Talk:Amoxicillin

Naming

I think this is not good practice to list or create articles about brand names (proprietary names). They come and go. Besides in different countries the same drug by the same manufacturer is sold under different brand names.
There are exceptions of course we definitely should have articles about : Viagra,Valium,Prozac and possibly Rohypnol (date-rape drug ?).

Can we ask the administrators to issue the official policy on brand names of pharmaceuticals ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 217.99.105.xxx (talk • contribs) 12:03, 12 December 2001 (UTC)

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There is not yet an official policy, but personally I don't have a problem with it. If it's a subject some people want to know about, we do our readers a disservice not to cover it just because of some misplaced concern about "commercialism". Let's face it; people won't search for "Diazepam"; they'll search for "Valium", and expect an article on it. Of course, that article should simply say that "Valium" is a trademarked brand name for Diazepam, and then desribe what Diazepam is and what it does. I think all should be treated similarly: mention the brand name and the generic name, and use the generic name in most of the text. --LDC 17:52, 12 December 2001

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I think we can create redirects from lesser known brand names to generic names pages but we should stick to generic (or better INN - international names) throughout the text of articles possibly giving brand names at the top or in brackets.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Conversion script (talk • contribs) 16:43, 25 February 2002 (UTC)

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In the UK this stuff is sold by Almus Pharmaceuticals not GSK. And I searched for the chemical not the brand.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.3.254.86 (talk • contribs) 11:48, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Intermediate sensitivity

I removed the unsourced edit that doubling the dose also helps with intermediately sensitive organisms. Although it makes sense, such an assertion needs support from the literature before our readers start taking their tables at twice the rate :-) JFW | T@lk 08:35, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

That brings up an interesting question... I worked as a pharmacy tech, and regularly sorted amoxil to patients. I was just wondering.... if a doctor prescribed a week-long dose of amoxil (should be 10 days, but I hear 7 days is long enough), and the patient, upon reading something like that, took a double-dose, that would mean they would run out of the drug within 3 days, correct?

In that case, if the bacteria isn't susceptible, would that not cause drug resistance?

Nevermind, I seem to have answered my own question... heh. Kareeser 02:01, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

If the bacteria isn't susceptible it already is drug resistant. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.109.227.114 (talk) 13:29, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

Potassium Clavulanate not Clavulanic Acid

I used to make this stuff and I know that Clavulanic Acid is never used in Amox mixes but is changed into Potassium Clavulanate (see the product pages for Augmentin at SmithKilne Beecham). The actual conversion process is :- Streptomyces clavuligerus - Clavulanic acid - Tertiary butylamine salt of Clavulanic acid (tBA) - Potassium Clavulanate. I have been correcting the pages to show the actual chemical used. Tmd63 10:59, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

• I have just checked in the British National Formulary and technicaly you are correct, however the common usage of the terms is as it appears in medical formularies and even more commonly on a doctor's prescriptions and the labels patients read on their medicine bottles. With many drugs the official names miss out on the details on the particular salt used, eg 'Erythromycin' is usally prescribed as the single word, the particular salt is not relevant to its spectrum of antibiotic activity and only rarely is it necessary to distinguish the 'stearate' from the 'ethyl succinate' forms. The correct (at least in the UK) pharmacy & medical term to use is Clavulanic acid, similary the amoxicillin used in Co-amoxiclav is prescribed just as 'Amoxicillin', yet in oral form the trihydrate is used and that for injection uses the sodium salt. To quote from the BNF, which sets out the use of terms:

"Co-amoxiclav A mixture of amoxicillin (as the trihydrate or as the sodium salt) and clavulanic acid (as potassium clavulanate)..."

• I'll therefore revert back, but add the details of the forms used to Amoxicillin, Co-amoxiclav, Clavulanic acid and Potassium Clavulanate (which incidentally is wrong in its specification of only being mixed with the trihydrate form of Amoxicillin)David Ruben ^Talk 00:13, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

Side Effects

Some side affects may include nose bleeds.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.255.143.130 (talk • contribs). 23:07, 18 October 2006

Yeast infections are common in women who take any kind of antibiotic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Citysmile (talk • contribs) 20:07, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

== On two occasions within 6 months, within 48 hours of taking Amoxycillin, my hands and feet became swollen and reddened, plus a persistent itching of my palms and soles of feet, further exacerbated by pain in the soles (inhibiting walking). Within 7 days the swelling and itching subsided; however the ensuing scaling and peeling of 2 or more layers of skin was quite uncomfortable, looked horrible and left my hands, palms and fingertips over sensitive for the next 10 days, as if in a 2d degree burn. I have now switched to Roxithromycin, after a hospital visit and blood panel. Keep hands and feet lubricated!!...Good Luck...Jeffers ==--61.7.166.83 (talk) 01:47, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Allergies

I for one, am allergic to Amoxicillin, so if anyone knows anything about it could write about the side effects of Amoxicillin! Also, if you are allergic to Amoxicillin, does it mean that you are allergic to Penicillin, as they are related? -flea User:219.89.32.163 08:06, 21 November 2006

Allergic reaction to Amoxicillin is no different in its symptoms or mechanism from any other drug allergy, so does not need to be repeated in each drug article. See allergy and Anaphylaxis.

