Minocycline for prophylaxis of infection with Neisseria meningitidis: high rate of side effects in recipients.

A high rate of side effects (mostly vestibular) was found among 83 people receiving prophylaxis with minocycline because of contact with a patient who had died of meningitis due to Neisseria meningitidis. Three groups of contacts received different lots of minocycline and different dosage regimens. Seventy-eight percent of these people had symptoms temporally related to ingestion of minocycline. These symptoms, which included dizziness, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, anorexia, and headache, generally commenced soon after initiation of chemoprophylaxis; the total dosage of minocycline was low. The high rate of vestibular side effects of minocycline militates against widespread use of minocycline for prophylaxis of meningococcal infection.