|
|
| |
Penicillin V Potassium
Penicillin V Potassium
Pronunciation
(pen i SIL in vee poe TASS ee um)
Brand Names
Beepen-VK®; Pen.Vee® K; Veetids®
Canadian/Mexican Brand Names
Anapenil (Mexico); Apo-Pen® VK (Canada); Nadopen-V® (Canada); Novo-Pen-VK®
(Canada); Nu-Pen-VK (Canada); Pen-Vi-K (Mexico); PVF® K (Canada)
Therapeutic Categories
Antibiotic, Penicillin
What is this medicine used for?
- This medicine is used as a treatment for a variety of bacterial
infections.
How does it work?
- Penicillin makes the cell wall (skin) of the bacteria leaky and kills the
bacteria.
How is it best taken?
- To gain the most benefit, do not miss doses.
- Take with or without food. Take with food if this medicine causes an upset
stomach.
- For children 5 years of age and younger, may be best to give on an empty
stomach if possible.
- A liquid (solution) is available if you cannot swallow pills. Those who
have feeding tubes can also use the liquid. Flush the feeding tube before and
after medicine is given.
- Use entire prescription as directed, even if feeling better.
What do I do if I miss a dose?
- Take a missed dose as soon as possible.
- If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed one. Return to your
regular schedule.
- Do not take a double dose or extra doses.
What are the precautions when taking this
medicine?
- Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor). Can make infection more
difficult to treat.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are allergic to any medicine. Make sure to
tell about the allergy and how it affected you. This includes telling about
rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face,
lips, tongue, throat; or any other symptoms involved.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant.
- Birth control pills may not work. Use another form of birth control while
taking this medicine.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are breast-feeding.
What are the common side effects of this
medicine?
- Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard
candy, or chewing gum may help.
- Diarrhea. Yogurt, Bifidobacterium bifidum
, or Lactobacillus acidophilus
may help. These products are available at health food stores or in some
pharmacies.
- Rash.
- Vaginal irritation. Report itching or discharge to healthcare
provider.
What should I monitor?
- If you are diabetic, this medicine may interfere with Clinitest®. Use
another method of urine glucose testing like Clinistix® or Tes-Tape®.
- Watch for change in temperature or worsening of infection.
Reasons to call healthcare provider
immediately
- Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; tightness in
the chest; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; swelling of face,
lips, tongue, or throat.
- Fever and/or chills.
- Severe nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.
- Any rash.
- No improvement in condition or feeling worse.
How should I store this medicine?
- Refrigerate liquid (solution). Throw away if medicine is not used in 2
weeks.
- Store tablets in a tight-container at room temperature.
General statements
- Do not share your medicine with others and do not take anyone else's
medicine.
- Keep all medicine out of the reach of children and pets.
- Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, herbal/supplements,
vitamins, over-the-counter) with you. Give this list to healthcare provider
(doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physician assistant).
- Talk with healthcare provider before starting any new medicines.
Copyright © 1978-2000 Lexi-Comp Inc. All Rights Reserved
|
|
|
