• See Also
  1. Natural Penicillin
  2. Penicillin
  • Indications
  1. Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis
  2. Rheumatic Fever Prophylaxis
  3. Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis (ANUG or Vincent's Stomatitis)
  4. Anthrax
  5. Asplenia Infection Prophylaxis (includes children with Sickle Cell Anemia)
  • Contraindications
  1. Penicillin Allergy
  • Mechanism
  1. See Penicillin
  2. See Natural Penicillin for activity spectrum
  3. Penicillin VK (Potassium salt of Penicillin V) is the typical Penicillin V formulation in U.S.
  • Medications
  1. Penicillin VK Tablets: 250 and 500 mg
  2. Penicillin VK Oral solution 125 mg/5 ml and 250 mg/5ml
    1. May keep up to 14 days in refrigerator
    2. Solutios horrible taste is typically not tolerated by children
  • Dosing
  1. See Anthrax
  2. Typical Dose
    1. Adult (age>12 years): 250 to 500 mg orally 4 times daily
    2. Child (age <12 years): 25 to 50 mg/kg/day divided 3 to 4 times daily
  3. Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis
    1. Adult: 500 mg orally 2 to 3 times daily for 10 days
    2. Child weight <27 kg: 250 mg orally 2 to 3 times daily for 10 days
    3. Child weight >27 kg: 500 mg orally 2 to 3 times daily for 10 days
  4. Rheumatic Fever Prophylaxis
    1. Adult or Child: 250 mg orally twice daily
  5. Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis (ANUG or Vincent's Stomatitis)
    1. Adult: 250 mg orally every 4 to 6 hours
  6. Asplenia Infection Prophylaxis
    1. Indicated in children with Sickle Cell Anemia up to age 5 years
    2. Child age <3 years: 125 mg orally twice daily
    3. Child age 3 to 5 years: 250 mg orally twice daily
  • Adverse Effects
  1. See Penicillin
  • Safety
  1. Considered safe in pregnancy (Pregnancy Category B)
  2. Considered safe in Lactation
  • Resources
  1. Penicillin V (DailyMed)
    1. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=3111ca84-6f8e-45ea-91a1-9cb99c63607e
  • References
  1. Olson (2020) Clinical Pharmacology, Medmaster Miami, p. 104-7
  2. Hamilton (2020) Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia
  3. Bush (2016) Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 6(8):a025247 +PMID: 27329032 [PubMed]
  4. Miller (2002) J Midwifery Womens Health 47(6):426-34 +PMID: 12484664 [PubMed]