Being in good health is something that we all want, and these days we have a lot of drugs and supplements at our disposal and they help us maintain the quality of our lives. There are numerous bacteria that can affect humans, but fortunately, the majority of them can be treated with the help of modern antibiotics. The main goal of these medications is to kill the bacteria or slow down their growth.

US Brand Name

  1. Amoxicot
  2. Amoxil
  3. DisperMox
  4. Moxatag
  5. Moxilin
  6. Trimox

Canadian Brand Name

  1. Amoxil Pediatric
  2. Apo-Amoxi
  3. Apo-Amoxi Sugar-Free
  4. Gen-Amoxicillin
  5. Med Amoxicillin
  6. Novamoxin
  7. Novamoxin Reduced Sugar
  8. Nu-Amoxi
  9. Riva-Amoxicillin
  10. Scheinpharm Amoxicillin
  11. Zimamox

It is a drug belonging to the group of penicillin antibiotics and is consumed to treat a wide range of infections in the body that are caused by bacteria. Thanks to its properties and a large number of Amoxicillin uses, it is one of the commonly prescribed antibiotics in the world. The infections that are treated by Amoxicillin include bronchitis, gonorrhea, pneumonia, tonsillitis, and infections of the urinary tract, nose, throat, ear, and skin. It’s not at all surprising why this medication is considered essential for human health.

Related medications:

  1. doxycycline
  2. cephalexin
  3. ciprofloxacin
  4. clindamycin
  5. metronidazole
  6. azithromycin
  7. ivermectin
  8. sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim
  9. amoxicillin and clavulanate
  10. levofloxacin

Which Amoxicillin Dosage is Right for Me?

Amoxicillin is prescribed to treat quite a large number of health problems, which means that the dosages and duration of the treatment can vary depending on your particular issues. The most important factors that influence choosing of the dosage include age, overall health, history of diseases, and severity of the condition. A consultation with a medical professional is always required to determine the right Amoxicillin dose that will be beneficial for you and won’t cause adverse effects. Here are average dosages for different health issues:

  • Pneumonia. Amoxicillin 500 mg dosages are usually administered three times a day for 7 to 10 days. Or, if it’s more convenient, the dosages of 875 mg twice per day can be prescribed. It should be noted that this drug is only used to treat mild cases of pneumonia.
  • Cystitis. In the treatment of cystitis, the standard dosage is 250 to 500 mg of the drug consumed three times per day for 3 to 7 days, depending on the severity of the health issue.
  • UTI. It’s quite common to use Amoxicillin for Urinary Tract Infection, and the average dosage to cure this condition is either 500-875 mg twice a day or 250-500 mg three times per day. The standard duration of the treatment is 3 to 7 days.
  • Sinusitis. With the help of Amoxicillin, sinus infection can also be effectively treated. The dosage of the medication for an average patient is Amoxicillin 500 mg to 875 mg two times per day or a smaller dosage three times a day. The usual treatment lasts for 10 to 14 days, but in more severe cases the therapy can be longer and last up to 4 weeks.
  • Otitis media. Similarly to the treatment of sinusitis, you have to consume 250-500 mg of the medication three times a day (or larger dosages twice a day) and continue doing so for 10 to 14 days as recommended by your doctor.
  • Bronchitis and respiratory tract infections. Patients suffering from the mentioned conditions are administered Amoxicillin 875 or 500 mg twice a day or 250 to 500 mg three times a day. 7 to 10 days treatment is recommended for the majority of patients.
  • Soft tissue or skin infections. If you have been diagnosed with a certain soft tissue or skin infection that requires a use of this drug, the dosage, in this case, is 250 to 500 of Amoxicillin that should be consumed three times a day. Another option is Amoxicillin 875 mg or 500 mg twice a day. The drug should be consumed for 7 to 10 days to ensure maximum effect.
  • Pharyngitis or tonsillitis. Patients diagnosed with the mentioned health issues are prescribed to take the standard dosage of Amoxicillin 250 to 500 mg three times during a day or 500 to 875 mg twice throughout the day.

As you can see, the exact dosage and duration of the treatment depend on a particular patient and their reaction to the medication. Even if you don’t notice the results straight away, you should not increase the dose without consulting your medical advisor before doing that. When it comes to Amoxicillin dosage for kids, it is significantly smaller. The exact dosage depends on the health issue and should be determined by the medical advisor.

Consider the Contraindications

Contraindications are unavoidable regardless of which drugs you choose, which is why it’s essential to consult a medical specialist before taking any medication.

The first step to complete is study the ingredients of Amoxicillin to see if there is anything that can prevent you from taking it because of the potential allergic reactions. If you have previously experienced an allergy from taking other penicillin antibiotics, such as dicloxacillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, and others, you should not consume this drug. Also, you should be careful and inform your medical advisor if you are allergic to cephalosporins before taking this medication.

