Amoxicillin tablets for children: instructions for use

Amoxicillin is one of the most popular penicillin antibiotics prescribed for various bacterial infections. It comes in several forms, among which there is a tablet. Can I take Amoxicillin tablets for children and in what dosage is it used?

Amoxicillin tablets are presented in two options:

1. Regular pills. They can contain both 250 mg of the active ingredient and 500 mg. In one pack is 10 or 20 of these tablets.
2. Tablets with a film cover. Each tablet contains 500 mg of active compound, and one pack contains 10, 20, 30 or more tablets.

In addition, the drug is available in capsules with an active substance content of 250 or 500 mg. But for children especially in demand medicine in bottles, inside of which are granules. Pour into such a bottle of water, get a sweet suspension.

The main substance that provides the drug therapeutic effect is presented amoxicillin trihydrate. In tablets, this compound is supplemented with magnesium stearate and potato starch. Hypromellose, talc, titanium dioxide and other substances may also be present in the coated tablets.

Once in the digestive tract, Amoxicillin is very rapidly absorbed, with the result that its maximum concentration in the bloodstream is observed after 1-2 hours. The drug is not destroyed in the stomach, and food intake does not affect its absorption. Together with the bloodstream, the drug is spread throughout the body, getting in large quantities in sputum, urine, intestinal mucosa, middle ear fluid, gallbladder, pleural fluid and other tissues.

The spectrum of antimicrobial effects of Amoxicillin is quite large. The drug has a bactericidal effect on such microorganisms:

• Streptococcus.
• Shigella.
• Salmonella.
• Staphylococcus.
• Corinebacterium.
• Proteus.
• Enterococcus
• E. coli.
• Gonococcus
• Campylobacter.
• Listeria
• Klebsiella.
• Helicobacter.
• Chlamydia.
• Treponema.
• Clostridium.
• Meningococcus.
• Peptostreptokokk.

However, with respect to certain types of proteus, bacteroids, pseudomonads, serratia, enterobacter, some staphylococci, as well as viruses, mycoplasmas and rickettsiae, Amoxicillin is not active.

The use of Amoxicillin is justified in case of infections, on pathogens of which such a penicillin antibiotic acts. The drug is prescribed for:

• Anginae
• Pharyngitis.
• Sinusitis.
• Average otitis.
• Bacterial meningitis.
• Bronchitis
• Salmonellosis.
• Dysentery.
• Leptospirosis.
• Pneumonia.
• Listeriosis
• Gonorrhea.
• Peritonitis
• Peptic ulcer disease.
• Cholangitis
• Urethritis
• Sepsis.
• Cystitis
• Bacterial infections of the skin and many other diseases.

In pediatrics, Amoxicillin is prescribed from birth, but tablets are not recommended for children under 5 years old. If a medicine is prescribed for a child who is not yet five years old (for example, at the age of 3), then granules are used from which the suspension is prepared.

Also contraindications to the appointment of this medication are:

• Disorders of the liver.
• Allergic diathesis.
• Pollinosis.
• Infectious mononucleosis.
• Impaired renal function.
• Bronchial asthma.
• Lymphocytic leukemia.
• Breast-feeding.

Without a doctor's appointment, Amoxicillin should not be given to children who have had digestive tract diseases or bleeding in the past.

Watch a video in which Konstantin Mandra talks about the rules of antibiotics:

Sometimes the children's body reacts to Amoxicillin intake:

• Allergic reaction for example, rhinitis, redness, swelling of the skin, conjunctivitis, or urticaria. It is extremely rare for such an antibiotic to cause fever, dermatitis, anaphylactic shock, or other serious allergy problems.
• Digestive disorders, among which nausea and loose stools are most frequently noted. The drug can provoke the development of stomatitis, enterocolitis or dysbacteriosis. In some children, taste is disturbed, vomiting occurs, and tongue is inflamed. Amoxicillin can also negatively affect the functioning of the liver.
• Violations of the central nervous system, for example, anxiety, problems with falling asleep, depressed mood, headache, agitated state, confusion, dizziness, and sometimes seizures.
• Changes in the blood test. When using Amoxicillin, a decrease in the level of cellular elements is often detected.
• Heart palpitations or difficulty breathing.
• Candida development or by attaching another bacterial infection.

