Amoxicillin and clavulanic acid
Brands Names: Amoxicillin and Clavulonic acid, Augmentin, Clavamox, Moxiclav
- Form of administration: Suspension
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Why is the drug here:
Basic antibiotics in pediatrics.
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Purpose of treatment:
Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy in children. Covers many bacteria at almost every site in the body, almost from head to toes.
- Ingredients: A combination of antibiotics from the penicillin family called Amoxicillin and clavulanic acid. The addition of the clavulanic acid to amoxicillin confers the ability to treat other bacteria beyond those that are exclusively covered by amoxicillin.
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How to use:
Suspension (or a pill for someone who knows how to swallow them). The dosage and choice of the specific type of the antibiotic varies according to the site of infection and the child’s weight. The treatment is usually divided twice a day.
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Benefits:
Perhaps the most powerful antibiotic that can be given orally to children. An excellent second line for a number of bacterial infections that have failed in the first line of treatment.
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Side Effects:
The main side effect is related to the fact that this antibiotic also kills a lot of “good” bacteria, especially in the intestines, and therefore the incidence of abdominal pain and diarrhea is relatively high (up to 40% of cases). People which are allergic to penicillin may have more severe allergic side effects.
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Another word from the doctor:
A very important and useful antibiotic in pediatrics but (and this is an important but) not a first line in most infections in children. If you left the doctor with this drug (pediatrician, ENT specialist, etc.) try to find out why he prescribed this broad spectrom antibitic and not a narrower one.
Remember that every advantage also has a disadvantage.