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Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium

Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium is a combination medicine that is used for treating various types of infections in adults and children. It is an antibiotic that works by preventing bacteria from making cell walls, which eventually causes the bacteria to die. Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium is available by prescription and comes in several different forms, including chewable tablets, tablets, and a liquid.

 

What Is Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium?

Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium (Augmentin®) is a prescription antibiotic medication. It is used to treat a variety of infections.
 
Augmentin ES-600® and Augmentin XR® are similar but slightly different products. This article applies only to regular amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium products (not ES or XR).
 
(Click What Is Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium Used For? for more information, including possible off-label uses.)
 

Who Makes Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium?

Brand-name amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium is made by GlaxoSmithKline. Generic amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium is made by several different manufacturers.
 

How Does Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium Work?

Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium (as the name implies) contains two different medications: amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium (also known as clavulanic acid or simply clavulanate). Amoxicillin belongs to a group of medications known as aminopenicillins, which is part of a larger group of medications known as beta-lactam antibiotics (named after the ring-like "lactam" structure of these antibiotics). Amoxicillin works by stopping bacteria from making cell walls, which eventually causes the bacteria to die. However, many bacteria have developed resistance to amoxicillin and similar antibiotics by producing enzymes called beta-lactamases. Beta-lactamases break the beta-lactam ring, making amoxicillin and similar antibiotics ineffective.
 
The other component of the antibiotic is known as a beta-lactamase inhibitor. Clavulanate binds to bacterial beta-lactamase and stops the enzymes from breaking down the amoxicillin molecule. Clavulanate itself has no significant antibacterial activity; it merely helps to prevent amoxicillin from being broken down by bacteria that would otherwise be resistant to it. Essentially, clavulanate "augments" the activity of amoxicillin.
 
(Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;