| Download the amazing global Makindo app: Android | Apple | |
|---|---|
| MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Educational use only. Not for diagnosis or management. See below for full disclaimer. |
CoAmoxiclav (Augmentin)
⚠️ Safety tip: Avoid in suspected or confirmed glandular fever (EBV/CMV), as it almost universally causes a rash.
📖 About
Always check the BNF link here.
- 💊 Combination of Amoxicillin (broad-spectrum beta-lactam) + Clavulanic acid (beta-lactamase inhibitor).
- 🦠 Used where organisms produce beta-lactamase that would otherwise inactivate amoxicillin.
- ✅ Widely used in community and hospital for mixed infections.
⚡ Mechanism of Action
- Amoxicillin: inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis by binding to penicillin-binding proteins.
- Clavulanic acid: irreversibly inhibits beta-lactamase enzymes, protecting amoxicillin from breakdown.
🩺 Indications & Dosing (verify in BNF/datasheet)
- 💧 Urinary tract infections (UTIs).
- 🌬️ Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
- 🩹 Skin and soft tissue infections (e.g. cellulitis, diabetic foot infection).
- 🧠 Listeria infection (specialist use).
💊 Dosing – Co-Amoxiclav (Augmentin) (verify with BNF/datasheet)
| Indication / Formulation | Details |
|---|---|
| 🩹 Mild–Moderate Infection (PO) |
Co-Amoxiclav
• 375–625 mg PO TDS (every 8 h) |
| 🔥 Severe Infection (IV) |
Co-Amoxiclav
• 1.2 g IV TDS (q8h) • May increase to q6h in severe sepsis (per local protocol) |
🔄 Interactions
- ⬆️ Probenecid increases amoxicillin levels (reduced renal clearance).
- ⬆️ Risk of methotrexate toxicity (displacement and reduced clearance).
- ⬇️ May reduce efficacy of the oral contraceptive pill.
⚠️ Cautions
- 🌡️ Causes rash in EBV, CMV, and CLL.
- 📉 Reduce dose in severe renal impairment.
- 🫀 Use with caution in patients with hepatic impairment – monitor LFTs.
🚫 Contraindications
- Known penicillin allergy.
- History of penicillin-associated jaundice or liver dysfunction.
- Infectious mononucleosis (EBV/CMV) – high risk of rash.
💥 Side Effects
- 🌡️ Maculopapular rash, esp. in EBV/CMV/CLL.
- 🤢 GI upset: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea.
- 🫀 Cholestatic jaundice and acute hepatitis (usually resolves within 14 days after stopping).
- ⚡ Rare but serious: Stevens–Johnson syndrome, Toxic epidermal necrolysis.
- 🦠 Candida overgrowth with prolonged use.
📑 References
- BNF: Co-Amoxiclav
- NICE Antimicrobial Guidance
| The content on this website is provided for educational and informational purposes only to support exam preparation (e.g., MLA, MRCP, USMLE) and learning. This is NOT medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional guidance. It does not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional, official guidelines (e.g., NICE, GMC, BNF), or supervised clinical practice. Always verify information with current, authoritative sources. Makindo and its contributors accept no liability for any reliance on this content, including errors, omissions, or any resulting harm, loss, or consequences. By using this site, you agree to these terms. |
|
|
Categories
- A Level
- About
- Acute Medicine
- Anaesthetics and Critical Care
- Anatomy
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Biochemistry
- Book
- Cardiology
- Collections
- CompSci
- Crib Sheets
- Crib sheets
- Dental
- Dermatology
- Differentials
- Drugs
- ENT
- Education
- Electrocardiogram
- Embryology
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Ethics
- Foundation Doctors
- GCSE
- Gastroenterology
- General Practice
- Genetics
- Geriatric Medicine
- Guidelines
- Gynaecology
- Haematology
- Hepatology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
- Infographic
- Investigations
- Lists
- Mandatory Training
- Medical Students
- Microbiology
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Nutrition
- OSCE
- OSCEs
- Obstetrics
- Obstetrics Gynaecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral Medicine and Dentistry
- Orthopaedics
- Paediatrics
- Palliative
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Procedures
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Radiology
- Renal
- Respiratory
- Resuscitation
- Revision
- Rheumatology
- Statistics and Research
- Stroke
- Surgery
- Toxicology
- Trauma and Orthopaedics
- USMLE
- Urology
- Vascular Surgery