Can pregnant women take amoxicillin? – Your Health

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic that can be used by pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy, being part of the category B group of medicines. This means that amoxicillin is a medicine that does not cause risks or serious side effects to the pregnant woman or her baby.

This antibiotic is part of the penicillin family, effective against a variety of infections caused by bacteria, such as urinary tract infections, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis, pneumonia, among others. See all indications for amoxicillin.

However, it is important to emphasize that the use of medication during pregnancy should only be done under the guidance of the obstetrician and if strictly necessary, after a careful assessment by the doctor of the benefits of the medication for the woman and the risks for the fetus.

How to drink

The normally recommended doses of amoxicillin during pregnancy are:

• Adults: 250 mg, 3 times a day, every 8 hours. If necessary and according to medical advice, this dose can be increased to 500 mg, administered 3 times a day, every 8 hours.

Amoxicillin during pregnancy should only be used after guidance from the obstetrician and, in addition, its dose and method of use varies according to the type of infection and the length of treatment required.

In some cases, the doctor may also recommend the use of amoxicillin in combination with clavulanate, to enhance its effect. However, amoxicillin + clavulanate should not be used in the first trimester of pregnancy. Learn more about the effects and indications of amoxicillin and clavulanate.

Why is amoxicillin safe in pregnancy?

According to the FDA classification, amoxicillin is at risk B, which means that no side effects were found on the fetus of animal guinea pigs, although not enough tests were carried out on women. However, in clinical practice, no changes were found in the babies of mothers who used amoxicillin under medical guidance during pregnancy.

There are also other antibiotics allowed during pregnancy, which include cephalexin, ampicillin or ceftriaxone, for example, and it should never be forgotten that, for their use to be safe, medical evaluation is necessary to recommend any of these medications. Learn how to identify permitted and prohibited medications during pregnancy.

Can amoxicillin cause changes in the baby?

Some studies carried out with pregnant women who used amoxicillin in the first trimester of pregnancy did not indicate a greater likelihood of congenital changes.