AMOXICILLIN
Antibiotic for the acute episode
Strength500 mg
Formoral.solid
500 mg three times daily x 10 days, which is the course the article gives for acute otitis media in adults and children alike
40-90 mg/kg/day [child max 1000 mg]
(Divided twice or three times daily; use the high end, 80 to 90 mg/kg/day, where pneumococcal resistance is likely, which is the usual assumption in a child who keeps relapsing. The 1,000 mg per day ceiling is the formulary's 500 mg per-dose limit at the twice- daily schedule.)
| 3kg | 120-270 mg/day |
|---|---|
| 4kg | 160-360 mg/day |
| 5kg | 200-450 mg/day |
| 6kg | 240-540 mg/day |
| 7kg | 280-630 mg/day |
| 8kg | 320-720 mg/day |
| 9kg | 360-810 mg/day |
| 10kg | 400-900 mg/day |
| 11kg | 440-990 mg/day |
| 12kg | 480-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 13kg | 520-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 14kg | 560-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 15kg | 600-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 16kg | 640-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 17kg | 680-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 18kg | 720-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 19kg | 760-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 20kg | 800-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 21kg | 840-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 22kg | 880-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 23kg | 920-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 24kg | 960-1000 mg/day (upper capped) |
| 25kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 26kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 27kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 28kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 29kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 30kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 31kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 32kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 33kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 34kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 35kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 36kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 37kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 38kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 39kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 40kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 41kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 42kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 43kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 44kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 45kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 46kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 47kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 48kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 49kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
| 50kg | 1000 mg/day (capped) |
Egyptian National Drug Formulary - Antimicrobial 2023 (amoxicillin monograph). The formulary caps amoxicillin at 500 mg per dose for most indications; at the twice-daily schedule this regimen uses, that is 1,000 mg in a day, which is the ceiling applied to the weight table.
The article makes high-dose oral amoxicillin the antibiotic of choice for a bacterial episode in anyone not allergic to penicillin, on the grounds of the concentration it reaches in the middle ear. Recurrence is not a reason to escalate the agent - each episode is treated as an episode, while the recurrence itself is what earns the surgical referral. The dose here is the same one the acute otitis media card carries, so the two cards cannot drift into two answers.
- Avoid in penicillin allergy. The article's alternatives there are a single 10 mg/kg dose of azithromycin, clarithromycin 15 mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses, cefdinir 14 mg/kg/day, cefpodoxime 10 mg/kg once daily or cefuroxime 30 mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses.
- PROPHYLACTIC ANTIBIOTICS ARE NO LONGER ADVISED for recurrent acute otitis media. The article says so directly, and sends the child for assessment for tympanostomy tubes instead - so a long low-dose course is the thing not to start here.
- Reassess at 48 to 72 hours if a child is not responding, which is the article's own interval for reconsidering treatment.
- Where the eardrum has perforated, the article treats with an ototopical antibiotic safe for middle ear use, such as ofloxacin drops, rather than a systemic antibiotic, because the drops reach far higher concentrations locally. The same applies to a child with functioning grommets who gets an episode, and to uncomplicated discharge from a grommet, for which it prescribes ear drops alone.
- Reduce the dose in severe renal impairment, and expect a rash if amoxicillin is given during glandular fever.
| Egyptian brand | Manufacturer | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| AMOXYCILLIN 500MG 10 CAPS B.P.2013 | ARAB DRUG COMPANY (ADCO) | 6.50 EGP (0.65/unit) |
| AMOXICILLIN 500MG 12 CAPS. USP 28 | OCTOBER PHARMA | 8.10 EGP (0.67/unit) |
| AMOXIL 500MG 12 CAPS. | MUP > SMITHKLINE BEECHAM | 9.00 EGP (0.75/unit) |
| AMOXICID 500 MG 12 CAPS. | CID | 9.50 EGP (0.79/unit) |
| E-MOX 500 MG 16 CAPS. | EIPICO | 15.60 EGP (0.97/unit) |
| HICONCIL 500MG 12 CAPS. | PHARCO | 11.60 EGP (0.97/unit) |
| BIOMOX 500MG 12 CAPS. | SEDICO | 19.50 EGP (1.62/unit) |
| IBIAMOX 500 MG 12 CAPS. | AMOUN | 45.00 EGP (3.75/unit) |
| HICILLIN 125MG/5ML SUSP. 80ML? strength differs? different route - not oral solid | EL NASR | 3.00 EGP |
| AMOXIL FORT 250MG/5ML SUSP. 60ML? strength differs? different route - not oral solid | MUP > SMITHKLINE BEECHAM | 5.50 EGP |