Health Centres - Rimacillin
How does it work?
Rimacillin capsules and suspension contain the active ingredient ampicillin, which belongs to a group of antibiotics called penicillins. (NB. Ampicillin is also available without a brand name, ie as the generic medicine.) Ampicillin is used to treat infections caused by bacteria.
Ampicillin 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.
Ampicillin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that kills a wide variety of bacteria that cause a wide variety of commonly-occuring infections. Ampicillin may be used to treat infections of the airways, ears, nose and throat. It may also be used to treat urine infections, certain sexually-transmitted infections, and certain infections affecting the blood or internal organs.
To make sure the bacteria causing an infection are susceptible to ampicillin your doctor should take a tissue sample, for example a swab from the throat or skin, or a urine or blood sample.
What is it used for?
- Ear, nose and throat infections
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Bacterial infection of the middle ear
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Sinusitis
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Bronchitis
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Pneumonia
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Infections of the urinary tract
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Gonorrhoea
- Gynaecological infections
- Infection of the blood (septicaemia or blood poisoning)
- Abdominal infections (peritonitis)
- Bacterial infection of the heart valves and the lining surrounding the heart (bacterial endocarditis)
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Meningitis
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Typhoid and paratyphoid fever
- Stomach and intestinal infections
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.
- Ampicillin capsules and suspension should be taken half an hour to an hour before food or on an empty stomach. This is because the presence of food in the gut prevents the antibiotic from being properly absorbed into the bloodstream and thus will make it less effective.
- 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
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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
- There are no known harmful effects when this medicine is used during pregnancy.
Label warnings
- Take at regular intervals. Complete the prescribed course unless otherwise directed.
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.
- The medicine passes into the breast milk, but at normal doses it is unlikely to harm the baby. Discuss with your doctor.
- Take this medication an hour before food or on an empty stomach.
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