Any advice on this rash/atbx/strep situation?

[Mermanaid]

DS, 3, was diagnosed with strep Friday AM. Ped put him on amoxicillin. It's not the first time he's been on it and everything has seemed fine before. After three total doses, I noticed this afternoon that he has a splotchy rash over his torso. It doesn't seem to have any texture nor does it seem to have any heat to it. Do you think this is a reaction to the meds or maybe a stress reaction to the strep? (I get a terrible rash in lymph areas every time I have a fever -- been doing it since I had scarlet fever years ago -- and the drs seem to attribute it to my body reacting to stress of illness.)

Thx for your help.

[pinkmomagain]

Could be a reaction to the abx. I developed an allergy later in life to penicillin (rash)...probably late teens. If it were me, I'd call the dr. Maybe he'd want to change the abx to a different one.

[designermv]

I'd keep a close eye on it. My oldest daughter developed an allergy to penicillin when she was three, despite having been on it several times starting at 18 months. The allergy manifested in the way you describe. The splotches turned to a massive hive outbreak within hours. She ended up on oral steroids, Benadryl and something else I can't remember the name of...Zantac, maybe?

Anyway...I'd call the pedi. just to be on the safe side. My DDs hives were really bad for about two weeks. :(

[Dr C]

I'd have your ped check it out. It sounds like it may be an allergy, but it really helps to look at the rash to determine that.

[Tondi G]

the rash is what tipped my ped off when DS1 had his allergic reaction to amoxicillin. It was his 2nd time on it and he first started vomiting (ped thought it might just be that the amoxi was hard on his stomach)... then it lead to the rash and his lips started turning blue and his hands were super cold.

Hope your kiddo isn't allergic but if so it's not a huge deal. You will turn to zithromax if he needs an antibiotic in the future.

[connor_mommy]

I think strep can also cause a rash. My son had strep and he had a rash over his body.

[Mermanaid]

Thanks all. We are watching it closely to see how he's feeling, if it's getting any worse, etc. So far no worse and you'd never know anything was wrong the way he's acting. DH is allergic to penicillin. Is an allergy like that genetic?

[oneplustwo]

I think strep can also cause a rash. My son had strep and he had a rash over his body.

That's true ~ strep can have a rash associated with it that usually starts on the torso. However, that rash looks very similar to the rash that you get when you have an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. Ask me how I know . . .


Thanks all. We are watching it closely to see how he's feeling, if it's getting any worse, etc. So far no worse and you'd never know anything was wrong the way he's acting. DH is allergic to penicillin. Is an allergy like that genetic?

You're doing the right thing. Keep watching it. Our whole family of 5 was on an antibiotic cocktail for strep in the fall. Three of the five of us developed a red rash that turned out to be an allergic reaction to the clindamycin we were taking. With clindamycin, the rash typically only shows up after you've been taking it for several days. In our case, I think it was between days 6 and 8. I had the rash, and it was unbearably itchy. DS got a milder rash and it never bothered him. DD got the worst rash, from her scalp to her toes, on her palms and soles, it was awful looking! It was only mildly itchy for her, thank goodness. For each of us who had the reaction, we had to stop taking the antibiotic right away, and now there's a note in our medical files saying we're allergic to this antibiotic.

[designermv]

Thanks all. We are watching it closely to see how he's feeling, if it's getting any worse, etc. So far no worse and you'd never know anything was wrong the way he's acting. DH is allergic to penicillin. Is an allergy like that genetic?
I'm not sure, but I am allergic to penicillin so I wouldn't be surprised if there is a genetic component to it. I developed an allergy to it when I was six. My daughter was 18 months or so.

My daughter has also had a strep rash, but it wasn't blotchy like her abx. reaction. It was red and sandpapery.

Hope your DS is doing well today!