What is the Amoxicillin dose for adults and kids?

• A. 2 g for adults; 50 mg/kg for kids
• B. 1 g for adults; 25 mg/kg for kids
• C. 3 g for adults; 75 mg/kg for kids
• D. 2 g for adults; 100 mg/kg for kids

Answer: (B)

Dosing amoxicillin is scaled to body size for kids while adults get a fixed amount. The standard approach uses a fixed 1 g dose for adults, while children are dosed by weight, typically 25 mg per kilogram per dose. This ensures each child gets an amount proportional to their body size to achieve similar drug exposure, whereas adults don’t vary as much in weight, so a single fixed dose works well. Higher fixed doses for adults, like 2 g or 3 g, are not routinely needed for many infections and increase risk of side effects. Similarly, pediatric doses of 50 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg per dose would be excessively high for most indications. So, 1 g for adults and 25 mg/kg for kids aligns with common dosing principles and ensures appropriate exposure across age groups.