How Long Do Augmentin Side Effects Last? (Top voted first)

Hi all,

Firstly a disclaimer, if you have just eaten and have a soft stomach, avoid this post. You've been warned.

My dentist prescribed a two week regime of Augmentin for minor work that needs to be performed on a tooth. I finished the prescription one week ago. And I still have some odd side effects.

Before I started taking this, I had a normal energy level where I could exercise and do my work, etc. Now I have wayyyyyy too much energy and even though I start to feel drowsy at my regular time when I got to bed, I can't fall asleep until 2 -3 hours later.

The other effect I've been experiencing are dry lips. This is annoying. There is no change in saliva and my mouth is just as moist as before taking Augmentin.

Also during the last three weeks it's been as my appetite has been suppressed, but now it has returned with a vengeance where I eat more a lot. It would be equivalent to opening the flood gates on a dam.

Here's the disgusting part.

I've noticed that the color of my feces has changed from a light brown to an extremely dark brown.

Other than that I've been taking a probiotic three times a day, which I started two days ago. And eating Greek yougurt.

So I would like to know, is it common for side effects to last after taking Augmentin? How long will they last? And if you have any ideas on this, please let me know.

Thanks.

TDDMS31

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I took Augmentin 875 for 10 days. It has been 10 + days since I have stopped taking it. My stool is still loose and I have to go within minutes of eating a meal or snack. Is this normal and how long should it last?

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My ENT gave me a prescription for 10 days of Augmentin 875/125 for a sinus infection ..Because diarrhea and lost of appetite I stopped after 6 days. After 15 days of the last capsule I started feeling hunger pans not long after a big meal. First I lost weight which I'm gaining back. It's a very strange sensation...you feel your stomach full but at the same time you feel like eating all the time.. Any one felt the same ???

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I have taken Augmentin 875/125 for 7 days. The ENT thought that I had a sinus infection. I lost my appetite and I have been going to the toilette many times a day and I'm loosing weight as well as energy. Is only three days since I stopped and I don't think I will ever take it again,...Any thougts

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I've been having same problem ...I have only taken 3 rounds of augmentin and first was loss if appetite and then gas and bloating all day and then the severe diarrhea abdominal cramping. Been up for 4 hours with this. I was taking for sinus and throat infection....but not taking it any more!

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Pls I what should I do,I started taking Augmentin 1g two days ago nd am having watering stool pls is it normal so that i can continue or should i stop taking it

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I do not recommend this medicine at all. It should be banned . I took it for 5 days coz I had an infected throat. However the fever remained so I stopped it. It's been 3 days now without it , I wake up at least 7 times every night to use the toilet , and I got a weird tingling feeling in my leg. I'm completely dehydrated which keeps me dizzy and I've lost 3 kilos in the past 3 days which really sucks since I was already having trouble maintaining my weight. Hope the side effects don't last.

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For Sam - June 20, 2013. I wish I had seen your post earlier. I have just finished a 100 day course of Augmentin (625mg 3 x per day) to see if it would help my chronic back pain seeing as pain medication wasn't helping. My GP was very skeptical and warned me of awful potential side effects (c difficile in particular)...well I've survived. It wasn't easy. The first 6-8 weeks I felt terrible; bloating, pain, loose and very dark stools, and generally felt like I was dying! Luckily that became far easier although I didn't feel 'normal' throughout the whole course. I would fully recommend you take probiotics every single day throughout the 100 days. My GP suggested I start probiotics after finishing the course - I think if I'd waited until then, I'd have had a much tougher experience. The reports I've read state that people who took the 100 day trial in Denmark started seeing positive results in 3, 6 and up to 12 months after finishing the course. I'm hopeful for a good result. I'm now on day 4 of being off Augmentin and having real trouble sleeping and have a constant burning hunger in my stomach. I'm sure that's just my body trying to balance itself back out as my healthy gut flora slowly returns. This is not a course of medication to take lightly, but if you're like me - desperate for something to stop the pain and have herniated discs at the same time as gum disease - so long as you eat a very healthy diet with loads of fresh fish, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds and stay away from preservatives and junk food, you should be fine. Make sure you have a very good chat with your GP first so you know exactly what can happen and to ensure this is the right route for you to take. Wishing you all the very best.

