Guide To Amoxicillin

Medication Interactions

Amoxicillin interacts frequently with other antibiotics, including sulfonamides, tetracycline, and macrolides. Patients should let their doctor know if they are also taking any of these antibiotics. In addition, amoxicillin is known to interact with probenecid, a medication used for the treatment of gout, and it is associated with an interaction with allopurinol, a medicine that can be used for gout and kidney stones. Methotrexate is associated with a major interaction with amoxicillin as well. Along with these major interactions, amoxicillin has moderate interactions with twenty other drugs, including estradiol, erythromycin, dicumarol, warfarin, and pemetrexed. Before prescribing amoxicillin, doctors will go over the patient's current medications to prevent potential interactions. Pharmacists will also check for drug interactions before filling the prescription for the patient. Amoxicillin may interact with certain vaccines such as the live cholera vaccine, the BCG vaccine, and the live typhoid vaccine. Individuals who are about to receive any of these vaccines should inform their doctor they are taking amoxicillin. It may be necessary to wait to receive the vaccine until the course of amoxicillin has been completed.

Get familiar with the commonly prescribed alternative to amoxicillin next.

Commonly Prescribed Alternatives

For patients who cannot take amoxicillin due to an allergy, doctors may choose to prescribe a different antibiotic. Some of the most commonly prescribed alternatives for amoxicillin include clindamycin, metronidazole, and erythromycin. Doctors might also prescribe sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, or cephalexin, and azithromycin is sometimes prescribed, too. Patients who believe they may be allergic to amoxicillin should let their doctor know this so an alternative medication can be considered. When choosing which alternative antibiotic to prescribe, the physician will consider the patient's overall health and the particular infection to be treated. Some antibiotics are more effective for certain infections than others, and the doctor will also want to prescribe the one that causes the fewest side effects.

Continue reading to learn about the recommended dosages of amoxicillin next.