Generic Amoxil (Amoxicillin)

Amoxil
Amoxil
Amoxil is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It has a bacterial effect aimed at suppressing the cell walls synthesis of the bacteria, sensitive to the agent .
Active Ingredient: Amoxicillin
Dosage Form: Tablet
Dosage: 250 mg; 500 mg
Minimum Market Price: 0.19

General Information

Amoxil (active component – Amoxicillin) is a wide-spectrum antibiotic of the penicillin family, used for treatment of different types of infections caused by bacteria. This medicine has the strong bactericidal effect, which is produced by suppressing the bacterial cell walls.

Amoxicillin was developed by Beecham in 1972 and was marketed by GlaxoSmithKline (the successor of Beecham) under the trade name of Amoxil, and has not lost its popularity over the years. It is largely due to the fact that the field of its application is surprisingly wide, as it produces a high bactericidal effect on both gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic flora. Therefore, this drug can be taken as a monotherapy even in those cases when it would be necessary to use therapy with a combination of two or more antibiotics.

Interactions

Amoxil is usually prescribed to the patients suffering from:

  • upper and lower respiratory tract infections (tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media, exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, pneumonia),
  • urinary tract infections (cystitis, urethritis, pyelonephritis, sexually transmitted infections, gynecological and obstetrical infections);
  • skin and soft tissue infections (erysipelas, impetigo, dermatosis) , spinal infections (osteomyelitis);
  • may be used as perioperative prevention of surgical infection.

Please note that the drug will not treat a viral infection, for example, a common cold or flu. Do not give it to another person, even if it seems that they have the same symptoms with you.

What is Amoxil?

Amoxil, known generically as amoxicillin, is a penicillin antibiotic that fights bacteria. It's used to treat various types of infections caused by bacteria, such as tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and infections of the ear, nose, throat, skin, or urinary tract.

How does Amoxil work?

Amoxil works by stopping the growth of bacteria. It does this by inhibiting the formation of the bacterial cell wall, which is vital for the bacteria's survival, hence causing the death of the bacteria.

What are the common side effects of Amoxil?

Common side effects of Amoxil include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, vaginal itching or discharge, headache, rash, and swollen, black, or “hairy” tongue.

Can Amoxil treat viral infections like the flu or a cold?

No, Amoxil is ineffective against viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. It only works against bacterial infections.

How should Amoxil be taken?

Amoxil should be taken exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It can be taken with or without food. If taking the oral suspension, shake the bottle well before each use and measure the dose carefully with a measuring device/spoon.

Can Amoxil cause allergic reactions?

Yes, some individuals may have an allergic reaction to Amoxil. Symptoms may include rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, and trouble breathing. Anyone with a history of penicillin or cephalosporin allergy should inform their doctor before taking Amoxil.

Is Amoxil safe during pregnancy?

Amoxil is generally considered safe during pregnancy, but it should only be used when clearly needed. Discuss the risks and benefits with your healthcare provider.

Can alcohol be consumed while taking Amoxil?

While alcohol does not directly interfere with the effectiveness of Amoxil, it's advisable to avoid or limit alcohol consumption while taking antibiotics to prevent stress on the liver and staying hydrated.

How long does it take for Amoxil to work?

The symptoms of bacterial infections generally start to improve within 2-3 days after starting Amoxil. However, it's important to complete the full prescribed course, even if you feel better, to fully eradicate the infection.

How should Amoxil be stored?

Store Amoxil at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light. Keep the bottle tightly closed when not in use. The oral suspension should be thrown away after 14 days, even if there's medicine left.

Precaution

Before taking amoxicillin 500mg, please talk to your individual physician. It is better to refrain from taking it in some cases:

  • if you have allergy to amoxicillin or any other antibiotic of the penicillin group;
  • if you suffer from infectious mononucleosis.
  • if you have bleeding or blood clotting disorders;
  • if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Also, do not take it, especially in combination with metronidazole, if you have:

  • asthma;
  • liver or kidney disease;
  • diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics.

