What is Amoxicillin?

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic in the penicillin group of drugs. It fights bacteria in your body.

Amoxicillin is used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria, such as ear infections, bladder infections, pneumonia, gonorrhea, and E. coli or salmonella infection. Amoxicillin is also sometimes used together with another antibiotic called clarithromycin (Biaxin) to treat stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infection. This combination is sometimes used with a stomach acid reducer called lansoprazole (Prevacid).

Amoxicillin may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Amoxicillin?

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to amoxicillin or to any other penicillin antibiotic, such as:

• ampicillin (Omnipen, Principen)
• dicloxacillin (Dycill, Dynapen)
• oxacillin (Bactocill); or
• penicillin (Beepen-VK, Ledercillin VK, Pen-V, Pen-Vee K, Pfizerpen, V-Cillin K, Veetids, and others)

Before using amoxicillin, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs (especially cephalosporins such as Ceclor, Ceftin, Duricef, Keflex, and others), or if you have:

• asthma
• liver disease
• kidney disease
• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder
• mononucleosis (also called “mono”)
• a history of diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics; or
• a history of any type of allergy

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take amoxicillin.

FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Amoxicillin can make birth control pills less effective, which may result in pregnancy. Before taking amoxicillin, tell your doctor if you use birth control pills.

Amoxicillin can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

The amoxicillin chewable tablet may contain phenylalanine. Talk to your doctor before using this form of amoxicillin if you have phenylketonuria (PKU).

Amoxicillin Side Effects

What are the possible side effects of Amoxicillin?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash
• nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• diarrhea that is watery or bloody
• fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms
• easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness
• urinating less than usual or not at all
• agitation, confusion, unusual thoughts or behavior; or
• seizure (black-out or convulsions)

Less serious side effects are more likely to occur, such as:

• nausea, vomiting, stomach pain
• vaginal itching or discharge
• headache
• swollen, black, or “hairy” tongue; or
• thrush (white patches inside your mouth or throat)

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Amoxicillin Interactions

What other drugs affect Amoxicillin?

Before taking amoxicillin, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall)
• probenecid (Benemid)
• a sulfa drug (such as Bactrim or Septra)
• an antibiotic such as azithromycin (Zithromax), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), or telithromycin (Ketek); or
• a tetracycline antibiotic such as demeclocycline (Declomycin), doxycycline (Adoxa, Doryx, Oracea, Vibramycin), minocycline (Dynacin, Minocin, Solodyn, Vectrin), or tetracycline (Brodspec, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap)

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with amoxicillin. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

What should I avoid while taking Amoxicillin?

Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or has blood in it, call your doctor. Do not use any medicine to stop the diarrhea unless your doctor has told you to.

Amoxicillin Dosage

How should I take Amoxicillin?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

If you are taking amoxicillin with clarithromycin and/or lansoprazole to treat stomach ulcer, use all of your medications as directed. Be sure to read the medication guide or patient instructions provided with each of your medications. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.

You may take amoxicillin with or without food.

Shake the oral suspension (liquid) well just before you measure a dose. To be sure you get the correct dose, measure the liquid with a marked measuring spoon or medicine cup, not with a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

You may place the liquid directly on the tongue, or you may mix it with water, milk, baby formula, fruit juice, or ginger ale. Drink all of the mixture right away. Do not save any for later use.

The chewable tablet should be chewed before you swallow it.

Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow the pill whole. Breaking or opening the pill may cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.

To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood may need to be tested. Your kidney or liver function may also need to be tested. Do not miss any scheduled visits to your doctor.

If you are being treated for gonorrhea, your doctor may also have you tested for syphilis, another sexually transmitted disease.

Take this medication for the entire length of time prescribed by your doctor. Your symptoms may get better before the infection is completely treated. Amoxicillin will not treat a viral infection such as the common cold or flu.

Do not give amoxicillin to another person, even if they have the same symptoms you do.

This medication can cause you to have unusual results with certain medical tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using amoxicillin.

Store amoxicillin at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

You may store liquid amoxicillin in a refrigerator but do not allow it to freeze. Throw away any liquid amoxicillin that is not used within 14 days after it was mixed at the pharmacy.

What happens if I overdose on Amoxicillin?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include confusion, behavior changes, a severe skin rash, urinating less than usual, or seizure (black-out or convulsions).

What happens if I miss a dose of Amoxicillin?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Edited from everydayhealth.com