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How Long Amoxicillin Stays In Your System

After taking by mouth, amoxicillin is rapidly absorbed. Peak concentrations in the blood occur around 1 to 2 hours after dosing for immediate release formulations of amoxicillin (e.g capsules, suspensions, tablets).

The half-life of amoxicillin (i.e. time it takes to body to metabolize 50% of the drug) is relatively short, around 1 to 1.5 hours (60 to 90 minutes). Studies have shown that more than 60% of a dose of amoxicillin is eliminated in the urine within 6 to 8 hours.

Since amoxicillin is eliminated mostly via the kidneys, kidney function plays a huge role in how long amoxicillin lasts in the body.

Based on the known half-life of amoxicillin, individuals with normal kidney function should eliminate most, if not all of an amoxicillin dose within 24 hours. buy augmentin online cheap However, the elimination half-life of amoxicillin is greatly increased as kidney function decreases.

Studies in adults have shown that the elimination half-life can increase to over 12 hours in those with kidney disease or severe impairment. This would significantly increase the time it takes for a total dose of amoxicillin to be eliminated in the body, most likely by a few days.

Similarly, newborns and infants do not have completely developed kidney function and elimination of amoxicillin from the body is greatly delayed when compared to children and adults. The reported half-life of amoxicillin in newborns has varied considerably by study:

• One drug monograph lists the half-life at 3.7 in newborns.

• One study lists a half-life of between 1.79 and 8.9 hours in newborns.

• Another study lists an average half-life of 5.2 hours in preterm newborns.

What we can tell from the information above is that the half-life of amoxicillin in newborns is variable, so how long amoxicillin stays in the system is variable as well.

Taking the higher end of the half-life range (e.g. 8.9 hours), we would expect a dose of amoxicillin to be completely cleared from the body within 2 to 4 days. Nevertheless, there is a still room for individual variability.

Microbiology

Amoxicillin is a semisynthetic antibiotic with in vitro bactericidal activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Amoxicillin is, however, susceptible to degradation by beta-lactamases, and therefore, the spectrum of activity does not include organisms which produce these enzymes. Clavulanic acid is a beta-lactam, structurally related to the penicillins, which possesses the ability to inactivate some beta-lactamase enzymes commonly found in microorganisms resistant to penicillins and cephalosporins. In particular, it has good activity against the clinically important plasmid-mediated beta-lactamases frequently responsible for transferred drug resistance.

The formulation of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in AUGMENTIN protects amoxicillin from degradation by some beta-lactamase enzymes and extends the antibiotic spectrum of amoxicillin to include many bacteria normally resistant to amoxicillin.

Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid has been shown to be active against most isolates of the following bacteria, both in vitro and in clinical infections as described in the INDICATIONS AND USAGE section.

The following in vitro data are available, but their clinical significance is unknown . At least 90 percent of the following bacteria exhibit an in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) less than or equal to the susceptible breakpoint for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. However, the efficacy of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in treating clinical infections due to these bacteria has not been established in adequate and well-controlled clinical trials.

Viridans group Streptococcus

Bacteroidesspecies including Bacteroides fragilis

Susceptibility Test Methods

When available, the clinical microbiology laboratory should provide the results of in vitro susceptibility test results for antimicrobial drug products used in resident hospitals to the physician as periodic reports that describe the susceptibility profile of nosocomial and community-acquired pathogens. These reports should aid the physician in selecting an antibacterial drug product for treatment.

Quantitative methods are used to determine antimicrobial minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). These MICs provide estimates of the susceptibility of bacteria to antimicrobial compounds. The MICs should be determined using a standardized test method 2,3 (broth and/or agar). The MIC values should be interpreted according to criteria provided in Table 5.

Quantitative methods that require measurement of zone diameters can also provide reproducible estimates of the susceptibility of bacteria to antimicrobial compounds. The zone size provides an estimate of the susceptibility of bacteria to antimicrobial compounds. The zone size should be determined using a standardized test method 3,4 . This procedure uses paper disks impregnated with 30 mcg amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (20 mcg amoxicillin plus 10 mcg clavulanic acid) to test the susceptibility of bacteria to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. The disc diffusion interpretive criteria are provided in Table 5.

Table 5:Susceptibility Test Interpretive Criteria for Amoxicillin Clavulanic Acid

Standardized susceptibility test procedures require the use of laboratory controls to monitor and ensure the accuracy and precision of supplies and reagents used in the assay, and the techniques of the individuals performing the test 2,3,4 . Standard amoxicillin/clavulanic acid powder should provide the following range of MIC values noted in Table 6 for the diffusion technique using the 30 mcg amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (20 mcg amoxicillin plus 10 mcg clavulanic acid) disk, the criteria in Table 6 should be achieved.

Table 6: Acceptable Quality Control Ranges for Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid

Who Shouldn't Use Ear Drops?

Ear drops can be helpful when treating an ear infection, but there are times when you shouldn’t use them. For example, if you or your child has a perforated eardrum, you should avoid the use of certain ototoxic ear drops (those that have a toxic effect on the ear and the ear’s nerve supply) because fluid from the drops can get deep into the ear and cause more problems.

Cholestatic Jaundice/Hepatic Dysfunction

AUGMENTIN is contraindicated in patients with a previous history of cholestatic jaundice/hepatic dysfunction associated with AUGMENTIN.