Amoxicillin: What Should I Discuss With My Healthcare Provider Before Taking Amoxicillin

Content provided by Cerner Multum, Inc.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking amoxicillin?

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to amoxicillin or to any other penicillin antibiotic, such as:

• ampicillin (Omnipen, Principen);
• carbenicillin (Geocillin);
• dicloxacillin (Dycill, Dynapen);
• oxacillin (Bactocill); or
• penicillin (Beepen-VK, Ledercillin VK, Pen-V, Pen-Vee K, Pfizerpen, V-Cillin K, Veetids, and others).

Before using amoxicillin, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs (especially cephalosporins such as Ceclor, Ceftin, Duricef, Keflex, and others), or if you have:

• asthma;
• liver disease;
• kidney disease;
• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder;
• mononucleosis (also called "mono");
• a history of diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics; or
• a history of any type of allergy.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take amoxicillin.

FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Amoxicillin can make birth control pills less effective, which may result in pregnancy. Before taking amoxicillin, tell your doctor if you use birth control pills.

Amoxicillin can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

The amoxicillin chewable tablet may contain phenylalanine. Talk to your doctor before using this form of amoxicillin if you have phenylketonuria (PKU).

Last updated:	February 21, 2008