What is Penicillin?
Category: Prescription Drugs
Most popular types: Penicillin VK Penicillin V Novo-Pen-VK Show all
Penicillins are a type of antibiotics; the major differences among the penicillins is the range of bacteria against which they are active. The broad spectrum penicillins are distinguished by their activity against gram-negative bacilli. Two broad spectrum penicllins are ampicillin, amoxicillin.
| Purpose | Patients | Evaluations | Perceived Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinus infection (sinusitis) | 117 | 12 | |
| Tonsillitis | 37 | 3 | |
| Strep throat | 13 | 1 | |
| Prevent infection | 9 | 4 | |
| Graft versus host disease | 6 | 0 |
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
Side effects
Side effects as an overall problem
| Severity | Evaluations | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 5 | |
| Moderate | 3 | |
| Mild | 7 | |
| None | 21 |
Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Penicillin
| Side effect | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Diarrhea | 4 | |
| Anaphylaxis | 2 | |
| Fatigue | 2 | |
| Nausea | 2 | |
| Chest congestion | 1 | |
| Difficulty staying asleep | 1 |
Duration
Stopped taking Penicillin
| Duration | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | 36 | |
| 1 - 6 months | 3 | |
| 6 months - 1 year | 1 | |
| 1 - 2 years | 2 | |
| 2 - 5 years | 4 | |
| 10 years or more | 1 |
What people switch to and from
Patients started taking Penicillin after stopping:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Azithromycin (Zithromax) | 1 | |
| Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) | 1 | |
| Erythromycin (Ery-Tab) | 1 |
Patients stopped taking Penicillin and switched to:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Azithromycin (Zithromax) | 1 | |
| Doxycycline (Doxylin) | 1 |
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