Amoxicillin and Penicillin

[user45876555]

Can amoxicillin and penicillin be prescribed at the same time or do they fight similar infections?

It's the same drug, they are both penicillin.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat thats what I thought my dad has been prescribed both.

Not quite, they're both penicillins, but amoxicillin is broader spectrum.

At the same time?

I would phone a pharmacist or 111

@PrincessRamone

I think so yes, amoxicillin one three times a day and penicillin one four times a day.

They are very very similar, I would imagine it's a prescribing error - as a PP said contact the pharmacist or prescriber

I am not a dr or a pharmacist but I’m a bit worried about why you’re asking this question…
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin
Wikipedia suggests that ´penicillin’ is the name for a whole group of antibiotics which includes amoxicillin.
If you’ve been prescribed both at the same time and you’re worried it’s a mistake, that’s a great question for a pharmacist. Call one first thing tomorrow.
If you’ve got some old antibiotics at home and you’re hoping you can fix whatever’s wrong with you faster by taking what you’ve been prescribed plus something else, that sounds like a seriously stupid idea.
Why are you asking anonymous people on the internet this question? You have no idea if someone replying is genuinely qualified to give medical advice (I am categorically NOT qualified).

Ah, cross posted.
def check with a pharmacist

@Alfixnm will pop round and check what the labels say and call 111. Maybe it is a course of amoxicillin followed by penicillin.

Thanks everyone

Were both prescribed by the same physician? Seems unlikely as they have a very similar spectrum, although amoxicillin has a somewhat broader spectrum and includes clavulanic acid, which counteracts betalactase (the latter can reduce the efficacy of penicillin-type antibiotics).

I'd suggest he only takes the amoxicillin until he is able to get clarification.

It's co-amoxiclav that contains clavulanic acid (beta-lactamase inhibitor that overcomes the penicillin resistance of bacteria like Staphylococcus and E coli). Amoxicillin itself is a beta-lactam antibiotic like other penicillins, cephalosporins and monobactams. They all have different spectra of activity because different bacteria express different penicillin-binding proteins, which are cell-wall-synthesising enzymes. So, while they all work in the same way, they work against different groups of bacteria.

Penicillin is effective against some forms of Streptococcus that amoxicillin isn't effective against. Without knowing what kind of infection your dad has, it's difficult to have any idea whether prescribing both drugs was intentional. It's best to ask a pharmacist.