Amoxicillin is an antibiotic that comes from the penicillin family. Most people don’t know what it works for and many others use it without responsibility, increasing the bacteria’s resistance to the antibiotic.
This medicine is bactericidal, which means it eliminates germs associated with various infections, including sinusitis, acute otitis media, tonsillitis, skin infections, pneumonia, urine or dental infections. With the help of other drugs, it can also stop the stomach damage caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.
Do you want to know when and how we should take Amoxicillin? What are its side effects and the most common mistakes we make? Keep reading and you’ll hear about everything.
Why Are You Often Accompanied By Clavulanic Acid?
Bacteria are in constant contact with antibiotics and eventually, end up creating mechanisms or resistances that they use as a defense. Thus, some bacteria produce beta-lactamases, an enzyme that reduces the efficiency of amoxicillin.
If the doctor suspects that the infection is associated with this germ, he also adds clavulanic acid to the prescription, the objective of which is to inactivate the beta-lactamases so that the amoxicillin becomes effective again.
Now, in this sense, precautions must be taken, since clavulanic acid is not useful to treat other infections. When microbes do not produce beta-lactamases, this substance does not enhance the efficiency of amoxicillin, quite the opposite. In these cases what it does is increase side effects such as fungal infections in the vagina and mouth.
When And How Do You Have To Take It?
If you’ve ever wondered when and how we should take amoxicillin, we’ll try to get you out of doubt. This is an oral medicine that can be given before or after eating. In the market, it is presented in multiple ways, whether compressed, dispersible, capsules, envelopes, suspensions, and pediatric drops.
In any case, it is also marketed in an injectable or blistered format for parenteral administration. It usually takes two or three times a day (one takes every 12 or 8 hours respectively).
Capsules and tablets should be fully ingested with a glass of water, while dispersible ones may dissolve in water or other liquid. As for liquid solutions and drops specially created for small ones, the content should be mixed homogeneously. To do so, it is enough to place both solutions in the child’s language or add to some liquid such as water, milk, or juice.
The doctor is the only person with authority to indicate how many hours they should spend between one dose and another and how long treatment should be extended. The duration will depend on the type of pathology presented by the patient.
Is It Going To Be Effective Depending On The Format?
Yes, the format influences its rapid absorption and effectiveness. When taken orally, amoxicillin will pass through the digestive system before passing through the blood, which decreases its concentration. However, the medicine administered by another route than the digestive will not withstand the gastric process and its blood concentration will be immediate and higher.
What Mistakes Do We Make More Often When Taking Amoxicillin?
It is very important to be clear about when and how we should take amoxicillin to avoid bad practices that are possible to enhance the patient’s symptomatology.
One of the most common mistakes that are made is to take amoxicillin to stop the cold. However, antibiotics are not effective in fighting the flu or any other viral infection.
Another failure usually made by patients when following this treatment lies in completing it ahead of time. If the doctor has indicated a specific duration, his recommendation should be followed, even if the patient feels better and the symptoms have disappeared. This situation can cause the infection to reappear and the recovery time to multiply. In addition, we may get the microbe to become resistant to the medicine and we can’t use it in the future.
If the patient does not take amoxicillin at the time he should do so, the infection may spread again. The antibiotic travels through the bloodstream and acts throughout the body, and the purpose of taking a new dose is to prevent bacteria from spreading again after a few hours.
It is important to follow a daily routine so that the patient does not forget to take the doses of amoxicillin that correspond to him. In this way, it is enough to adapt them to their rhythm of life or to use alarms.
Another common error is related to the intake of stomach protectors such as omeprazole, when it is not necessary.
What Side Effects Do You Have?
We are facing an antibiotic that the body tolerates quite well. It has adverse reactions infrequently, being weak and transient.
The most frequent are related to gastrointestinal disorders such as vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea. Exceptionally, pathologies related to oral, vaginal, pharyngeal candidiasis, hemorrhagic, or pseudomembranous colitis may appear.
Cases of hypersensitivity such as pruritus, hives, or exantematic rashes may also occur, albeit in a lower proportion. As for the effects that rarely appear, the following include anaphylaxis, erythema multiforme, angioedema, hepatitis, or collectaes ety.
In cases where diarrhea affects the general state of the patient, with blood or similar, it is advisable to discontinue treatment immediately and go to the doctor.
Who Can’t Take Amoxicillin?
The cases in which it is not possible to adopt amoxicillin treatment are:
- People with a history of penicillin allergy with severe hypersensitivity reactions, or anaphylaxis in patients who took amoxicillin.
- Allergies to cephalosporin, another antibiotic in the beta-lactomic group.
- Persons affected by viral diseases type mononucleosis infect, as amoxicillin can cause widespread exantematic eruptions.
- Patients with sarcoma or leukemia enhance the risk of widespread exantematic eruptions.
Can You Take It During Pregnancy?
Amoxicillin is safe and can be used during pregnancy and lactation.
Do You Interact With Any Other Medicines?
It has a low level of interaction with other medicines. However, the doctor should be warned when the patient takes this medication: allopurinol (powers allergic reactions to the skin), methotrexate (increases their concentration), or Sintrom to adjust the dose.
Other drugs that amoxicillin may interact with include oral anticoagulants, amyloids, nifedipine, naproxen, chloramphenicol, and oral contraceptives.
What Happens If We’re Taking Oral Contraceptives?
As with other antibiotics, amoxicillin may minimize the level of effectiveness of the oral contraceptive. Some studies have found that amoxicillin reduces intestinal flora, so birth control occurs, causing its blood concentration to decrease.
The solution for patients who are taking amoxicillin is to use other birth control methods such as the condom up to a week after treatment is completed.