Even amoxicillin carries a risk of serious side effects. Besides the risk of side effects, there is another reason to avoid prescribing antibiotics when they are not needed: antibiotic-resistant infections.
Antibiotics Can Do More Harm Than Good
In some cases, antibiotics do more harm than good. The use of antibiotics when they're not needed makes these wonder drugs resistant to bacteria, and over time they become less useful. They can also have side effects that make patients sicker than they were in the first place.
Call your doctor right away if you have a skin rash; itching; shortness of breath; trouble with breathing; trouble with swallowing; or any swelling of your hands, face, mouth, or throat after you or your child receive this medicine. Amoxicillin may cause diarrhea, and in some cases it can be severe.
The most common side effects of amoxicillin are feeling sick (nausea) and diarrhoea. Liquid amoxicillin can stain your teeth. This does not last and is removed by brushing. You can drink alcohol while taking amoxicillin.
If you take an antibiotic when you don't need it – for example, when you have a cold or the flu – it can make you feel worse and make your illness last longer. In fact, when used the wrong way, antibiotics can cause more severe illnesses like diarrhea, nausea and rashes.
Antibiotics are only needed for treating certain infections caused by bacteria, but even some bacterial infections get better without antibiotics. We rely on antibiotics to treat serious, life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia and sepsis, the body's extreme response to an infection.
Bottom Line on Amoxicillin Use
Amoxicillin is a safe and affordable antibiotic; however, it is not the right antibiotic for all infections. It is important not to share your antibiotics with anyone. An antibiotic is prescribed specifically for you and your particular type of bacterial infection.
A doctor may recommend Augmentin if an infection could be antibiotic-resistant or if amoxicillin alone does not work. The drugs are generally well-tolerated, but there is still a chance of side effects.
Common Adverse Drug Reactions: Amoxicillin is well-tolerated, but some common complaints can be gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Hepatotoxicity. Rare instances of idiosyncratic liver injury have been reported in persons receiving the aminopenicillins including amoxicillin. Cases are characterized by a short latency period of a few days to as long as two weeks. The onset of liver injury can occur after the antibiotic is stopped.
Amoxicillin failure rate varied from month to month; it was generally higher between October and May (22–32%); and low between June and September (8% to 12%).
Taking antibiotics encourages harmful bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that antibiotics may not work when you really need them.
Sir Alexander Fleming, Ernst Boris Chain, and Sir Howard Walter Florey shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of penicillin and its ability to treat a variety of infectious ailments. Vancomycin 3.0 is one of the most potent antibiotics ever created.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the symptoms are severe and include high fever along with nasal drainage and a productive cough. Antibiotics may also be necessary if you feel better after a few days and then your symptoms return or if the infection lasts more than a week.
Amoxicillin fights infections in the body within an hour after taking it. The penicillin-based medication gets its strength from consistent use of multiple doses per day. Amoxicillin often relieves symptoms in less than 72 hours and stays in your system for 24 hours.
The recommended dose of amoxicillin for a moderate chest infection in a normal healthy adult is 500mg every 8 hours (or three times a day) or 875 mg every 12 hours. Amoxicillin is a type of penicillin antibiotic that fights bacteria.
Infections that are not severe may be treated in as little as 3 days, but the typical course of treatment is 5-10 days. Your prescription label insert will tell you how long you should take your amoxicillin. If you forget to take a dose, do not panic.
While antibiotics have benefits, the trouble with antibiotics is that the medicine doesn't just kill the 'bad' bacteria causing infection that is being treated. They also kill good bacteria that live in our gut. This can lead to an imbalance in the microbiome, also termed dysbiosis, which can lead to GI symptoms.
Signs that you have a bacterial infection depend on the type of bacteria and the part of your body that is infected. You should see your doctor if you have: a persistent fever or chills. severe headache or neck stiffness.