Amoxicillin is a commonly prescribed antibiotic in the penicillin family. Doctors prescribe it to treat a range of bacterial infections, including infections of the ears, nose, throat, and upper airway. While amoxicillin is an important antibiotic for fighting bacterial infections among people of all ages, it can cause various side effects.
This article describes the side effects that people may experience from taking amoxicillin. Although most amoxicillin side effects are not serious, some people have reported life-threatening reactions.
It is possible for an individual to experience side effects even if they have taken amoxicillin in the past without any side effects.
Common Side Effects
Side effects of amoxicillin are typically mild. Less than 3% of patients in clinical trials discontinued treatment due to side effects. People usually take a short-term course of amoxicillin antibiotics, so the side effects should not last long. In most cases, when a person stops taking the antibiotics, they will stop experiencing side effects.
The most frequent adverse reactions associated with immediate-release formulations have included:
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- Diarrhea/loose stools
- Nausea
- Skin rashes and urticaria
- Vomiting
- Vaginitis
Extended-release tablets have been most frequently associated with:
- Diarrhea
- Vaginal mycosis
- Nausea
- Loose stools
Gastrointestinal Issues
Gastrointestinal symptoms are among the most common side effects of taking amoxicillin. Diarrhea is a common side effect of amoxicillin. All antibiotics kill off the normal bacteria in our guts, disrupting the gut and potentially leading to diarrhea. Examples of these include:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Indigestion
- Gastritis
- Generalized abdominal cramps
- Stomatitis
- Glossitis
- Mucocutaneous candidiasis
- Enterocolitis
- Black "hairy" tongue
- Small intestinal motor disturbances
- Hemorrhagic colitis
- Clostridium difficile pseudomembranous colitis
To treat diarrhea caused by amoxicillin, talk with a healthcare professional first to discuss the best first steps. Then, consider taking a supplement with probiotics, staying hydrated, and following the healthcare professional’s recommendation.
If a person experiences prolonged bouts of diarrhea along with fever and stomach pain after taking amoxicillin, they should talk to their doctor. People have reported experiencing diarrhea for as long as 2 months after they stopped taking amoxicillin.
Diarrhea is typically considered a common side effect, but if you’re becoming dehydrated or noticing streaks of blood in diarrhea, seek immediate medical attention.
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Taking your dose of amoxicillin with a meal may help prevent stomach discomfort or nausea. To cope with an upset stomach, eat bland, easy-to-digest foods like soups, crackers, and toast. Peppermint is thought to help upset stomach symptoms. You can take anti-nausea medication if necessary. If you experience severe, prolonged abdominal pain or see blood in your vomit or stool, seek immediate medical attention.
Headaches
Other common side effects are headaches. Headaches are a common side effect of taking amoxicillin, and while less severe, are a frequent occurrence. Tight, contracted shoulders, neck, scalp, and jaw muscles likely cause the most common headaches.
Taking your dosages with food and drinking an adequate amount of water can help prevent headaches caused by amoxicillin. Headache and migraine medications, including Tylenol and Aleve, can help to relieve headaches caused by amoxicillin.
Taste Disturbances
Antibiotics like amoxicillin can cause taste disturbances. Sometimes, a person may find foods taste metallic when taking amoxicillin. A zinc deficiency can cause a bad or metallic taste in the mouth. Other people may find they are more sensitive to sweet or salty tastes when taking amoxicillin. A person may also be dehydrated if they have a fever while taking antibiotics. A dry mouth can affect a person’s taste sensations, too.
Most of the time, these side effects go away when you stop taking amoxicillin. Drinking more water to stay hydrated can help. Talk with a healthcare professional if you’re having difficulty eating anything because of taste.
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Skin Rashes
Skin rashes when taking amoxicillin can be common. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if the rash is caused by an allergy. People may notice a skin rash after taking amoxicillin for several days. The rash may have small, flat, or raised discolored patches unevenly spaced on the skin. Sometimes, it’s itchy, and it usually starts on the chest, stomach, or back.
The rash from amoxicillin is different from an allergic reaction or hives. Hives are raised, itchy welts that usually pop up within hours after taking the medication. A person may also have symptoms such as trouble breathing or swallowing.
The rash should go away after a few days if it isn’t an allergy. Some people may find that an anti-itch cream helps.
Vaginal Yeast Infections
Amoxicillin works well because it can keep bacteria from growing. Unfortunately, sometimes that extends to “healthy” bacteria that maintain pH balance in the vagina. As a result, a person’s vaginal pH may become disturbed, where yeast can thrive, and a yeast infection can result.
Signs of a yeast infection include itching, redness or other color changes, and cottage cheese-like discharge. Over-the-counter medications are available to treat yeast infections. If you aren’t sure if it’s a yeast infection or another infection type, you should talk with a healthcare professional.
