Ampicilline pour les infections

About ampicillin

Ampicillin is given to treat a bacterial infection. It is mainly prescribed for sinus and chest infections, urine infections, and ear infections. It is a penicillin antibiotic which treats infection by killing the germs (bacteria) responsible for the infection.

Before taking ampicillin

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking ampicillin it is important that your doctor knows:

• If you suspect you may have glandular fever (the symptoms are high temperature (fever), sore throat, swollen glands).

• If you have an allergic condition, or if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine. This is especially important if you have ever had a bad reaction to any penicillin antibiotic.

• Si vous avez des problèmes de fonctionnement des reins.

• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Ampicillin is not known to be harmful to babies; however, it is still important that you tell your doctor if you are expecting or breastfeeding a baby.

• Si vous prenez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments que vous prenez et qui sont disponibles sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médicaments complémentaires.

How to take ampicillin

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about ampicillin and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take ampicillin exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is usually taken four times a day, every six hours. Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how you should take the medication, and this information will be printed on the label of the pack to remind you. It is important that you space out the doses evenly during the day. Swallow the capsules with a drink of water.

• You should take ampicillin when your stomach is empty, which means taking your doses one hour before you eat any food, or waiting until two hours afterwards. This is because your body absorbs less ampicillin after a meal, which means the medicine is less effective.

• If you have been given liquid medicine for a child, read the directions carefully to make sure you measure out the correct amount of medicine.

• Si vous oubliez de prendre une dose, prenez-la dès que vous vous en rendez compte. Essayez de prendre le nombre correct de doses chaque jour, mais ne prenez pas deux doses en même temps pour compenser une dose oubliée.
  

Tirer le meilleur parti de votre traitement

• Even if you feel your infection has cleared up, keep taking the antibiotic until the course is finished (unless a doctor tells you to stop). This is to prevent the infection from coming back.

• Antibiotics are prescribed in short courses of treatment. Your doctor will tell you how long your course of treatment will last - this is not usually for longer than 14 days. If you still feel unwell after finishing the course, go back to see your doctor.

• Some people develop redness and itching in the mouth or vagina (thrush) after taking a course of antibiotics. If this happens to you, speak with your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

• If you are taking the contraceptive 'pill' at the same time as this antibiotic, the effectiveness of the 'pill' can be reduced if you have a bout of being sick (vomiting) or diarrhoea which lasts for more than 24 hours. If this should happen, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice about what additional contraceptive precautions to use over the next few days. There is no need to use additional precautions for any bouts of sickness or diarrhoea which last for less than 24 hours.

• Ampicillin can stop the oral typhoid vaccine from working. If you are due to have any vaccinations, make sure the person treating you knows that you are taking this antibiotic.

Can ampicillin cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with ampicillin. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to the antibiotic, speak with your doctor or pharmacist for further advice.

How to store ampicillin

• Conservez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.

• Si l'on vous a donné un médicament liquide, conservez-le au réfrigérateur. Il a été préparé par la pharmacie et dure sept jours. Vérifiez donc la date de péremption sur le flacon et ne l'utilisez pas après cette date.

Informations importantes sur tous les médicaments