France is currently in shortage of amoxicillin. A worrying situation, according to health professionals: “all the conditions are met for a major public health crisis in pediatrics [d’ici à] A few days“say the French Society of Pediatrics (SFP) and the French-speaking Society of Infectious Pathology in a press release published on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
Amoxicillin, what is it exactly? Amoxicillin is a drug that belongs to the family of broad-spectrum penicillins, that is to say active on a greater number of germs than simple penicillin. It is an antibiotic drug: it is therefore used to eliminate bacteria, in adults as in children.
Amoxicillin is only available on prescription: in pharmacies, this medicine exists in different forms – syrups, capsules, tablets… Currently, in France, the shortage mainly concerns the “syrup” form, the most used in the children.
What is amoxicillin used for? This antibiotic is traditionally used against many diseases of bacterial origin: bacterial angina, cystitis, otitis, sinusitis, dental abscess, bronchitis… In combination with another drug (clavulanic acid), amoxicillin can also be used in the event of infection of the skin, the digestive system, gynecology, ENT, osteoarticular… In short, it is a Swiss army knife medicine!
Amoxicillin: contraindications and adverse effects. Obviously, amoxicillin is strictly contraindicated in case of penicillin allergy; specific precautions must be taken in patients suffering from renal or hepatic insufficiency, Lyme disease, epilepsy, or in breastfeeding women.
Amoxicillin can cause side effects: up to 10% of patients may suffer from nausea, diarrhea or skin rashes. More rarely (in less than 1 in 100 patients), there may be vomiting, itching and/or hives.
Source : Vidal Encyclopedia
