Can You Take Amoxicillin While Pregnant?

Unfortunately, your body doesn’t stop getting sick when you’re pregnant.

Bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), bronchitis, pneumonia, or skin, throat, and ear infections, could still pay you an unwelcome visit while you’re growing your little one.

So how can you treat these sorts of infections?

Can you take amoxicillin while you’re pregnant, for example?

It’s important that you’re careful about which antibiotic you take while you’re pregnant.

While some are totally safe — like amoxicillin — others could be harmful to your baby. Speak to your doctor to find out which one is best for you.

In this article: 📝

What is amoxicillin?

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic that’s part of the penicillin family. [1]

It works by preventing the harmful bacteria in your body from growing.

If you’re allergic to penicillin, then amoxicillin is not the antibiotic for you.

But don’t panic, there are other options that you can use.

Is amoxicillin safe in pregnancy?

Yup. The FDA has labeled amoxicillin a pregnancy category B drug. [2]

That means that it’s safe to use while you’re pregnant. You can use it at any point during your pregnancy.

There are a few other antibiotics that are safe to take when you’re pregnant, such as clindamycin and erythromycin. [3]

Other drugs, like ampicillin or penicillin, are in the same class as amoxicillin and are also safe.

Can amoxicillin affect your baby while you’re pregnant?

Nope! Good news here.

Amoxicillin is safe for both you and your baby.

In fact, it’s more dangerous if your bacterial infection is left untreated and passes through the placenta to your baby.

This can cause quite serious complications, from pregnancy loss to birth defects.

Rather, get your infection sorted out pronto.

How much amoxicillin can a pregnant woman take?

Take this antibiotic exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

For mild to moderate infections, adults generally take 500 mg of amoxicillin. Dosing changes depending on which country you live in but will generally be prescribed as one of the following:

• Every 12 hours for 10 to 14 days (US) [4]
• 3 times per day for 5-7 days (UK) [5]

For severe infections:

• Take 875 mg every 12 hours for ten to fourteen days (US)
• Take 1000mg 3 times per day for 5-7 days (UK)

Your medical provider may prescribe lower doses of the above if you have kidney issues.

What should you know about taking amoxicillin while pregnant?

While some antibiotics are safe to take during pregnancy, others aren’t.

Drugs like azithromycin (Z pack), Ciprofloxacin, and Bactrim (which is often used for respiratory illnesses and UTIs) might be linked to pregnancy loss. [6,7,8]

The risk is low, but it’s better to use a different kind of antibiotic, just to be safe.

If you need to take an antibiotic while you’re pregnant, don’t self-medicate.

Rather, chat with your doctor.

They’ll be able to advise you which one is best for you.

Like other drugs, there are a few possible side effects you might experience when you take amoxicillin.

The most common is vomiting and diarrhea, which can usually be avoided if you take amoxicillin with food and a big glass of water.

Severe reactions include bloody or watery diarrhea, bleeding or bruising, fatigue, seizures, or yellowing of the skin or the white of your eyes. Call your doctor straight away if you experience any of these symptoms.

Also, be sure to chat to your doctor about other medications you’re on before you start taking amoxicillin or other antibiotics. This will help you to avoid any nasty interactions.

How long can you take amoxicillin while pregnant?

A course of amoxicillin lasts between ten and fourteen days.

You should always take the full dose of any antibiotic, including amoxicillin.

It might be tempting to stop taking it if you start feeling better, which should happen within a few days, but this isn’t a good idea.

Always complete the full course. If you don’t, your infection might come back, or your body may develop a resistance to amoxicillin.

This could mean that it won’t work again in the future.

Get better soon, mama!