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You don't need augmentin for back pain! Do yoga! Augmentin is a really strong antibiotic. It was proscribed for me after dental treatment and it made me so ill I nearly died! My liver impacted somewhat and my kidneys also. I got severe itching on my hands and feet. I developed jaundice. My appetite went and I lost 2 stone. I found it really difficult to eat and to build up my strength again. Eighteen months later I still have energy level issues. Circulation in my legs seems to be very bad and I get jumpy leg syndrome. Before this I was a very healthy person, I didn't take medicines and led a healthy life style. I didn't have a bacterial infection, this medicine was proscribed IN CASE I developed an infection and appears to have seriously undermined my general health. During the original phase I was hospitalised, and while I was there I heard of many problems associated with taking this drug.

So don't take it for back pain, there are many alternatives.

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I was prescribed augmentin after ten days of penicillin did not get rid of my two ear infections. Two days into the augmentin I thought things were fine, felt ok and the third morning awhile after I took one I started getting a horrible pain in my head followed by extreme nausea and vomiting. This lasted most of the day. The doctor said I was having a reaction to the augmentin. I asked why this didn't happen right away and they said it builds a potency level and if someone is going to have this kind of side effects that's when it happens at a higher potency level. It's now been two days since the start of all this, I have swollen eyes face, muscular pain/ numbing, woke this morning with pain/numbing in my left arm, the vomiting stopped the other day, still have nausea on and off and my headache is better now. I'm actually concerned and a bit scared about all this. I thought things would be getting better but new things occur..I'm going to call my doctors office this morning. They told me to take Benadryl but I can't due to an inner ear condition and it will cause dizziness...I've taken my meclizine for the nausea which helps in balance with my inner ear condition...but my I concern is all these side effects from just two days of taking the augmentin...I'm open to any advice suggestions , information that has been found out to help..thank you for your time.

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My son took 875 mg. of augmentin for a diabetic foot ulcer for about three weeks. It helped the infection, but his hands became really swollen. The doctor refused to believe the swelling was caused by augmentin-and attributed it to arthritis. He has never had arthritis! Based on my research, swollen hands are one of the side effects of this medicine. He stopped taking it, and the swelling is gradually subsiding, but slowly. This medicine should have been tested more throughly before mass distribution-I think the horrible side effects outweigh the benefits. You can have too much of a good thing.

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Yes, it is common for them to persist for awhile after you finish the antibiotic, because it is still in your body and working for awhile.

If you took it for 2 weeks, then you should probably give it at least 2 weeks for the side effects to wear off.

Learn more Augmentin details here.

If they don't, or if you start experiencing worsening symptoms, then please see a doctor immediately.

How did the dental procedure go?

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Thanks for sharing! I am having the same side effects and thought I was going nuts. Plus hoarseness. So glad that it goes away.

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I found out that I'm allergic to Augmentin via the folowing scenario:
I was told that I had a form of Psoriasis and on the off chance that it was an infection in my hands, I was given Augmentin.
I took one pill the next morning and one that evening and woke up the next day with my face all swollen.
My face was so swollen that I couldn't see out of my right eye. I went to urgent care and got a shot of something that didn't work very well, and had to come back for another shot a few days later.
When that shot didn't work either, they gave me a shot of Kenelog (sp?). That worked really well and the swelling went down over a couple of days.
Well, that was 8 or 10 months ago, and the facial swelling has recurred twice, though not as bad. I get red, wrinkled, itchy skin under both eyes and my face gets kind of puffy.
This coming Easter, it will be 2 years since the first indication of the skin condition of my hands. The latest diagnosis is "Neutrofilic Dermatosis of the Dorsal Hand". From what I've been told, there are only 60 cases of this disorder, and most of them are women. Since I am male, it is extremely rare. Cudos to my dermatologist for figuring it out.
The meds that seem to be working on my hands are as follows:
Dapsone 25 mg taken once a day and,
Prednisone 20 mg for one month only.
What started it? A spider bite on Easter 2012. The Pharmacist at CVS said I could use Aldara cream to bring the venom out of my skin. The Aldara made the small red spot MUCH worse, encompassing the entire back of my hand. As the Bible says, "Rain falls on the just and the unjust". I guess it was my turn to get "rained on".

