Allergy Warning

• The prescribing information for Augmentin contains a partially bolded and all-in-capital letters warning about the potential for allergic reactions to the medication. Patients must stop taking Augmentin and seek immediate medical care if they get hives, notice any sudden swelling in their mouth or throat or find themselves short of breath. Treating severe allergic reactions to Augmentin requires the injection of epinephrine into the muscle, the administration of supplemental oxygen and the intravenous injection of corticosteroids.
  
  

Other Warnings

• Augmentin, like nearly every antibiotic, poses some risk for potentially fatal diarrhea cased by the uncontrolled growth of a bacterium called Clostridium difficile. Also, patients with poor liver function may not be able to take Augmentin because the medication has a small chance of causing liver damage. Last, patients should never take two 250 mg Augmentin tablets if their doctor has prescribed a single 500 mg Augmentin tablet. Substituting two smaller tablets for the larger on will give a patient a double dose of clavulanate.
  
  

More-Common Side Effects

• Clinical trials of Augmentin summarized in the medication's prescribing information revealed that nausea, diarrhea, rashes, vomiting and vaginal yeast infection were the most frequent side effects from taking Augmentin.
  
  

Rarer Side Effects

• Fewer than 1 percent of patients taking Augmentin during clinical trials reported having an increase in flatulence, headaches or abdominal pain.
  
  

Other Possible Side Effects

• While not specifically reported by Augmentin users, side effects that have occurred among patients taking closely related antibiotics include oral yeast infections, colitis, itchiness, bloody urine, anemia, decreased blood cell counts, mental confusion, anxiousness and browned or blackened teeth.
  
  

Overdose

• No patient should take more than 1,750 mg of Augmentin during a 24-hour period. Patients who have taken overdoses of Augmentin have experienced worsen common side effects, as well as hyperactivity, rash and kidney failure. Patients who take too much Augmentin should receive large amounts of extra fluid to facilitate excretion of the medication through urine and may require dialysis.
  
  

Contraindications

• Patients with an allergy to penicillin cannot take Augmentin. Nor can patients who have experienced jaundice when previously taking Augmentin.