PENICILLIN VK TABLET 250MG

Penicillin VK Tablet Indications:

For use in the treatment of mild to moderately severe infections caused by penicillin sensitive organisms.

Penicillin VK Tablet Dosage and Administration:

Posology

Adults: The dosage is 250-500 mg every six hours.

Elderly: The dosage is as for adults. The dosage should be reduced if renal function is markedly impaired.

Prophylactic Use: The dosage is 250 mg daily for long term prophylaxis of rheumatic fever.

Paediatric population

Children 1-5 years: 125 mg every six hours

6-12 years: 250 mg every six hours

To avoid late complications (rheumatic fever), infections with β-haemolytic streptococci should be treated for 10 days.

The treatment of acute otitis media with penicillin VK should be limited to 5 days. However, 5-10 days treatment may be recommended in patients with potential for complications.

Method of administration

Penicillin VK Tablets 250 mg/Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250 mg Film-Coated Tablets are for oral use.

Each tablet should be swallowed whole with water, at least 30 minutes before food, as ingestion of phenoxymethyl penicillin with meals slightly reduces the absorption of the drug.

Penicillin VK Tablet Precautions & Warning:

Phenoxymethyl penicillin should be given with caution to patients with a history of allergy, especially to other drugs. Phenoxymethyl penicillin should also be given cautiously to cephalosporin-sensitive patients, as there is some evidence of partial cross-allergenicity between the cephalosporins and penicillins. Patients have had severe reactions (including anaphylaxis) to both drugs. If the patient experiences an allergic reaction phenoxymethylpenicillin should be discontinued and treatment with the appropriate agents initiated (e.g. adrenaline and other pressor amines, antihistamines and other corticosteroids).

Particular caution should be exercised in prescribing phenoxymethylpenicillin to patients with an allergic diathesis or with bronchial asthma

Oral penicillins are not indicated in patients with severe illness or with a gastrointestinal disease that causes persistent nausea, vomiting gastric dilation, cardiospasm, intestinal hypermotility or diarrhoea because absorption may be reduced. Occasionally, patients do not absorb therapeutic amounts of orally administered penicillin.

Streptococcal infections should be treated for a minimum of 10 days and post-therapy cultures should be performed to confirm the eradication of the organisms.

In patients undergoing long-term phenoxymethyl penicillin treatment the complete and differential blood count, as well as the liver and kidney function, should be monitored.

During long-term treatment attention should also be paid to the potential overgrowth of resistant organisms including Pseudomonas or Candida. If super-infection occurs, appropriate measures should be taken.

Caution should be used when treating patients with a history of antibiotic-associated colitis.

Each tablet of Penicillin VK Tablets 250 mg/Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250 mg Film-Coated Tablets contains 28 mg of potassium, which may be harmful to people on low potassium diets and may cause stomach upset, diarrhoea and hyperkalaemia. High doses should be used with caution in patients receiving potassium-containing drugs or potassium sparing-diuretics.

In renal impairment the safe dosage may be lower than usually recommended.

Penicillin VK Tablet Contra-indications:

Phenoxymethyl penicillin is contraindicated in patients with known penicillin hypersensitivity.

Attention should be paid to possible cross-sensitivity with other beta-lactam antibiotics e.g. cephalosporins. Severe acute infections should not be treated with phenoxymethylpenicillin.

Penicillin VK Tablet Storage instructions:

Do not store above 25 ℃, and store in the original packaging.