The medicine can make birth control pills less effective, so tell your doctor if you use birth control pills, in order to avoid unwanted pregnancy.

What is amoxicillin?

Use this medicine during a complete period prescribed by the doctor. Please note, that symptoms may improve already before the infection is completely cured. However, skipping doses may also increase the risk of further infection that is resistant to antibiotics. Take the drug exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions in annotation. Do not take this medicine in smaller or larger amounts, or for longer than recommended. Take this medicine at the same time each day.

  • This antibiotic may be given without regard to meals.
  • Amoxil in tablets is prescribed for oral administration. Dosage can vary from the type of disease, its severity and the state of the patient's body.
  • A single dosage for an adult is around 500 mg. In case of severe disease, it can be increased up to 1g at a time.
  • For children over ten years, with a body weight of more than 40 kgs, the admissible dose is from 250 to 500 mg per dose.
  • Children from five to ten should take no more that 250 mg per dose.
  • For small children, from two to five, it is worth giving up to 125 mg.
  • For infants up to two years, the recommended dose is 30 mg / kg of the weight per day.
  • The tablet should be chewed before you swallow it.

If you take liquid syrup, shake it well just before you measure a dose. Follow the directions on your medicine label. Measure liquid medicine with the dosing syringe provided, or with a special dose-measuring spoon or medicine cup. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist to provide you with 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 amount for later use.
While using the drug described in this article, you may need frequent blood tests. Your kidney and liver function may also need to be checked.

If you are taking amoxicillin 500 mg with clarithromycin and/or lansoprazole to treat stomach ulcer, use all of your medications as directed. Read the medication guide or patient instructions provided with each medication. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without your doctor's advice.

If you missed the dose, take it as soon as you remember that you have to do it. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up for a missed dose.

Store the drug at room temperature; keep it away from moisture, heat, and light. You may store the liquid medicine in a refrigerator but do not allow it to freeze. Throw away any liquid that is not used within 14 days after it was mixed at the pharmacy.

Side effects

Use of Amoxil can cause allergic reaction of different severity: urticaria, erythema, Quincke's edema, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, eosinophilia, fever, joint pain. In rare cases, anaphylactic shock may occur.

It can cause disorders of the gastrointestinal tract: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There is a small probability of superinfection.
Common side effects may also include:

  • stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
  • vaginal itching or discharge;
  • headache;
  • swollen, black, or “hairy” tongue.
  • Sometimes it can also evoke such side effects, as fever, swollen gums, painful mouth sores, pain when swallowing, skin sores, cold or flu symptoms, cough, trouble with breathing;

In children, amoxicillin can change the color of the enamel of the teeth, so strict adherence to the rules oral hygiene is necessary.
When combined with metronidazole, these side effects may occur:

  • diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, anorexia, glossitis, stomatitis, abdominal pain;
  • in rare cases, hepatitis, pseudomembranous colitis, interstitial nephritis;
  • disorders in the central nervous system: loss of consciousness, dizziness, ataxia, convulsions, depression, periodic neuropathies in cases of prolonged use of high doses of drugs.

This is not a complete list of side effects so others may occur as well. Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs.
Some side effects of amoxicillin may occur that do not need medical attention normally. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your doctor may tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your doctor, if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them.

Some side effects may have not been reported until now. You may report them to the FDA.

Overdose

When there is an overdose of Amoxil, a violation of the water-electrolyte balance and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract usually occur. In this case, it is recommended to carry out symptomatic treatment to restore electrolyte disturbances. Overdose symptoms may also include confusion, behavior changes, a severe skin rash, urinating less than usual, or seizure (black-out or convulsions), allergic reactions.

  • When a kidney failure occurs, the patient is treated with hemodialysis.
  • If you have any of these signs of overdose, seek emergency medical help.

