Amoxil (Amoxycillin) is used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria, such as ear, sinus, and bladder infections. It is also prescribed for bronchitis in people with chronic lung disease and for gonorrhea. A second drug, clavulanate, is sometimes combined with Amoxil. It helps Amoxil work better by preventing bacteria from resisting the drug. Amoxil will not help a cold or the flu.
A study conducted to determine if antibiotics are beneficial in treating patients with sinusitis complaints and with pus in the nasal cavity, facial pressure, or nasal discharge lasting longer than 7 days, found that Amoxil did not provide any significant benefits over placebo. Although, in retrospect, there were patients whose symptoms did improve while on Amoxil, identifying these patients in advance and treating them with antibiotics may be difficult in a clinical setting. Treating patients unnecessarily with antibiotics may result in potential harm to the patient.
If you have kidney disease, you may need to take less than the usual adult dose of Amoxil. The excretion of crystals (small irregular solids) in the urine (crystalluria) producing urine irritation has been reported.
In rare instances, liver injury has been reported in patients taking the combination of Amoxil and clavulanate. The estimated risk of damage to the liver (hepatotoxicity), presumably due to this combination increases from 3 to 17 per 100,000 prescriptions. It was found that patients who are on prolonged or repeated courses of treatment and men over the age of 50 taking this combination are at an increased risk of developing hepatotoxicity.
Although most patients recover with supportive care, hepatitis often does not occur until after the drug is stopped. Two cases of severe hepatotoxicity that rapidly progressed to life-threating acute liver failure have been reported with the use of Amoxil/clavulanate.
Tooth discoloration has also been reported with Amoxil use.
Ampicillin is an older form of Amoxil. Many people who take ampicillin develop a slight skin rash. This may or may not be a sign that you are allergic to the drug. If you get a skin rash, call your doctor. Some of ampicillin’s adverse effects can appear as much as a month after you stop taking it.
