Amoxicillin & Urinary Infections

Urinary infections are common ailments that can be painful or inconvenient. Fortunately, they are easily treated with antibiotics. Amoxicillin is often prescribed to treat urinary infections because of its effectiveness and few drug interactions. It has few side effects and can even been taken by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Amoxicillin

• Amoxicillin is an antibiotic from the penicillin group of drugs, along with ampicillin, piperacillin and ticarcillin. Unlike some antibiotics, penicillin does not kill bacteria. Instead, they prevent bacteria from forming cells walls, which makes them vulnerable to the environment. This makes the bacteria unable to survive and therefore unable to multiply. Amoxicillin is used to treat many infections, including ear infections, pneumonia and gonorrhea.

Urinary Infections

• Urinary infections include any inflammation of the urinary system, including urethritis, cystitis and pyelonephritis. These infections are caused by bacteria that is usually found in the intestinal tract or on your skin. The bacteria is usually introduced into the urinary system through the urethra, the tube through which bladder excretes urine from the body. The urethra can be exposed to the bacteria during sloppy wiping after a bowel movement or regular sexual contact. If you don't clean your genital and anal areas or don't change your underwear frequently, this can also promote bacteria spreading from the anal area to the urethra. Symptoms of a urinary infection include increased urge to urinate, burning or cramps in your pelvis or lower back and cloudy, dark urine. Urinary infections can also show up as dysuria, or blood in your urine.

Treatment

• Once you have been diagnosed with a urinary infection, your health care provider will often prescribe an antibiotic like amoxicillin. This antibiotic is often sold under the name Amoxicil, Dispermox or Trimox. It can come in the form of an oral tablet or a suspension liquid. You can take it with or without food, because unlike some other kinds of antibiotics, an empty stomach does not help amoxicillin work better. The dosage can vary depending on the severity of your condition but always take amoxicillin the way your health care provider prescribed it.

Side Effects

• Some common side effects of amoxicillin include nausea, irritability or fatigue. If you are allergic to amoxicillin, you can develop a sudden rash with intense itching. To avoid adverse reactions, do not take amoxicillin if you are allergic to penicillin or any other penicillin related product. If you are taking oral contraceptives, you should know that amoxicillin can decrease its effectiveness. Practice other birth control methods while you are taking this antibiotic. Although amoxicillin is generally safe for pregnant or breast feeding mothers, you should discuss your condition with your health care provider before taking it.

Warnings

• If your amoxicillin prescription is doing its job, your urinary infection symptoms may start to subside after just a short time. Still, you should take your antibiotic prescription until it is gone to avoid recurring urinary infections. If your symptoms do not go away or worsen while you are on amoxicillin, you should contact your health care provider. There may be a chance that you were misdiagnosed or that your urinary infection has worsened into a more serious condition.