NHS API: Get medicine guidance
Looks up a medicine in the NHS medicines A to Z and returns its guidance: uses, key facts, who can take it, how to take it, side effects, pregnancy and interactions. Sections absent from NHS guidance are null; a plain name with separate adult and child pages selects the adult page.
Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NHS.
Inputs
Values from the run on Oct 31, 2026, shown under Output.
- Medicine, required
medicine Name of the medicine, such as sertraline or ibuprofen.
amoxicillin
Input as JSON
{ "medicine": "amoxicillin"}Output
{ "key_facts": "You, or your child, will usually take amoxicillin 3 times a day to treat an infection\nFor most infections, you'll start to feel better in a few days.\nThe most common side effects of amoxicillin are feeling sick (nausea) and diarrhoea.\nYou can drink alcohol while taking amoxicillin.\nSome people who t…", "page_link": "https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/amoxicillin/" , "brand_names": null, "medicine_name": "Amoxicillin", "what_it_is_for": "Amoxicillin is a type of penicillin antibiotic.\nIt's used to treat bacterial infections, such as chest infections (including pneumonia) and dental abscesses. It can also be used together with other antibiotics and medicines to treat stomach ulcers.\nIt's often prescribed for children to treat ear inf…", "common_side_effects": "These common side effects of amoxicillin can happen in up to 1 in 10 people who take the medicine. There are things you can do to help cope with them:\nSkin rash\nIf you get a skin rash, it may help to take an antihistamine which you can buy from a pharmacy. Check with the pharmacist to see what type …", "serious_side_effects": "Serious side effects are rare by may occasionally happen.\nStop taking amoxicillin capsules and call a doctor or call 111 now if you get:\ndiarrhoea (possibly with stomach cramps) that contains blood or mucus or severe diarrhoea\npale poo and dark pee, and the whites of your eyes or your skin turn yell…", "how_and_when_to_take_it": "Dosage and strength\nThe usual dose of amoxicillin capsules is 250mg to 500mg, taken 3 times a day. The dose may be lower for children.\nAmoxicillin liquid is available in 2 strengths containing either 125mg in 5ml or 250mg in 5ml.\nHow to take it\nTry to space your doses evenly throughout the day. If y…", "who_can_and_cannot_take_it": "Most adults and children can take amoxicillin.\nAmoxicillin is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell a doctor before starting to take it if you:\nhave ever had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin or penicillin or any other medicine\nhave liver or kidney problems\nare due to …", "pregnancy_and_breastfeeding": "It is safe to take amoxicillin during pregnancy. Check with a pharmacist or doctor before taking it.\nIt's OK to take amoxicillin while breastfeeding because only tiny amounts of it get into breast milk. A few babies have had mild side effects, such as diarrhoea, drowsiness, or a rash, but this is ve…", "taking_with_other_medicines_and_herbal_remedies": "Some medicines affect the way amoxicillin works and increase the chances of you having side effects.\nCheck with a pharmacist or your doctor if you're taking any other medicines, including:\nmethotrexate – a medicine to treat arthritis and psoriasis\nwarfarin – a medicine to prevent blood clots\ngout me…"}Code
curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"method":"nhs.uk/get_medicine","input":{"medicine":"amoxicillin"}}' # Save as fous.py, then run: python3 fous.pyimport json, os, timefrom urllib.error import HTTPErrorfrom urllib.request import Request, urlopenAPI = "https://api.fous.com/v1/runs" KEY = os.environ["FOUS_API_KEY"]HEADERS = { "Authorization": f"Bearer {KEY}", "Content-Type": "application/json" ,}def call(url, body=None): data = json.dumps(body).encode() if body else None request = Request(url, data, HEADERS) try: with urlopen(request, timeout=120) as r: return r.status, json.load(r) except HTTPError as error: message = json.load(error)["error"]["message"] raise RuntimeError(message) from errorstatus, run = call(API, { "method": "nhs.uk/get_medicine" , "input": { "medicine": "amoxicillin" }})# 202: still going after 30 s. Ask again until it ends.while status == 202: time.sleep(2) status, run = call(f"{API}/{run['id']}")print(json.dumps(run["data"], indent=2))// Save as fous.mjs, then run: node fous.mjsconst api = "https://api.fous.com/v1/runs" ;const headers = { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.FOUS_API_KEY}`, "Content-Type": "application/json" ,};let response = await fetch(api, { method: "POST", headers, body: JSON.stringify({ "method": "nhs.uk/get_medicine" , "input": { "medicine": "amoxicillin" } }), signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),});let run = await response.json();// 202: still going after 30 s. Ask again until it ends.while (response.status === 202) { await new Promise((done) => setTimeout(done, 2_000)); response = await fetch(`${api}/${run.id}`, { headers }); run = await response.json();}if (!response.ok) throw new Error(run.error.message);console.log(run.data);# Connect your agent to Fous once, over MCP (Streamable HTTP):# https://api.fous.com/mcp# Set FOUS_API_KEY first: create a key at https://app.fous.com/keys.# Claude Codeclaude mcp add \ --scope user \ --transport http fous https://api.fous.com/mcp \ --header "Authorization: Bearer ${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY to your Fous API key}"# Codexcodex mcp add fous \ --url https://api.fous.com/mcp \ --bearer-token-env-var FOUS_API_KEY# Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline and morenpx -y add-mcp https://api.fous.com/mcp -g -n fous \ --header "Authorization: Bearer ${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY to your Fous API key}"# Then ask your agent:# "Use Fous to run nhs.uk/get_medicine# with {"medicine":"amoxicillin"}"Over HTTP, the answer’s data holds the output. A run still going after 30 seconds answers 202 with its id: ask GET /v1/runs/{id} until it ends.
