Amoxicillin belongs to the class – Aminopenicillin and family – penicillin and used to fight against infections caused by bacteria. It is used to treat many different types of infections like those of ear, nose, throat and urinary tract along with bronchitis and pneumonia.
Amoxicillin may be used in combination with other drugs like clavulanic acid. Amoxicillin does not work against common cold and viral infections; hence, should be consumed when it is utterly necessary. It should not be used in patients those who are allergic to penicillin.
Amoxicillin is thought to be very useful, but like other medicines, it has certain side effects too:
Appearance of Rashes
Amoxicillin may cause rashes as a consequence of allergic reactions to the drug. The symptoms are typically shown in the first few days after you begin taking this medication. There might be different types of rashes that may occur on your body.
They can be round, elevated and itchy or may be flat and pink that usually occur in nearly 10% of the patients consuming amoxicillin. Primarily, these may occur on the chest and back and may extend to the arms, legs and face. If you are experiencing any rashes after taking the medication, then you must immediately consult your doctor.
Upset Stomach
Amoxicillin may cause the patients to suffer from gastrointestinal problems like indigestion, constipation , vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. You can avoid these stomach issues by drinking a lot of water and keeping yourself hydrated.
Always take a meal before you take these kinds of medicines. If your symptoms are mild, then you can continue taking the medication. However, if your symptoms get worse, then you must consult your doctor as avoiding such situation may lead to other serious problems.
Yeast Infections
Amoxicillin and other antibiotics fight against bacteria that cause infection. But, while doing so, they also kill the “good bacteria” that are important for us and reside naturally in our body.
The “good bacteria” live in the gut and urinary tract. Loss of ‘good bacteria’ may promote yeast growth, especially in the mouth and vagina. A study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, reports that yeast infection is 7 times more prevalent in the patients, who take amoxicillin compared to those, patients who don’t consume it.
Bowel Problems
Similar to yeast infection in the vagina, amoxicillin can kill essential bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and may cause gut infection. This usually happens when you continue taking your later doses or might even occur weeks after you finish taking your dose. So, if you are experiencing the symptoms of diarrhea during or after the medicine course, you should consult your doctor immediately.
Effect on Birth-Control Pill
Whenever your doctor prescribes you this medication, you might find a warning on the bottle that it can attenuate the efficacy of your birth control pills.[1] However, there is not a lot of evidence supporting this fact, but it’s always good to be on a safer side.