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Right after I stopped taking augmentin, I started to have severe stomach pain, and massive flatulence...this has been going on@least three weeks after stopping this medication...I am miserable...what can I do to stop this problem...I am taking protonix, and probiotics....I saw my dr., and they can't understand why I am having tnis issue....

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No this not normal. Loose, watery stool ten days after taking Augmentin could be an indication of a serious intestinal problem commonly known as "Diff C" or "C Diff" - see Dr. if this is still occurring.

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i have been taking augmentin for two weeks now base on gram positive bacteria i was diagnosed of . i experienced diarrhea,stomach crampping,and experiencing muscle pain ,loss of appetite numbness and tingling. although i have not undergo any other test since then but the doctor told me to come for the test 4 days after my medication. i hope my bacteria has gone?

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Sam, I'm not a doctor, so I can't help you-only sympathize with your pain. If indeed augmentin minics the effects and inflammation of arthritis, I am going to see if cherry juice will ease the inflammation and swelling, as cherries have an ingredient that helps. I have my son raise his hands above his heart frequently during the day and elevate them with a pillow when sleeping, which is supposed to help with the edema in his hands. I also have him move them gently in a sink full of tepid water and flex his fingers to aid circulation. I know so many of us are frustrated with this medication-and my instincts tell me it is not the amoxicillin, but the other combined ingredient that is causing the side effects. He has been prescribed amoxicillin in the past and never had a problem.

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I was given Amox/k CLAV(aka Augmentin) 875 MG tablets for a lymph node behind my left ear. Took it for 3 days the lymph node was gone. On the 4th day I started to get watery stool and urgent trips to the bathroom. wasn't much bloating or cramping associated w/ this kind of diarrhea. This went on for about a week then followed by mucus like blood in the stool, symptoms improved a bit for a few days, but returned shortly after. Then started seeing blood in the toilet bowl and when I wiped, so went to the doc to get a couple stool tests. Tests came back negative for c.diff or white blood cells. Doc doesn't seem to think much of it and won't prescribe anything since the tests were negative.

In summary avoid this F'ing drug if your doc try to prescribe it. All he asked before he prescribed it was "are you allergic to penicillin?" How the hell was I suppose to know if I was allergic to it if I have never taken it before!!

Anyhoots, it's almost 6 wks now and am still dealing w/ the cycle of symptons. Luckily my diet is still normal and my trips to the bathroom has been no more than 2-3x per day.

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I was prescribed a week's supply of Augmentin for a belly button infection and UTI. Both issues were resolved after completing the course of antibiotics.

However, in the 10 days since finishing, I have experienced the following symptoms: muscle cramps across the upper back, a slightly lumpy swallow (on and off), and tingling/soreness/mild pain in the hands (mostly the left hand/arm). In addition I am feeling a bit more tired than usual.

I would perhaps say that the symptoms have eased a small bit over these 10 days, but they are still there. I was wondering if many others have had these symptoms, and it would be great to hear from anyone who suffered any post-course symptoms BUT recovered from them in time.

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I took Amoxicillin with Augmentin and it made me allergic to my blood pressure meds (Benicar HCT). The doctor was treating me for a skin infection from a spider bite (not a Brown Recluse nor a Black Widow). It has been over a year now, and the skin problem has lessened, but is still not gone. An outbreak starts like a mosquito bite, I either scratch it absentmindedly or in my sleep. As soon as the skin has been broken, it stops itching. The doctor prescribed Lidex (cream or ointment) which helps the site where applied, but it always seems to come back, especially on the backs of my hands. It seems like the venom is weaker, but spreading to my legs occasionally. This is the short version...Any ideas?

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Our 11 yr old (72 lbs) was prescribed Augmentin for suspected bacterial infection. He developed some of the "rare si...

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