What Is Ampicillin Trihydrate?

Doctors prescribe ampicillin trihydrate to adults and children to treat gastrointestinal infections, respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, and a host of other infections. This particular medication is available only in oral capsule form. Ampicillin trihydrate is in the aminopenicillin class of antibiotic medications.

To treat gastrointestinal infections and urinary tract infections in children, doctors usually prescribe between 100 and 500 milligrams of this medicine, depending on body weight. Doses are taken up to four times daily. The average adult ampicillin trihydrate dosing regimen to treat gastrointestinal infections and urinary tract infections involves taking 500 milligrams of this medication four times daily.

Treating respiratory tract infections with ampicillin trihydrate generally involves taking less of the medication than needed to treat other conditions such as gastrointestinal infections. The average dose for a child is between 50 and 250 milligrams taken three or four times daily. Doctors recommend adults take 250 milligrams of the medication four times daily to treat respiratory tract infections.

Several other infections and conditions may be treated with oral ampicillin trihydrate medications. This medication remains the drug of choice to treat listeria infections in pregnant women. It is also used as alternative treatment for typhoid fever.

Ampicillin trihydrate may also help alleviate the symptoms linked with gastroenteritis, a condition that causes inflammation of the intestines and stomach. Doctors often recommend this medication for the prevention of neonatal group B stretococcus. It should not be taken to treat staphylococcal infections or other infection where natural penicillin is more effective.

Antibacterials, such as this medication, are designed to treat bacterial infections and should not be employed to treat viral infections, such as the common cold. The duration of ampicillin therapy highly depends on the severity and type of infection. A patient’s bacteriologic and clinical responses will also help determine proper dosing. This medication is usually taken for between 48 and 72 hours after a patient has become asymptomatic.

Manufacturers design ampicillin trihydrate capsules for storage in a specific temperature range. They should be stored in airtight containers away from excessive heat. Between 59 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 30 degrees Celsius) is the optimal temperature range for storing these capsules. This medication should be administered orally either an hour before meals or about two hours after a meal and taken with a full glass of water.