Generic Amoxicillin
Generic Amoxicillin
What is Generic Amoxicillin?
Generic Amoxicillin is an antibiotic that is generally given out by prescription and is part of the penicillin family. It is used to treat a variety of infections in the body and is taken either orally in pill, powder or liquid form or can be injected, depending on the severity of the infection and the patient.
While amoxicillin might fight infection, it is only effective against bacterial infections and has little to no impact on viral infections, such as the flu.
Amoxicillin is closely connected to penicillin but is, in fact, a form of penicillin that has been artificially altered. It was first created in 1972 and was found to be more effective at treating diseases than pure penicillin.
Contrary to popular belief, this drug doesn’t actually kill the bacteria but it does stop them from multiplying and spreading. It does this by preventing new bacteria from forming cell walls, meaning that there is nothing to hold the cell together and the infection slowly dissipates when the original bacterial cells die off naturally because there are no new bacterial cells to replace the originals.
The process of preventing the formation of the cell wall is similar to a mutation of the cell which is caused by the drug binding to a receptor on the cell wall. This receptor, in the case of amoxicillin, is a penicillin binding protein and when the drug attaches to it, it prevents a vital component of the cell wall from being produced, namely peptidoglycan which is what stabilizes the cell wall. Without it, the cell wall loses any strength and begins to break down.
Amoxil (Amoxicillin) 500mg | 240 pills | $93 ($0.39/pill) | More Information |
Amoxil (Amoxicillin) 500mg | 120 pills | $54 ($0.45/pill) | More Information |
Amoxil (Amoxicillin) 500mg | 90 pills | $46 ($0.52/pill) | More Information |
Amoxil (Amoxicillin) 500mg | 60 pills | $38 ($0.64/pill) | More Information |
When Amoxicillin Should Be Used
Amoxicillin is used to fight infections caused by bacteria that are sensitive to the drug. In other words, bacteria whose cell walls contain the receptor that allows the drug to bind to it. Such infection include a wide range of infections in the nose, throat, urinary tract, ears, skin and it is also effective against gonorrhea, pneumonia and bronchitis.
Unfortunately, though, bacteria does evolve and can become immune to amoxicillin, being able to destroy the drug before the bacteria itself is destroyed. Such is the case with the bacteria that causes MRSA which has become resistant to this drug. This resistance is offered by the bacteria’s ability to produce a specific enzyme which destroys any antibiotic that is based on penicillin, known as penicillinase.
Amoxicillin: Dosage Instructions
Amoxicillin can be taken orally or as an injection administered by a doctor. If being taken orally, it is usually recommended that the patient have a light meal in conjunction with taking the drug. Since the drug is eliminated from the body through urine, it is important for the drug to be taken regularly, according to your doctor’s instructions. The doctor will also stress the importance of completing the antibiotic treatment because this is the only way to ensure that the bacteria have been completely eradicated. Otherwise, if any bacterial cells are left in the body there is a possibility that they will evolve and become immune to the drug.
While your doctor will prescribe the exact dosage pertinent to your particular situation, in general, the dosage for most infections, based on type and severity, can be 250mg or 500mg administered every 8 hours, 500 mg twice per 24 hours or 875mg every 12 hours. These doses are in the case of adult patients. Gonorrhea is treated with a powerful dose of 3g administered as a single dose.
When it comes to children, for those over 3 months of age but weighing less than 40 kg, amoxicillin is administered in doses of 25mg per kilogram of body weight per day, taken in two doses every 24 hours, or 20 mg taken in 3 doses per day, or 40 mg administered with the same frequency or 45 mg, twice per day. The particular dosage depends on how serious the infection is and its type.
Precautions
Amoxicillin should never be taken without a doctor’s supervision. Additionally, if you are allergic to penicillin or any other type of antibiotic based on penicillin – ampicillin, dicloxacillin, oxacillin are a few examples – then you should avoid taking amoxicillin.
You should also inform your doctor if you suffer from any allergies or have had liver or kidney disease, blood clotting disorder, mono or asthma. These can all lead to side effects and your doctor is the only one you can determine the degree of risk.
If you are taking birth control pills, you should be aware that amoxicillin has a tendency to reduce their effectiveness. Thus, to ensure pregnancy prevention during your amoxicillin treatment, ask your doctor to recommend a method of birth control that does not rely on hormones.
Even if your symptoms seem to clear up before you have finished your treatment, you still need to see it through because this doesn’t mean that the bacteria have been completely eradicated. You then run the risk of the infection returning and the bacteria mutating into a strain that is resistant to amoxicillin.
It is not recommended to take amoxicillin while breastfeeding since it can pass into the milk and harm a newborn by possibly causing allergic reactions or diarrhea. While there is no evidence that amoxicillin will harm an unborn child, you should still tell your doctor if you are pregnant.
Side Effects
It is virtually impossible for a drug not to have any side effects at all since they often tend to have an effect on more than just the receptor they are targeting. However, side effects will not always appear in everyone.
In the case of amoxicillin, it does have a tendency to kill the positive bacteria in your digestive system, which can lead to diarrhea and abdominal pain. Additionally, some patients exhibit an immune reaction which can cause them to become allergic to the drug. Other side effects include bleeding, confusions, dizziness, itching, nausea, insomnia, fatigue, rashes, vomiting or heartburn.
These side effects do seem quite unpleasant but the benefits of taking amoxicillin are much greater than the fact that you will have to deal with these issues for a while. In fact, in many cases, if you are taking the correct dose of the drug, you will not experience any side effects at all.
The key to amoxicillin is to first consult your doctor and, subsequently, follow his instructions to the letter, including completing the full course of treatment to ensure that the bacteria has been completely eradicated from your system to prevent the infection from reappearing.