the price of doxycycline may instead be billed through your medical coverage. This is because doxycycline infusions are given by a doctor or another healthcare professional. The cost of your infusions will depend on your specific insurance plan and whether you receive the doses at your doctor’s clinic or a hospital. If you have questions about this process, contact your doctor or your insurance provider.

If you have questions about any of these considerations, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Or contact your insurance company and talk with a representative.

If you don’t have a health insurance plan, let your doctor or pharmacist know. They may suggest online pharmacy options you could use. You can also ask them about ways to obtain health insurance coverage.

Generics vs. brand-names

Doxycycline is a generic medication. The table below lists available forms of doxycycline and their brand-name versions.

* With delayed-release, the drug is released into your body in a certain amount of time after you take it.

A generic medication is an identical copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. (An active drug is the ingredient that makes a medication work.) Generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs. And they’re considered as safe and effective as the brand-name versions.

If your doctor has prescribed doxycycline but you’re interested in taking a brand-name version of the medication, let them know. They may prefer one medication over the other. Also, check whether your insurance plan covers only one version of the drug.

To learn how the cost of doxycycline compares with its brand-name versions, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. You could also contact your insurance company. 

What to ask about doxycycline

This article provides cost information related to doxycycline. It also offers suggestions for ways to save money on your prescription. Above on this page, you’ll find coupons for doxycycline.

If you have more questions about paying for this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You can also contact your insurance company.

Here’s a list of questions you may want to ask regarding the cost of your medication:

• Does the dosage form of doxycycline affect the cost of the medication?
• Will my insurance cover the cost of doxycycline for malaria prevention?
• Would brand-name doxycycline capsules cost more than the generic version?

Resources

• Doxycylcine hyclate oral tablet. (2023). nctr-crs.fda.gov/fdalabel/services/spl/set-ids/3af9348c-a98b-4059-a5ef-4229e2b33af0/spl-doc
• Food and Drug Administration. (2023). Orange Book: Approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence evaluations. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm

Disclaimer: Optum Perks has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.