How Long Does It Take For Lip Swelling To Heal After Taking Doxycycline?

Posted on Tue, 24 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 24 Dec 2013 Answered on

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I bit my lip in my sleep Saturday night...it bled a bit but stopped. It was very swollen. I applied ice, alternating with warm compresses. My dr. Put me on doxycycline yesterday..the swelling has gone down a bit, but its burning around the scabbing and still swollen. Very painful. How long should I expect this discomfort?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Pain may persist for a week. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query. Lip is a highly vascular area and any injury to the area can cause a considerable swelling and bleeding. The swelling and pain may persist for 7-10 days. You can take a mild pain killer like ibuprofen after the meals since tylenol is not helping. Continue doing the alternate hot and cold compress in the area. The skin coloration may even increase during the healing. In case the pain or swelling increases then you will have to consult your physician to rule out any infection in the area. I hope this answers your query. In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Praveen Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (2 hours later)

Dr. Tayal, My doctor determined on Monday that it was infected. I have been on doxycycline for 2 days. . I thought ice, after 24 hours, was problematic. I appreciate your response and look forward to your follow up answer. As I take 20 mg Benicar daily for Blood pressure, I was advised not to take ibuprofen. Thank you for your answer and look forward to this clarification. Thank you. XXXX

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Do hot fomentation and continue with tylenol DS Detailed Answer: Hello. Thanks for writing again. If the area is infected then it is best to do only a hot fomentation as cold compress will delay the healing. Taking the antibiotic as prescribed will help in controlling the infection and thus the pain. The pain killers like ibuprofen can cause a mild rise in the blood pressure. Tylenol has a lesser anti inflammatory effect but still it is best to continue with it every 6 hourly. You can take a double strength (DS) tablet also for a better effect. You can get serratiopeptidase prescribed from your physician for an early healing. Hope my answer is helpful. If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you good health. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T