Amoxil Antibiotic Medication for Children

Amoxil (amoxicillin) is an antibiotic often prescribed by pediatricians as a treatment for childhood bacterial infections. Amoxil is a brand of amoxicillin, which comes in other brands like Moxatag, as well as in generic formulations.

What Amoxil Is Used For

Amoxil is usually recommended as a first-line treatment for many common infections that affect kids.

It is most commonly used to treat children with ear infections, pneumonia, sinusitis, and strep throat. It can sometimes also be used to treat some other infections, including uncomplicated gonorrhea, urinary tract infections, and skin infections, when they are caused by susceptible strains of bacteria.

Amoxil is also used in combination with other medicines to treat H. pylori infections. It is among the antibiotics that are used to treat young children with Lyme disease.

Facts

Amoxil usually works and it's inexpensive and tastes good. Since it is available as a generic drug, you will pay the lowest copay if you have a prescription card, but you likely won't pay more than $10 or $15 even if you have to pay full price.

Other facts about Amoxil:

• It is usually not given to children who are allergic to penicillin.
• Amoxil is often prescribed to take twice a day.
• Amoxil doesn't have to be kept in the refrigerator, although refrigeration is preferable.
• Amoxil's generic name is amoxicillin and other brand names include Trimox, Wymox, and Dispermox.
• Amoxicillin is available in a variety of forms, including Pediatric drops, oral suspension, chewable tablets, capsules, and tablets.

Side Effects

Children taking Amoxil can develop nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and pseudomembranous colitis. These are common side effects of antibiotics.

Other side effects can include tooth discoloration (usually reversible), hepatitis, crystalluria, anemia, reversible hyperactivity, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, convulsions, behavioral changes, and or dizziness.

Serious Reactions

Hypersensitivity or allergic reactions can also occur in children taking Amoxil, and these reactions can be serious.

They include serum sickness-like reactions, erythematous maculopapular rashes, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, exfoliative dermatitis, toxic epidermal necrolysis, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, hypersensitivity vasculitis, and urticaria. You should stop the antibiotic and call your pediatrician if you think your child is having an allergic reaction to Amoxil.

Keep in mind that not every rash that your child develops while taking Amoxil is caused by an allergic reaction, so be sure to check with your child's pediatrician to get an accurate diagnosis. If your child gets labeled as being allergic to Amoxil, that eliminates an important class of antibiotics that your child can take.

A Word From Verywell

Amoxil is recommended by experts in many treatment guidelines as the first choice to treat many common pediatric infections, including ear infections and sinusitis. Since it's commonly prescribed, there's a chance you might use it several times for your children over the years. However, make sure you follow instructions for each child and each child's condition—don't use expired medication, and don't ever use antibiotics for yourself or your children unless specifically instructed to do so by a doctor.