Review of side-effects of aminopenicillins

Infection
|January 1, 1979
PubMed

Insights

Newer aminopenicillins offer improved oral therapy compared to ampicillin, with less diarrhea and similar rates of other side effects. Evidence supports switching from ampicillin to modern aminopenicillins.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Clinical Therapeutics

Background:

  • Aminopenicillins are widely used antibiotics.
  • Ampicillin, a first-generation aminopenicillin, has known side effects.
  • Modern aminopenicillins have been developed to improve efficacy and tolerability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and compare the side-effect profiles of ampicillin and newer oral aminopenicillins.
  • To evaluate the suitability of modern aminopenicillins for oral therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of nine studies involving ampicillin and bacampicillin.
  • Literature review of investigations on talampicillin, pivampicillin, bacampicillin, and amoxycillin.

Main Results:

  • Diarrhea is significantly more frequent with ampicillin compared to newer aminopenicillins.
  • Exanthema (rashes) occur with similar frequency across ampicillin and newer agents.
  • Upper gastrointestinal complaints are not more frequent with amoxycillin and bacampicillin than with ampicillin.

Conclusions:

  • Modern oral aminopenicillins demonstrate a more favorable side-effect profile than ampicillin, particularly regarding diarrhea.
  • The available evidence strongly supports transitioning from ampicillin to newer aminopenicillins for oral antibiotic treatment.

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