Interactions

Other drugs may interact with amoxicillin, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.

With the simultaneous use of amoxicillin and oral contraceptives, the effectiveness of the latter decreases, and there is a possibility of bleeding. Amoxicillin increases the absorption of digoxin, reduces clearance and increases the toxicity of methotrexate. Excretion of amoxicillin from the body by the kidneys slows down with simultaneous application with probenecid, oxyphenbutazone, phenylbutazone, acetylsalicylic acid, indomethacin, sulphinperazone. Preparations that have a bacteriostatic effect (tetracyclines, macrolides, chloramphenicol) can neutralize the bactericidal effect of amoxicillin.

Forced diuresis leads to a decrease in the concentration of amoxicillin in the blood. Simultaneous application with allopurinol, can lead to increase of the frequency of allergic reactions from the skin.

Simultaneous reception with antacids reduces the absorption of amoxicillin. When used simultaneously with anticoagulants, it is necessary to control prothrombin time, as the probability of bleeding increases.

The appearance of diarrhea can reduce the absorption of other drugs and reduce the effectiveness of the drug.

It can reduce the concentration of estradiol in the urine of pregnant women.

Capsules, chewable tablets, and oral suspensions may be given without regard to meals. The 400-mg suspension, 400-mg chewable tablet, and the 875-mg tablet have been studied only when administered at the start of a light meal. However, food effect studies have not been performed with the 200-mg and 500-mg formulations.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this drug only for the indications prescribed.

The antibiotic in question may influence the response rate when driving or working with other machinery. That is why it should be taken with precautions.

Reviews

Jared
The night before yesterday I couldn’t fall asleep because of urethritis. In the morning I came to the doctor who prescribed me Amoxil, which I did not use before. By the way, this unpleasant disease happened to me for the first time. I read on the Internet about this drug, everyone tells that it is good to treat urethritis and cystitis.

I did not really want to take it, it's still an antibiotic, but the nasty manifestations of urethritis were exhausting. I took a pill and one third of a glass of water, drank it on an empty stomach, before going to bed. But I was not yet sure that I could sleep, that everything would pass. But… it's gone: the bacteria in the pee-hole was killed immediately, I suppose. It is now much easier for me.
Now everything is normal, although it would be necessary to reinforce the result with the urological stuff. So, I can say this medicine is really very good for urethritis. I noticed no side effects.

Sonya L.
An excellent drug. It always helps me against angina. At the first signs of the disease, I prescribe it to myself, and use it, as written in the instructions, along with calcium gluconate tablets and warming up procedures (footbaths, applications, etc). I do not trust every new medicine. They only relieve symptoms, but do not treat the disease itself. The drug is quite affordable and reliable medicine. And because it is so cheap I'm not afraid of fakes.

Denis K.
My 4-year-old nephew, the son of my younger sister, is very energetic and interested in everything. So, what gets into his hands gets in his mouth also, you are not always able to follow him. I think that because of this, he was determined to catch an enteric infection. I advised my sister to give my nephew Amoxil, because I always took this pills when have any infection, and they always helped me. After 4 days of treatment, the nephew was OK. There were no allergy or any other side effects never ever.

Greta B.
For the first time I used these tablets about fifteen years ago, when my oldest daughter was small, and the doctor prescribed it for pneumonia. The drug always helped us, the whole family. Now my younger child had pneumonia, and was prescribed some new expensive antibiotics, but… I must confess… I gave her an old proven Amoxil. It still works well, does not provoke any allergies, and the side effects described in the annotation have never been observed. I always follow the instructions, and, as a rule, after 7 days of taking the baby is healthy. In my opinion, here the following principle works: “cheap” does not mean “bad.” I’m absolutely satisfied with its price and effectiveness.

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    • You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the information helpful. It’s important to have access to accurate and reliable information about medications like Generic Amoxil (Amoxicillin).

Minimum Market Price
$0.19