In DayZ, survival isn’t only about fighting off zombies and scavenging for food, managing your health is a crucial part of the game. One important medical item for your health is Tetracycline Pills, an antibiotic that can save you from infections, cholera, influenza, pneumonia, and even wound infections. If you have gone through the situation when caught without these lifesaving pills after drinking unpurified water, you should know the struggle.
But where do you find Tetracycline Pills in DayZ? They are not as common as other medical supplies, and if you don’t know where to look, you might spend hours searching only to come up empty-handed. So, here’s how to find the Tetracycline Pills in DayZ to stay alive for the next challenge ahead.
DayZ Tetracycline Pills Locations
In case when you’re in desperate need of Tetracycline Pills, focus on visiting the hospitals. These large, multi-floor buildings have the highest spawn rates for medical supplies in DayZ. Focus on searching through tablets, desks, shelves, counters, chairs, and waiting areas as these are the locations with the most goodies here. But hospitals are also high-traffic areas and are often looted early by other players. If the main building is left with nothing great for you, try to find pills in the surrounding buildings or outside the hospital but it’s quite rare to encounter them there.
However, clinics are better places to visit than hospitals in search of these pills because they usually are full of good loot and easy to search. Clinics are also smaller, single-floor buildings, so you can quickly search through the whole area without spending too much time. To find a clinic, visit the blue medical buildings on your map. Clinics are mostly available in towns and small cities. Be thorough—just like hospitals, Tetracycline pills can spawn on desks, shelves, and tables.
You will come across medical tents near a military base, don’t miss to check there once reached any. These areas spawn medical loot, including Tetracycline Pills. Although military areas are dangerous due to high player activity and hard ambushes, they are also the source of valuable supplies. When looting medical tents, stay alert and move cautiously as the opponents can attack anytime from anywhere. Check all crates and tables in the tents as medical items are a random spawn – no fixed location. You can also deal with infected paramedics as they sometimes carry medical loot.
Other Ways to Find Tetracycline Pills
Infected paramedics and nurses have a chance to drop Tetracycline Pills when killed. These zombies normally spawn around medical buildings. So, there can be a good secondary way to try when you leave hospitals and clinics empty-handed. Here’s how to check which zombies carry health items:
- Wear blue paramedic uniforms or white medical scrubs.
- Commonly found outside hospitals, clinics, and medical tents.
- May drop other useful items like bandages, IV kits, or vitamins.
If you see a group of zombies near a hospital, see which on them are wearing medical gear before killing any of them.
How Tetracycline Pills Work in DayZ

Tetracycline Pills are mainly needed to treat bacterial infections and some viral illnesses. If you have symptoms like regular coughing, vomiting, or dehydration, you will need antibiotics to recover. The pills cure from these conditions:
- Cholera (caused by drinking dirty water)
- Influenza and common cold (from exposure to cold weather)
- Pneumonia (prolonged illness from being wet and cold)
- Wound infections (Stage 2 only) – The pills won’t help during Stage 1, so disinfect wounds first.
Each Tetracycline Pill lasts five minutes, meaning you’ll need to re-take them periodically until your infection clears.
- Cholera: 4–6 pills over 20–30 minutes.
- Cold/Influenza: 2–4 pills with warm clothing and rest.
- Pneumonia: Multiple doses over an extended period (combined with staying dry and warm).
You can combine Tetracycline Pills with Multivitamins for better immune resistance, though only one medical effect will be visible on your screen.