Generally allergies are shared amongst related chemical structures, so yes allergy to Amoxicillin should be taken to imply allergy to all penicillins. Of course this supposes that someone reporting an allergy really has had an allergic reaction to the drug - the rash could have been from the disease itself (i.e. is a rash that develops with a sore throat promptly treated with a penicillin from the drug, or was the rash about to appear anyway as part of the disease i.e. scarlet fever). Also the reaction might have been to one of the other constituent of the medication (e.g. the colouring rather than the active Amoxicillin itself). The problem with such supposition is that it may lead one to suppose that a further "trial" exposure would help settle the scientific reproducibility test for "proof" - however whilst one exposure to the penicillin may have merely resulted in an allergic rash, subsequent exposure might rarely result in life threatening anaphylactic shock - so re-exposure testing is not worth it.

Many people report allergic reactions when what they mean is that they experienced an intolerance or a side effect, these are not the same as an immune-mediated reaction. Hence tummy upset, diarrhoea or nausea with a drug is not an allergic reaction (but reasonable reasons to try to choose an alternative drug in the future).

I have always been told that in the UK, only about 10% of people who report having an apparent allergic reaction in childhood to a penicillin are likely to really have had one. This may have to do with previous fairly indiscriminate use of antibiotics for what would now be felt to be viral illness (many of which cause a mild rash to appear) that do not warrant any treatment and the rash was not caused by the antibiotic given, or some fairly sloppy labelling (by doctors as well as patients) of any side effect/intolerance as an allergy.

If the evidence to support a possible penicillin allergy in childhood is not good (especially of course if no old past notes available) then cephalosporin group are reasonable choice. There is only a 10% cross-over sensitivity between those who have a penicillin allergy to this group, and given that only perhaps 10% of people who have a claim of penicillin allergy (without firm evidence or personal recall of events) really have such an allergy, likelihood or reaction to cephalosporin around 1% in such cases. Cephalosporins have nearly the same bacterial coverage as penicillins (especially for streptococcus, but less so for staphylococcus), otherwise use of macrolide antibiotics, but these have generally higher incidence of gastrointestinal side effects. David Ruben ^Talk 14:53, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

A further complication to add to David's excellent response is that there is a distinction between an immune-system response and a "true allergic" reaction, which is IgE-mediated. I think I'm going to add to this article specifically about "ampicillin rash" (late-developing, non-allergic), because it appears to be quite common and I have a couple good references to cite. See, e.g.:PMID 15805383 --Skoch3 (talk) 04:53, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Bad taste/smell

"Amoxicillin is often known for its unappealing taste and odor." Can anyone back this up? I have not noticed it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.17.66.42 (talk) 22:05, 17 December 2006 (UTC).

Depends if you're taking coated tablets or not :P... in my experience? They don't smell strongly at all. Kareeser|^Talk! 19:22, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Chemically, it looks as cresol —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 194.214.119.52 (talk) 17:57, 8 February 2007 (UTC).

Yes, me and my girlfriend have just taken it for 5 days and we both disgusted every single dose. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.238.133.137 (talk) 18:03, 26 April 2007 (UTC).

I think it smells exactly like Ethanethiol, personally. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.3.254.86 (talk) 13:05, 4 May 2007 (UTC).

I find powdered amoxycillin to taste quite nice compared to other drugs, there's a slightly sweet taste to it. 90.205.124.252 (talk) 15:56, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Acetaminophen

Does amoxicillin have a reaction with acetaminophen? --myselfalso 00:19, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

You can go to drugs.com and use their interactions checker to see if there is any reaction between certain drugs. According to their information, there is no reaction between these two drugs. But it wouldn't hurt to ask the Pharmacist to be certain. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.217.64.162 (talk) 11:29, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Liquid Amoxicillin flavor

A lot of people remember Amoxcillan liquid from childhood memiors?, because it tasted like candy. I mean, it was called bubble gum flavor, but it tasted like candy flavored sugar or something. I always have wondered, why flavorists haven't tried to use the same flavoring used for Amoxicillin liquid, in candy products. If there were any candy products that had that flavor, I'd buy tons! Violet yoshi 04:31, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

In the UK, I recall that we had 'banana' flavour Amoxicillin, but perhaps it's the very same flavour that you talk about? Anyway, it's not quite what you were talking about, but I've embellished the relevant section of the main article, as even as a young adult I was prescribed the liquid by a dentist on more than one occasion, purely because I found it impossible to swallow tablets until I was in my late 20's. User: Jaydash 22:22, 09 January 2008