Augmentin Side Effects

Augmentin is a drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria, such as sinusitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, urinary tract infections and skin infections. Augmentin also helps in the reduction of drug-resistant bacteria and in maintaining the effectiveness of amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. However, there several augmentin side effects, which are listed below.

Common and Frequent Side Effects
The common and frequent side effects of augmentin include:

• Diarrhea or Loose Stools: Diarrhea is a condition in which the patient suffers from frequent loose or liquid bowel movements. There is a significant loss of fluids from the body of the patient, which can cause severe dehydration. Besides water, large amounts of important salts, electrolytes, and other nutrients are also lost from the body, which results in a feeling of utter weakness and inability to do any kind of work. Diarrhea is the most common side effect of augmentin and around 9% of the patients on this drug suffer from it.
• Vomiting: Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of the stomach through the mouth. In some cases, patients may vomit from the nose also. As vomiting can be caused by gastritis, food poisoning, brain tumors, or elevated intracranial pressure, one should consult a doctor before considering it as a side effect of augmentin, to eliminate other possible causes. This side effect can be easily controlled with the help of a doctor. Vomiting should not be confused with regurgitation, which is the return of undigested food back up the esophagus to the mouth. Vomiting and regurgitation have generally different causes. Approximately 1% of patients on augmentin, suffer from frequent vomiting.
• Nausea: Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach, which makes the person feel that he is about to vomit. Antiemetics are sometimes necessary to suppress nausea and vomiting and in severe cases where dehydration develops, intravenous fluid may need to be administered to replace fluid volume. Up to 3% of the patients on augmentin drug suffer from nausea.

Infrequent Side Effects
The infrequent or rare side effects of augmentin are:

• Liver Damage: Very rarely does the consumption of augmentin result in symptoms of liver damage. These symptoms can vary from yellow eyes or skin (jaundice) and upper-right abdominal pain, to dark colored urine. The symptoms may occur because of the adverse effects of the augmentin drug on the liver.
• Vaginal yeast infection: The vaginal yeast infection can be caused by the medication of augmentin, but again the chances are very rare. A female suffering from vaginal yeast infection may feel symptoms like vaginal itch or soreness, thick and white discharge and pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse. A doctor should immediately be consulted on occurrence of these symptoms.
• Allergic Reaction: A person consuming augmentin can also show side effects such as skin rashes, hives, itching, unexplained swelling, wheezing, and difficulty in breathing or swallowing. However, these side effects are also very rare.

The side effects mentioned above should be taken seriously, if the problem persists for more than two or three days, and a doctor should be consulted immediately.