May 2013 Moms
mommatotwo2
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Allergic Reaction to Amoxicillan (long)
mommatotwo2
member
It has been a really tough month. Three weeks ago we took LO in to the pedi because she had a pretty bad cold. At that point, her ears and everything looked good, so they just sent us home with your typical advice for a cold. 10ish days later, she was getting worse and worse, so we took her back in and now she had an ear infection. So they put her on amoxicillan. This was her second time on the med. On day eight of the course, she woke up screaming at 5 am and when I took her sleeper off to change her diaper, she was covered in hives on her belly and upper legs. I called the on call line for our pediatricians office and the nurse told us that it sounded like a non-allergic rash from amoxicillin, and that 10 percent of kids have this happen, that it's not harmful, and that it would be safe to continue the med and to send her to daycare, that it wasn't anything contagious or anything that would cause her discomfort. This felt like the wrong thing to do, but I trusted her advice. I called daycare and explained what was going on, before I dropped off my rashy baby with no warning. At 830, the pedi's office called and said that they felt she should be seen. They even asked us to knock on the back door and come in that way, in case she had something contagious. So, at this point, I'm starting to get panicky, because we've gone from "no big deal, just a non-harmful rash" to "we're so concerned about what your kid might have, we don't want you to bring her around other kids.". So I go and pick her up from daycare and bring her in. By now, the rash has spread to her entire body.
The doctor took one look at her and told us it was an allergic reaction to the amoxicillan. She said that she is now considered allergic to all penicillin medications. She said to stop the med (thanks first on call nurse for advising us to push more allergen down by kids throat), and that no treatment was necessary, that it would go away in 5-7 days. We went home and she was pretty miserable for the rest of the day. The next morning she woke up crying again and the hives were way, way worse. I paged the on call again and this time I demanded to have the actual pedi paged. He told us to give her benedryl, which we started right away and have been giving around the clock since. All day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, she looked pretty awful. Yesterday, she finally started looking better, and today, 90% of the hives are gone, with just some very light ones here and there.
My heart has been breaking for her this whole time and I'm frustrated with the pediatricians on call line giving us bad advice, and then the first pediatrician telling us she didn't need any treatment. I'm so thankful that she is finally getting better. I was surprised that this reaction happened on day 8 of her SECOND course of antibiotics in 3 months, but the doctor explained that's how it works, that the body starts becoming more and more reactive each time it's exposed to an allergen.
Thanks for listening.
The doctor took one look at her and told us it was an allergic reaction to the amoxicillan. She said that she is now considered allergic to all penicillin medications. She said to stop the med (thanks first on call nurse for advising us to push more allergen down by kids throat), and that no treatment was necessary, that it would go away in 5-7 days. We went home and she was pretty miserable for the rest of the day. The next morning she woke up crying again and the hives were way, way worse. I paged the on call again and this time I demanded to have the actual pedi paged. He told us to give her benedryl, which we started right away and have been giving around the clock since. All day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, she looked pretty awful. Yesterday, she finally started looking better, and today, 90% of the hives are gone, with just some very light ones here and there.
My heart has been breaking for her this whole time and I'm frustrated with the pediatricians on call line giving us bad advice, and then the first pediatrician telling us she didn't need any treatment. I'm so thankful that she is finally getting better. I was surprised that this reaction happened on day 8 of her SECOND course of antibiotics in 3 months, but the doctor explained that's how it works, that the body starts becoming more and more reactive each time it's exposed to an allergen.
Thanks for listening.
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Re: Allergic Reaction to Amoxicillan (long)
@KatieCGC, we were actually given a list of things to watch for, and joint pain/stiffness was one of them. They said since she is too little to tell us, that we just needed to watch her for signs, like her not wanting to crawl, etc. Thankfully that has not happened. I guess if that happens, or any of the other things, like a high fever, bloodshot eyes, vomiting, etc, than it can be "serum sickness", which is something even more severe. They did mention to us that if the hives didn't go away within a week or so, that we'd talk steroids.
@nbatchen, I feel like such a jerk for trusting that nurse. I never should have. But, it was 5 am and I was really calling for advice on what to do, go to the ER? call 911? give benedryl? When she acted like it was no big thing, I was too busy being relieved that she wasn't in danger, that I didn't even stop to think that her advice was ridiculous. I will never forgive myself
@Oohgurl, I hope that Jack isn't allergic and that maybe his was just the "non-allergic" rash that our nurse was trying to describe. I hate that they just dismiss things as no big deal. These are BABIES!
TTC #2:
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I'm sorry your LO had to go through that. I'm glad she's getting better.
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My cillin reaction is actually more severe as not only did I have hives but my entire body swelled up. My face looked like a Cabbage Patch Doll..it was awful. Anyways I always have Benadryl on hand for both of us in case of another allergic reaction. Once you have one issue to antibiotics it can happen with others or other meds. The reaction can be hives, swelling, or wheezing.
It's been a long day at work as a result, but after what she's been through...she can have anything she wants!
I'm so sorry that happened to your LO. I found out I was allergic to Amoxicillin a few years ago the same way. I had strep throat for the second time in my life. I was fine the first time I took it for strep throat but the second time I had that reaction well into the medicine cycle. The hives also got worse before they got better. That stinks the nurse on call said the keep giving the medicine and then to find out you need to stop and come in instead. Hope your LO feels better soon!