• Amoxicillin tablets offer the child to swallow without chewing, drinking water.
• For children over five years old (for example, at 7 years old) a single dose of the drug will be 250 mg, so before the age of 10, tablets with this dosage are used.
• A child over 10 years old can already be given tablets containing 500 mg of amoxicillin, since a single dose at this age will be 1 such tablet. Also, 10-year-olds or older may take 2 tablets of 250 mg of amoxicillin at a time.
• If the infection is severe, the dosage of the drug may be increased to 750-1000 mg per dose. In this case, the decision on such an increase in the dose may be taken only by the attending physician.
• The frequency of taking Amoxicillin - 3 times a day, and the duration of treatment is determined by the doctor, taking into account the disease. The drug can be administered for a period of 5 to 12 days.
• When the clinical symptoms of the infection have disappeared, it is recommended to take Amoxicillin for another 2-3 days. With long-term treatment, it is important to monitor the blood test, as well as the function of the kidneys and liver.

Too much Amoxicillin causes diarrhea and vomiting, resulting in dehydration. To treat this condition, the stomach is first washed and sorbents or laxatives are given, and then attention is paid to restoring fluid and electrolyte balance. In severe poisoning, hemodialysis is indicated.

• If you take Amoxicillin with antacid or laxative drugs, the absorption of the antibiotic will worsen. The same effect is observed when combined with aminoglycosides and glucosamine, but with the addition of Ascorbic Acid, Amoxicillin is better absorbed.
• The administration of Amoxicillin together with other bactericidal antimicrobials, for example, Rifampicin, cephalosporins or Vancomycin, will lead to an increase in the effect of therapy.But on drugs with a bacteriostatic action Amoxicillin acts as an antagonist. If you give it in the treatment of macrolides, sulfonamides, lincosamides and other drugs that inhibit bacteria, it will reduce the therapeutic effect.
• The use of Amoxicillin enhances the effect of indirect anticoagulants.
• If the child accepts anti-inflammatory drugs (nonsteroidal), diuretics, allopurinol, canalicular secretion blockers and some other medicines, this will increase the concentration of amoxicillin in the blood.
• If you assign Amoxicillin together with Metronidazole, the negative impact on the liver from these funds will intensify. This combination of drugs is contraindicated at the age of under 18 years.

To purchase the tablet form of Amoxicillin in a pharmacy, you need to show a prescription from a doctor. The price of 20 tablets containing 250 mg of the active ingredient, an average of 30-40 rubles. For a package of 20 tablets with a higher concentration of amoxicillin (500 mg) you need to pay from 50 to 70 rubles.

Keep the drug advised in a dry place at room temperature (not above + 25 ° C). It is also important to ensure that the medicine is not freely available for small children. Depending on the manufacturer, the shelf life of Amoxicillin tablets is 2-4 years.

You may be interested to watch the video of Dr. E. Komarovsky’s program in which he tells in detail about the benefits and harms of taking antibiotics for children in the treatment of various diseases:

About treatment Amoxicillin there are different reviews. AT In most cases, mothers who gave such an antibiotic as prescribed by a doctor at a temperature caused by a bacterial infection (for example, with angina or bronchitis), note its high efficiency. They confirm that the drug quickly affects the pathogen and helps the child get rid of an infectious disease.

Most often, babies use a suspension, since it can be difficult for a child to swallow tablets. Among the drawbacks of medication most often mentioned are side effects. In many children, Amoxicillin tablets cause upset stool, nausea, skin rash, dysbiosis. Mothers do not like the need to drink the drug three times a day, so they often prefer other antibiotics that can be taken once a day.

You can replace Amoxicillin with another medicine with the same active substance, for example:

• Soluble pills Flemoxine Solutab.
• Capsules or tablets Amosin. This medicine is also available in powder, which is used to make a suspension for small children.
• Suspension Ospamox, for the preparation of which the drug is produced in granules and in powder. Also, this medicine is presented in pharmacies by several types of tablets and capsules.
• Pills Ecobol.
• Powder or capsules Hikontsil.

In addition, instead of Amoxicillin, a pediatrician may prescribe another antibiotic from the penicillin group of drugs. It may be:

• Oxacillin.
• Ampicillin.
• Ampioks.
• Amoxiclav. In such a preparation, clavulanic acid was added to amoxicillin to increase its effectiveness.