Afampi® ( Ampicillin ) Capsule 250mg/5mL

Ampicillin

Category

Antibacterial (systemic)

Dosage forms

Capsule:

250 mg Ampicillin(as trihydrate)

500mg Ampicillin(as trihydrate)

Dry Powder for Suspension:

125 mg Ampicillin(as trihydrate)/5ml

250 mg Ampicillin(as trihydrate)/5ml

Before using this medicine

• Read entire leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine.
• This medicine is available only with your doctor’s prescription.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it to others. It may harm them even if their symptoms are the same as yours.

Some medical conditions may interact with Ampicillin. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or in case of breast-feeding.
• If you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation or dietary supplement.
• If you have allergies to medicines, foods or other substances.
• If you have had a severe allergic reaction (eg, severe rash, hives, difficulty breathing, dizziness) to penicillins, cephalosporins or other beta-lactamase inhibitor antibiotics (eg, imipenem).
• If you have kidney problems.

Some medicines may interact with Ampicillin. Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• Allopurinol
• Heparin
• Probenecid
• Tetracyclines (eg, doxycycline)
• Methotrexate
• Anticoagulants (eg, warfarin)
• Aminoglycosides (eg, gentamicin), oral contraceptives (eg, ethinyl estradiol/ norethindrone) or live oral typhoid vaccine

This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if Ampicillin may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop or change the dose of medicine.

Precautions While Using This Medicine

• If your symptoms do not improve within a few days, or if they become worse, check with your doctor.
• Penicillins may cause diarrhea in some patients. Check with your doctor if severe diarrhea occurs. Do not take anti-diarrheal medicine, without your doctor’s prescription.
• Before you have any medical tests, tell the doctor that you are taking this medicine. The results of some tests may be affected by this medicine.

How to use Ampicillin

Use Ampicillin as directed by your doctor. Check the label on the medicine for exact dosing instructions.

• Take Ampicillin on empty stomach.
• Ampicillin Capsule: Swallow the capsule whole with a full glass of water.
• Ampicillin Suspension: Prepare the suspension by dispersing the dry powder in the specified volume of water, shake the bottle well and use a specially marked measuring spoon or other device to measure each dose accurately.

Dosing

• To help clear up your infection completely, keep taking this medicine for the full time of treatment, even if you begin to feel better after a few days.
• This medicine works best when there is a constant amount in the blood or urine. To keep the concentration of drug constant in the body, do not miss any doses. Also, it is best to take the doses at evenly spaced times, day and night.
• The dose of these medicines will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor’s orders. The following information includes only the average doses of these medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

Ampicillin Capsule

Usual dose for adults and children 20 kg of body weight and above:

Antibacterial: 250 to 500 mg every six hours.

Thyphoid fever: 25 mg per kg of body weight every six hours.

Ampicillin suspension

Usual pediatric dose for infants and children up to 20kg of body weight:

12.5 to 25 mg per kg of body weight every six hours; or 16.7 to 33.3 mg per kg of body weight every eight hours.

• Missed dose:

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. This will help to keep a constant amount of medicine in the blood or urine. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

In case of emergency/overdose: In case of overdose, call your local poison control center.

Possible side effects of Ampicillin

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most common side effects continue or become bothersome:

Mild diarrhea; nausea; vomiting.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these severe side effects occur:

Severe allergic reactions (rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue), bloody stools, fever, chills, or sore throat, seizures, severe diarrhea, severe nausea or vomiting, stomach pain or cramps, unusual bruising or bleeding, unusual tiredness or weakness, vaginal irritation or discharge, vein inflammation or tenderness, white patches in mouth.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

Storage

 

-Ampicillin suspension:

• prior to reconstitution, store between 15-30°C.
• After reconstitution, suspension retains its potencey for 7 days at room temperature or for 14 days at refrigerator.
• Store in a tightly closed container away from heat, moisture, and light.

-Ampicillin capsule:

• Store preferably between 15-30°C.
• Store in a tight container.

Reference

USP DI 2007 (Page No: 2304-2310, 2311-2312)