Schema
Input schema
{ "type": "object", "required": [ "medicine" ], "properties": { "medicine": { "type": "string", "minLength": 1, "description": "Name of the medicine, such as sertraline or ibuprofen." } }}Output schema
{ "type": "object", "required": [ "medicine_name", "brand_names", "what_it_is_for", "key_facts", "who_can_and_cannot_take_it", "how_and_when_to_take_it", "common_side_effects", "serious_side_effects", "pregnancy_and_breastfeeding", "taking_with_other_medicines_and_herbal_remedies", "page_link" ], "properties": { "key_facts": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Key facts." }, "page_link": { "type": "string", "description": "NHS medicine page link." }, "brand_names": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Brand names." }, "medicine_name": { "type": "string", "description": "Name used on the NHS medicine page." }, "what_it_is_for": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "What it is for." }, "common_side_effects": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Common side effects." }, "serious_side_effects": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Serious side effects." }, "how_and_when_to_take_it": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "How and when to take it." }, "who_can_and_cannot_take_it": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Who can and cannot take it." }, "pregnancy_and_breastfeeding": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Pregnancy and breastfeeding." }, "taking_with_other_medicines_and_herbal_remedies": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Taking with other medicines and herbal remedies." } }, "additionalProperties": false}- Price
- 1 credit per completed run (1¢ with pay as you go); failed runs are free.
- Method
nhs.uk/get_medicine- Returns
- medicine name, brand names, uses, key facts, suitability, dosing, side effects, pregnancy and breastfeeding, interactions, page link
Use it from your agent
Give your agent this line. It reads SKILL.md, gets a Fous API key and connects the Fous MCP server. Its run then takes the method nhs.uk/get_medicine with the inputs above.
Ask your agent
- What does the NHS say about taking sertraline, including side effects and whether it's safe during pregnancy?
- Can I drink alcohol or take other painkillers while on naproxen? Need the official guidance on interactions and how to take it.
- Pull up the nhs.uk medicines page for amoxicillin: uses, who shouldn't take it, and dosing.
- Look up metformin on nhs.uk and summarise the key facts and common side effects.
- I've been prescribed omeprazole and want to know the brand names, how long it takes to work, and if it's okay while breastfeeding.
See more
All NHS methodsGets NHS guidance for a named health condition, including symptoms, when to seek help, causes, treatment and prevention. Sections not shown on NHS pages are null; for conditions with several guidance pages, the review date is the latest among the pages used.
nhs.uk/get_conditionFind nearby NHS service listings from a UK postcode or town, nearest first. NHS service search covers England; urgent_care returns A&E listings. Hours, patient availability and websites are null when not shown.
nhs.uk/search_nearby_servicesLooks up a medicine by brand or generic name on Drugs.com and returns a plain-language overview: class, uses, availability, schedule, dosage forms, side effects, and pregnancy and breastfeeding notes.
drugs.com/get_drugFinds the latest FDA drug label for a brand or generic medicine and returns its uses, directions, warnings, ingredients and a DailyMed link.
open.fda.gov/get_drug_labelFinds WebMD's main guide for a condition through a Bing search. Returns its overview and its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and when-to-call-a-doctor sections.
webmd.com/get_conditionChecks 2 to 10 medicine names together on the Drugs.com interaction checker and returns drug-to-drug interactions and food or lifestyle warnings, most severe first, plus the names it could not recognise.
drugs.com/check_drug_interactionsGets the US cash prices Drugs.com lists for a brand or generic medicine by strength, dosage form and quantity, optionally filtered. Where a range is listed the lower price is returned.
drugs.com/get_drug_pricesLooks up a MedlinePlus health topic for a condition or symptom and returns its overview, related topics, and encyclopedia sections when a matching article is linked.
medlineplus.gov/get_health_topic