Other conditions that you have to be careful with include liver and kidney diseases, blood clotting disorder, asthma, diabetes, renal dysfunction, colitis, a history of diarrhea triggered by antibiotics, or mononucleosis. Depending on the severity of your condition, your medical advisor will be able to decide whether Amoxicillin will be beneficial for you.

Which Amoxicillin Adverse Effects to be Aware of?

Similarly to the majority of other drugs, Amoxicillin side effects range from mild, which are usually caused by the adjustment to the drug, to quite severe. It’s important to monitor your reactions to the medication and if you notice any health problems, get in touch with your healthcare provider as soon as possible so that the symptoms don’t get worse.

The signs of allergic reactions can vary from one person to another, but the most common symptoms are difficulty breathing, hives, and swelling of the lips/face/tongue. In case you begin to experience any of the mentioned reactions after taking Amoxicillin, you should stop taking the drug and get medical help without postponing.

Common side effects of this drug are the same as those of other antibiotics, and they can usually be treated by choosing the right Amoxicillin dosage, consuming probiotics, or taking some other measures as advised by your doctor.

These adverse effects are:

  • Headache
  • Vaginal discharge or itching
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Amoxicillin diarrhea
  • Stomach pain
  • Swollen or black tongue

The side effects of Amoxicillin that require immediate medical attention include:

  • Joint pain
  • Swollen glands
  • Yellowing of the skin/eyes
  • Bloody or watery diarrhea
  • Flu or cold symptoms
  • Cough
  • Insomnia
  • Numbness
  • Fever
  • Swollen gums
  • Severe skin reactions, such as Amoxicillin rash, and easy bruising

Some of the mentioned side effects are quite severe, even though they are not very common, so you have to be careful when consuming the drug, pay attention to your condition, and never take more than recommended by your doctor.

Amoxicillin and Alcohol

Can you drink on Amoxicillin? This is one of the questions that concern a lot of people that take this medication. At the moment, there is no proof that consuming a reasonable amount of alcohol and Amoxicillin within several hours of each other causes adverse effects, but it’s essential to make sure that the drug is fully absorbed by the body. You should avoid excessive consumption of alcohol as it won’t help your treatment and may increase your chances of experiencing side effects.

The List of All Ingredients

As it was mentioned previously, some people are not able to consume Amoxicillin because of the allergies to active or inactive ingredients. If you don’t know what inactive ingredients are, they are the ones that are not intended to directly cure the condition but they help the active ingredient to work. Besides the active ingredient Amoxicillin, this penicillin antibiotic also includes:

  • colloidal silicon dioxide
  • hypromellose
  • ethylcellulose aqueous dispersion
  • magnesium stearate
  • crospovidone
  • sodium starch glycolate
  • microcrystalline cellulose
  • triethyl citrate
  • talc
  • titanium dioxide

In such a way, before you take your first pill of Amoxicillin, you should make sure that none of the active or inactive components will cause you to have an allergic reaction to the medication.

Drug Interactions

These days we have easy access to any drugs that we may need, and in the majority of cases, the treatment of a certain condition requires at least several different medications or supplements. But, when you take any medications, it’s important to know that they won’t interact with one another and make your treatment less effective. Before you consume any medication, you should consider all the potential drug interactions and make sure that you don’t simultaneously take the pills that can interact with each other. Remember to provide your healthcare specialist with the list of all the vitamins, supplements, and medications that you may be taking to ensure that they are safe for you while using Amoxicillin. The time that has to pass between the consumption of certain drugs should be determined by your medical advisor.

When it comes to Amoxicillin, the drugs that you should avoid while taking it are:

  • oral anticoagulants
  • probenecid
  • oral contraceptives
  • allopurinol
  • other antibacterial drugs (tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and some others)

One of the most prominent drug interactions concerns Amoxicillin and birth control pills. If you consume Amoxicillin along with oral contraceptives, the latter become less effective. You should discuss with your medical advisor which non-hormone birth control methods you should choose instead – condoms, diaphragm, spermicide, etc.

Amoxicillin Storing Recommendations

Does Amoxicillin expire? It is one of those questions that a lot of patients ask, and the answer – yes. For this reason, you have to store the drug properly so that it doesn’t expire before the date it is supposed to.  Something that a lot of people don’t pay enough attention to is choosing an appropriate storage space for their drugs. A lot of people store medications in the refrigerator or their bathroom cabinets, which are not the best places for this purpose. The drugs have to be stored somewhere at a room temperature away from the sources of heat, moisture, and direct sunlight. Furthermore, it’s essential to keep them away from children and pets.