Less Common, But Serious Side Effects
In rare cases, people may experience potentially life-threatening side effects when taking amoxicillin. When a person experiences an unexpected and severe side effect from taking amoxicillin, they should report this to MedWatch, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) adverse event reporting program.
Allergic Reactions
Allergies are usually not the reason for an adverse reaction to a drug. In fact, allergic reactions are an uncommon occurrence. Though it may seem like an allergic reaction, it is really a nonallergic adverse reaction.
Mild allergic reactions include itching and hives. They aren’t too worrisome on their own but should be observed in case symptoms worsen. Antihistamines and hydrocortisone can treat mild symptoms.
Examples of potentially life threatening side effects include:
- Problems breathing
- Wheezing
- Hives
- Itching
- Rash
- Skin blistering
- Skin peeling
- Swelling in the eyes, face, lips, throat, or tongue
- Severe diarrhea
- Stomach cramping
If you have a true allergic reaction to amoxicillin, seek emergency medical attention if you are having problems breathing. If you take an antihistamine like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), it may help with the itching. Ask for a prescription for another antibiotic “family” if you are truly allergic.
Swelling of the face, lips, or tongue and shortness of breath are signs of a severe allergic reaction. If you experience a severe allergic reaction, seek medical attention immediately.
If an allergic reaction occurs, monitor the spreading of the rash or discoloration. Amoxicillin can cause delayed allergic reactions even after you’ve stopped taking it.
A person should seek emergency medical attention if they think that they are experiencing anaphylaxis - a life threatening reaction - after taking amoxicillin. They are at higher risk of a severe reaction if they have had an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin or cephalosporin antibiotics in the past.
Anaphylaxis symptoms include:
- Problems breathing
- Wheezing
- A rash that causes swelling and spreads across most of the body
- Swelling of the lips, face, and tongue
A doctor will usually treat these reactions with steroids and antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Typically, they will advise a person to stop taking amoxicillin if they have experienced a severe reaction.
Breathing Problems
Breathing difficulty involves a sensation of difficult or uncomfortable breathing or a feeling of not getting enough air.
In some circumstances, a small degree of breathing difficulty may be normal. Severe nasal congestion is one example. Another example is strenuous exercise, especially when you do not exercise regularly.
If you have difficulty breathing, you could be experiencing an allergic reaction to amoxicillin.
If you’re experiencing mild breathing problems, you can try to ease breathing by doing the following:
- Breathe through pursed lips, slowing breathing and allowing for deeper breaths.
- Perform activities at a comfortable pace; avoid rushing.
- Try not to hold your breath.
If you are allergic to amoxicillin or penicillin, inform your healthcare professional so you can be prescribed another medication to prevent this reaction. If breathing becomes increasingly difficult, contact your healthcare professional right away.
If you have difficulty breathing and swelling of your lips, face, mouth, or throat, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
Blisters and Other Skin Problems
Blisters are small, raised lesions where fluid has collected under the skin. They may be caused by an allergic reaction, burns, frostbite, or by excessive friction or trauma to the skin. Blisters may also be a symptom of a systemic illness or of a specific skin disorder.
This side effect is somewhat rare but serious when it does occur. If you experience discoloration, blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin after taking amoxicillin, contact your healthcare professional immediately.
Home treatments may be used to manage mild, non-itching rashes that are not severe. Treatment includes antihistamines or hydrocortisone, oatmeal baths, and drinking lots of water. However, if skin starts blistering, peeling, or loosening, seek medical attention immediately.
Do not take amoxicillin if you’re allergic to penicillin to prevent severe skin irritations.
Dizziness
Dizziness occurs when you feel lightheaded and unsteady, or you experience a loss of balance or vertigo (a feeling that you or the room is spinning or moving).
Most causes of dizziness are not serious and either quickly get better on their own or are easily treated.
Tell your healthcare professional about the medications you are currently taking before they prescribe amoxicillin. To prevent dizziness, avoid drinking alcohol when on amoxicillin.
Avoid driving until you know how amoxicillin will affect you. If you get dizzy, sit down for a moment and see if it passes. If you lie down, keep your head elevated with a pillow.
Dizziness may be a symptom of anemia or an allergic reaction.
A severe allergic reaction could be present if dizziness is combined with symptoms like shortness of breath or swelling of the lips, face, or tongue. Seek immediate medical attention.
Trouble Sleeping
Sleeping difficulty, called insomnia, can involve difficulty falling asleep when you first go to bed at night, waking up too early in the morning, and waking up often during the night.
Everyone has an occasional sleepless night, and this is not a problem for most people. However, as many as 25 percent of Americans a year experience acute insomnia, and insomnia is a chronic problem for many people.
Seizures
A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures that may include repetitive muscle jerking called convulsions.
If you are experiencing this side effect, contact your healthcare professional as soon as possible.
Dark Urine
Normal urine is often a pale or straw-yellow color. When urine strays from this color, it is considered abnormal. Abnormally colored urine may be cloudy, dark, or blood-tinged.
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