Would I Still Be Contagious After Taking Amox-Clav 875-125 For 7 Days?

Posted on Wed, 16 May 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 15 May 2018 Answered on

Tue, 7 Nov 2023 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been taking Amox-Clav 875-125 for 7 days. Am I still contagious?

Answered by Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh (-5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Most likely no longer contagious

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,

If your upper respiratory infection was bacterial and it was susceptible to Augmentin which is Amoxacillin/Clavulanate (and most upper respiratory bacteria are susceptible to this) then you are no longer contagious. For strep throat, for example, we say that a person is no longer contagious after they have been on penicillin for 24 hours.

Viral infections are not susceptible to antibiotics, but with most upper respiratory viral infections, the viral shedding period is in the first few days. Influenza virus can be shed even at 10 days, but most of it is over in the first few days.

So - unless you have a fever and/or are coughing up or blowing out a lot of secretions, I would say you are no longer contagious.

Please let me know if I can provide further information or clarification.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar