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Amoxicillin for Bladder Infections

Bladder infections (also called cystitis or urinary tract infections) are inflammations of the urinary system, especially the bladder itself. Although minor bladder infections can be cured by your own immune system, many infections need the help of prescription antibiotics to be resolved. Amoxicillin is one of the many antibiotics that can treat bladder infections.

  1. Amoxicillin

    • Amoxicillin, a penicillin-type antibiotic, is prescribed to treat any number of infections, including pneumonia, ear infections and urinary infections. It disarms the bacteria by preventing them from forming cell walls. Bacteria need cell walls to protect them from their environment and to keep the cell's contents together. Amoxicillin keeps the bladder infection-causing bacteria from surviving in your body and reproducing.

    Bladder Infections

    • Although a bladder infection (also called cystitis) specifically refers to an inflammation of the bladder, it can also refer to any infection of the urinary system. These infections are caused by bacteria that are normally present on the skin or in the intestinal tract. When these bacteria spread into the urinary system, they begin to grow, multiply and irritate the structures in the urinary system, including the urethra, the bladder and the kidneys.

    Treatment

    • Your health care provider can diagnose your bladder infection through a simple urine analysis. Once he is sure that you have a bladder infection, he will prescribe an antibiotic like amoxicillin. Your prescription will come in the form of a tablet or suspension liquid and may carry a brand name like Amoxicil or Trimox. The dosage and length of your prescription will depend on the severity of your condition. Always take your prescription the way your health care provider has prescribed it.

    Side Effects

    • If you are taking amoxicillin for a bladder infection, you should experience very few side effects. Some patients may experience nausea, irritability or fatigue, but that is not common. On the other hand, allergies to penicillin-related antibiotics are common. Avoid taking amoxicillin if you suffer from these allergies because you can develop rashes, hives and other adverse side effects. Amoxicillin also decreases the effects of oral contraceptives, so use another type of birth control until your bladder infection is cured.

    Warnings

    • Your bladder infection symptoms may start to go away before your amoxicillin prescription is done. Continue to take the antibiotic until the prescription has run out to prevent your bladder infection from recurring. If you do not see any improvement of your bladder infection symptoms, you should contact your heath care provider. You may have been misdiagnosed or your infection may have progressed into a more serious condition.

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