Health Centres - Amoxil
How does it work?
Amoxil capsules, syrup, paediatric suspension, sachets, and injection contain the active ingredient amoxicillin (previously spelt amoxycillin in the UK). (NB. Amoxicillin is also available without a brand name, ie as the generic medicine.) Amoxicillin belongs to a group of antibiotics called penicillins. It is used to treat infections caused by bacteria. The injection is used to treat more serious infections, or in cases where the medicine can't be taken by mouth.
Amoxicillin works by interfering with the ability of bacteria to form cell walls. The cell walls of bacteria are vital for their survival. They keep unwanted substances from entering their cells and stop the contents of their cells from leaking out. Amoxicillin impairs the bonds that hold the bacterial cell wall together. This allows holes to appear in the cell walls and kills the bacteria.
Amoxicillin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that kills a wide variety of bacteria that cause a wide variety of commonly-occuring infections. Amoxicillin may be used to treat infections of the upper or lower airways, skin or soft tissue, or ears. It may also be used to treat urine infections, certain sexually-transmitted infections, dental infections, and infections affecting the blood or internal organs.
To make sure the bacteria causing an infection are susceptible to amoxicillin your doctor may take a tissue sample, for example a swab from the throat or skin, or a urine or blood sample.
What is it used for?
- Infections of the organs associated with breathing, including nasal passages, sinuses, windpipe and lungs (respiratory tract)
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
- Skin or soft tissue infections
- Infections of the urinary tract
- Gynaecological infections, including those following childbirth or abortion
- Gonorrhoea
- Abdominal infections (peritonitis)
- Bacterial infection of the heart valves and the lining surrounding the heart (bacterial endocarditis)
- Preventing infection of the heart (bacterial endocarditis) during medical or dental procedures in people with heart valve defects or artificial heart valves
- Dental abscess
- Infection of the blood (septicaemia or blood poisoning)
- Typhoid and paratyphoid fever
- Eradicating bacteria in the gut
Warning!
- This antibiotic should be avoided in people with suspected glandular fever, acute or chronic lymphoid leukaemia, or cytomegalovirus (CMV), as it commonly causes a rash in people with these conditions.
- Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is important that you finish the prescribed course of this antibiotic medicine, even if you feel better or it seems the infection has cleared up. Stopping the course early increases the chance that the infection will come back and that the bacteria will grow resistant to the antibiotic.
- Broad-spectrum antibiotics can sometimes cause diarrhoea. If you experience diarrhoea that becomes severe or persistent or contains blood or mucus, either during or after taking this medicine, you should consult your doctor immediately.
Use with caution in
- Decreased kidney function
Not to be used in
- Allergy to penicillin or cephalosporin type antibiotics
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- There are no known harmful effects when this medicine is used during pregnancy.
- The medicine passes into the breast milk, but at normal doses it is unlikely to harm the baby. Discuss with your doctor.
Label warnings
- Take at regular intervals. Complete the prescribed course unless otherwise directed.
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