Answer #1

Amoxicillin and Azithromycin are two antibiotics used for treating numerous bacterial infections. Nevertheless, they are used for dealing with different bacteria. Hence, you should know the differences to be able to use the antibiotics correctly.

1. Health conditions

A doctor usually prescribes amoxicillin for dealing with respiratory tract disorders and also urinary tract illnesses. It is also recommended for a pregnant woman who cannot tolerate erythromycin. In addition, amoxicillin also acts like a prophylaxis, particularly before a surgical procedure. In contrast, Azithromycin is recommended for respiratory diseases and skin infections.

2. Dosage

Amoxicillin is usually prescribed in small doses of about 500mg after 8 hours. This dosage is given to a person with a severe infection and is over 20kgs. Nevertheless, Azithromycin is only taken once every day over a three day period or more. The key difference is that you ought to take Azithromycin at least one hour before eating food or 2 hours after eating. Furthermore, Amoxicillin has to be ingested for about 5 days, while Azithromycin can be recommended for a time that extends to one week or more.

3. Side effects

The side effects from using Amoxicillin include vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea and a hairy tongue. Patients also experience abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Rarely, it can also cause anemia, acute nephritis and various other blood disorders. However, Azithromycin only causes gastrointestinal side effects. Patients can also suffer from cardiac arrhythmia.

4. Contraindications

Amoxicillin is usually contraindicated in instances where a patient has penicillin reaction. The disadvantage is that a patient can go into anaphylactic shock due to penicillin treatment. Meanwhile, patients with malfunctioning livers are advised against taking Azithromycin.

In short, doctors prescribe both Amoxicillin and Azithromycin for dealing with various bacterial infections. Amoxicillin has side effects that are related to both kidney and gastric system. However, Azithromycin affects the heart and gastric system.

Answered By: daniel [554 ]