Drug Name

Amoxil (Amoxicillin)

Drug Uses

Amoxil is taken to treat infections due to organisms that are susceptible to the effects of amoxicillin. General infections that amoxicillin is taken for include infections of the middle ear, tonsils, throat, larynx (laryngitis), bronchi (bronchitis), lungs (pneumonia), urinary tract, and skin. It and is taken to treat gonorrhea.

How Taken

For most infections in adults the dosing regimens for amoxil are 250 mg every 8 hours, 500 mg every 8 hours, 500 mg every 12 hours or 875 mg every 12 hours, depending on the type and severity of infection.

For the treatment of adults with gonorrhea the dose is 3 g given as one dose.

For most infections, children older than 3 months however less than 40 kg are treated with 25 mg/kg/day in divided doses every 12 hours, 20 mg/kg/day in divided doses every 8 hours, 40 mg/kg/day in divided doses every 8 hours or 45 mg/kg/day in divided doses every 12 hours depending on type and severity of the infection.

Drug Type and Mechanism

Amoxil is an antibiotic that belongs to a type of antibiotics called penicillins.

These antibiotics all have a like mechanism of action. They do not kill bacteria, however they stop bacteria from multiplying by preventing bacteria from forming the walls that surround them. The walls are chief to protect bacteria from their environment and to store the contents of the bacterial cell together. Bacteria cannot survive without a cell wall.

Amoxil is effective against many different bacteria including H. influenzae, N. gonorrhoea, E. coli, Pneumococci, Streptococci, and certain strains of Staphylococci.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose, use it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Storage

Store Amoxil capsules and 125 and 250 mg dry powder at or below 20 degrees C (68 degrees F); tablets, chewable tablets, and 200 and 400 mg dry powder at or below 25 degrees C(77 degrees F).

Warnings/Precautions

Before taking Amoxil, tell your physician or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or to penicillin or cephalosporin antibiotics; or if you have any other allergies.

Before taking this medication, tell the physician or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: kidney disease, other infections (e.g., mononucleosis). This medicine might contain aspartame.

If you have phenylketonuria (PKU) or any other condition where you must restrict your intake of aspartame (or phenylalanine), call the physician or pharmacist regarding the safe use of this medicine.

This medication should be taken only when clearly needed during pregnancy.Discuss the risks and benefits with your physician. Amoxil passes into breast milk. Call your physician before breast-feeding.

Possible Side Effects

Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea might occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify the physician or pharmacist promptly.

This medicine might cause temporary staining of the teeth. Proper brushing will generally remove any staining and might stop it from occurring.

Tell the physician immediately if any of these highly unlikely however very serious side effects occur:

• dark urine, persistent nausea or vomiting, stomach/abdominal pain, yellowing eyes or skin, easy bruising or bleeding, persistent sore throat or fever.

This medication might rarely cause a severe intestinal condition (pseudomembranous colitis) due to a resistant bacteria. This condition might occur weeks after treatment has stopped.

Do not use anti-diarrhea products or narcotic pain medications if you have the following symptoms because these products might produce them worse.

Tell the physician immediately if you develop: persistent diarrhea, abdominal or stomach pain/cramping, or blood/mucus in your stool.

Use of this medication for prolonged or frequent periods might result in oral thrush or a new vaginal yeast infection (oral or vaginal fungal infection).

Contact the physician if you notice white patches in your mouth, a change in vaginal discharge or other new symptoms.

More Information

Do not share this medication with others.

Do not use it later for another infection unless told to do so by the physician. A different medication might be chief in those cases.

With prolonged treatment, laboratory and/or medical tests (e.g., kidney and liver function, complete blood counts) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Call the physician for more details.