Clavulanic Acid

1 medicine

Clavulanic acid is combined with amoxicillin (co-amoxiclav) to overcome bacteria that would otherwise resist the antibiotic. The combination can cause liver injury, more often in men over 65, sometimes appearing weeks after the course ends.

Advent DT

Amoxicillin, Clavulanic acid

400/57mg

Advent DT is a antibiotics medication containing Amoxicillin + Clavulanic acid, available as 400/57mg tablets.

from $2.13 / tablet View

Key facts

  • Clavulanic acid is not an antibiotic itself. It is paired with amoxicillin so the combination keeps working against bacteria that would otherwise destroy amoxiclav alone.
  • Courses typically run 5 to 14 days depending on the infection, taken at the start of a meal to reduce stomach upset.
  • Liver injury, cholestatic jaundice, is linked more to the clavulanic acid component than to amoxicillin alone. It is more common in men over 65 and can appear even after you finish the course.
  • Seek urgent care for yellowing skin or eyes, severe abdominal pain, or facial swelling with difficulty breathing.

What clavulanic acid treats

Combined with amoxicillin, clavulanic acid treats sinus infections, middle-ear infections, community-acquired pneumonia, urinary-tract infections, skin and soft-tissue infections, and dental infections caused by bacteria that produce beta-lactamase enzymes.

How clavulanic acid works

Some bacteria produce beta-lactamase enzymes that break down amoxicillin before it can work. Clavulanic acid binds to and disables those enzymes, protecting amoxicillin so it can keep attacking the bacterial cell wall.

Before you take it

  • Do not take it if you have had a serious allergic reaction to any penicillin antibiotic, or if a previous course of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid caused liver problems or jaundice.
  • Tell your prescriber about kidney impairment, since the dose may need adjusting, and about a history of glandular fever, which raises the chance of a non-allergic rash with amoxicillin.
  • Discuss use in pregnancy and breastfeeding with your prescriber; it is commonly used but the decision should account for your health history.

Side effects

Common effects include diarrhoea, nausea, and a mild skin rash.

Stop and seek urgent medical care for any of these:

  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, or pale stools.
  • A severe rash with blistering or peeling skin.
  • Persistent vomiting or worsening abdominal pain.
  • Swelling of the face, lips or throat, or difficulty breathing.

Safety essentials

  • Watch for yellowing skin or eyes, dark urine or unusual tiredness for several weeks after finishing the course, since clavulanic acid-linked liver injury can start after treatment ends, and get medical help right away if it does.
  • Never take this combination if you have a known penicillin allergy; the reaction can be severe.
  • Finish the full course even if symptoms improve early, so the infection clears and resistant bacteria are not left behind.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.