# 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. - Page: https://fous.com/methods/nhs.uk/get-medicine - Method: `nhs.uk/get_medicine`, version 1 - Website: nhs.uk - Returns: medicine name, brand names, uses, key facts, suitability, dosing, side effects, pregnancy and breastfeeding, interactions, page link - Effect: read (it gets data and changes nothing) - Sign-in: none needed - Cost: 1 credit per completed run (1¢ with pay as you go); failed runs are free - Verified: Nov 2, 2026 ## Inputs | Field | Type | Required | In the run below | Description | |---|---|---|---|---| | `medicine` | string | yes | `"amoxicillin"` | Name of the medicine, such as sertraline or ibuprofen. | ## Output From a run on Oct 31, 2026, shortened. Its input: ```json { "medicine": "amoxicillin" } ``` Its output: ```json { "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…" } ``` ## Run it From code, with a Fous API key in `FOUS_API_KEY`; the answer's `data` holds the output: ```bash 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"}}' ``` From an AI agent connected to the Fous MCP server: its `run` with the same method and input. To connect one, give it `set up https://fous.com/SKILL.md`. ## 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. ## Input schema ```json { "type": "object", "required": [ "medicine" ], "properties": { "medicine": { "type": "string", "minLength": 1, "description": "Name of the medicine, such as sertraline or ibuprofen." } } } ``` ## Output schema ```json { "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 } ``` ## See more - [NHS API: Get guidance for a health condition](https://fous.com/methods/nhs.uk/get-condition.md): Gets 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 API: Search nearby services](https://fous.com/methods/nhs.uk/search-nearby-services.md): Find 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. - [Drugs.com API: Get drug overview](https://fous.com/methods/drugs.com/get-drug.md): Looks 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. - [FDA API: Get drug label](https://fous.com/methods/open.fda.gov/get-drug-label.md): Finds the latest FDA drug label for a brand or generic medicine and returns its uses, directions, warnings, ingredients and a DailyMed link. - [WebMD API: Get condition guide](https://fous.com/methods/webmd.com/get-condition.md): Finds 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. - [Drugs.com API: Check drug interactions](https://fous.com/methods/drugs.com/check-drug-interactions.md): Checks 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 API: Get drug prices](https://fous.com/methods/drugs.com/get-drug-prices.md): Gets 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. - [MedlinePlus API: Get health topic](https://fous.com/methods/medlineplus.gov/get-health-topic.md): Looks 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. - [All NHS methods](https://fous.com/methods/nhs.uk.md)