My 8 month old son has had symptoms of an ear infection for about a week. I took care of him and the ear trouble at home and it seemed to go away. Then a fever came of 101.2 (rectally) with more ear pulling, not sleeping well, crying at night and a runny nose. He ate well, still drank his bottle. But the fever and symptoms persisted, so i took him to the nurse practitioner at the Pediat. Office.
His ear was inflamed and infected. She said he had an ear infection and prescribed Amoxicillin and said to give it 48 hours and if it got worse to then give the antibiotic, otherwise it would clear up on its own. A day and a half later he got worse and i began the Amox. that night. He cried inconsolably that night and had a hard time sleeping. I wondered if the med's made his tummy upset. The 2nd day he still had the fever but seemed to feel better.
Then on the 3rd day the fever was gone but he had developed a red rash in his diaper area, then it went to his stomach and back. Then to his face and scalp. He rubs his eyes alot and so i thought maybe he is allergic to the Amoxicillin. Took him to the nurse practitioner again. She said he may be allergic to the Antibiotic, so stop giving him the antibiotic and start him on Zyrtec. She said he may have Roseola if its not the allergy to the med's (since the fever broke and the rash came after) But she was unsure because the spots were not excessively prevalent and the fever never got higher the 101.2. I asked to check his ear again and his ear infection was clear.
I did think it odd that she did not give another antibiotic ...because I know that when not finished it can cause an infection to come back worse :(
Can anyone please tell me what experience you've had or what you think it may be ???
THANK U EVERYONE SO MUCH for your thoughts and advice on behalf of our little 8 mnth old monkey. I took your advice and had him seen Friday by the Pediatrician.
He said he doesn't want to make a diagnosis that he is allergic to the anitbiotics... and that it may (from the look and course of the rash) have been the viral Roseola. He has seen worse....He was leaning toward the Roseola more then the allergy. Symptoms of mild rash are common when taking antibiotics, so are diarrhea. He had a low fever of 101.2 which Roseola is more commonly high. So in this case it is extremely difficult to say which. PLUS allergic reactions to med's come in Hives not a rash (helpful looking through pictures) His ears were perfectly fine, all clear. Today is Sunday and the rash is almost all cleared up :)
We are so happy and thankful this illness is behind us. We have our happy bubbly baby back !! Again THANK YOU and we hope you all had a wonderful weekend !!!
Running a fever then it breaking will cause roseola my daughters had it a few times from fevers not by Amox.I usually treated them to a bath fresh clothes and it went away within hrs
I don't have any experiences with drug allergies, but my son had roseola when he was 4. He had a high fever for about 5 days - it would spike as high as 105. He had no other symptoms except that when the fever would spike he would become lethargic and vomit. When the fever broke, he developed a rash in his pelvic area which spread up his torso and to his arms and legs. I don't remember if he had it on his face/head.
My daughter had tons of ear infections when she was a baby. They finally put tubes in her ears and it solved the problem. As far as the rash goes it could be from when she broke the fever. Can't believe the Nurse Practioner didn't tell you that. Usually if they are allergic to the Amoxicillin they break out within just a few hours of taking it and show other symptoms also. I for one would not go to a Nurse Practioner. I did and she really messed me up. They are not doctors and are not intended to give diagnosis. They just basically are a doctors helper. They are supposed to discuss everything with the doctor before treating a patient. That is why they do not have their own offices and are in with doctors. I would take my child somewhere to see a doctor. Preferably an ENT the next time he has a ear infection.
As a pharmacist, I can tell you that it can be very difficult to distinguish what is truly an antibiotic rash in kids, since many childhood diseases have rashes as a symptom. Is anyone in the family allergic? Did the rash go away when you started the Zyrtec?
This is a reference that might help to distinguish:
http://www.mcg.edu/pediatrics/CCNotebook/chapter2/rashes.htm
As far as the treatment of ear infections, they do often resolve on their own. Our son has gotten many ear infections; most of them, he's been put on antibiotics, but at least one that was starting did go away, and I never started the antibiotics. The newer belief is that you don't have to necessarily treat them all, and it certainly is a good idea to not expose your child to lots of antibiotics if s/he doesn't truly need them. Obviously if your child is miserable and running a fever, then you want to treat. Otherwise, I would wait it out. We use too many antibiotics in this country, and there is a big problem with resistance as a result.
As far as not needing another antibiotic, she probably felt that since the ear was clear, there was no reason to continue. Not necessarily a good practice, but if the eustachian tubes in the ears are clear, then there is questionable need for more antibiotics. The reason kids get ear infections is because the tubes are not draining properly and the bacteria sit in the middle ear and multiply. Once the ear is clear, the body can often take care of things itself, hence the reason they don't always give antibiotics.
I hope he feels better!
My son had an allergic reaction to Augmentin (stronger form of Amoxicillin) and was exactly as you described. The hives started as small bumps, then changed to red circles that were purple in the center (thought it was ringworm) but they were all over his body and symmetrical on his face. He didn't have a fever with the hives, but his skin felt hot to the touch and he was extremely irritable due to the itching. He was only comfortable wearing just his diaper. They will look much worse before it goes away. FYI, this reaction was misdiagnosed by Altamonte Peds and I changed to Interlachen immediately. Interlachen diagnosed and prescribed him a prescription strength Benadryl to sooth the itching and stop the reaction.
You're completely doing the best thing by continuing the dialogue with the NP at the pediatrician's office, and she's following the protocol's very closely according to the American Academy of Pediatrics with a few exceptions.
She never should have told you to wait a few days. Our daughter has had 10 ear infections and is scheduled for her second set of tubes on Monday (others fell out causing more infections this past season). We've been at this rodeo a few times.
First infection = amoxicillin as it's a relatively mild antibiotic these days
Second infection = augmentin (more powerful)
Third infection = Omnicef = more powerful
Fourth infection = ENT consult
Amoxicillin is a common antibiotic allergy, but it would very likely have improved with the Zyrtec.
It's all together possible that a simultaneous secondary viral infection caused the roseola - both of our kids have had it.
Continue to be persistent in getting this resolved and insist on seeing the pediatrician next time if you're concerned with the NP's advice. In no way am I insinuating that she's not a good practitioner, she just has a different point of view that may be confirmed or countered by the pediatrician you normally see.
Hope he gets better soon.
What you describe does sound like he could have been running through the stages of Roseola, Since he had the fever and runny nose, fever broke and then the rash. I had a severe reaction to Amox a few years back and broke out in hives all over, not really rash like just large white hives all over. But people can have different forms of reactions. That being said I would be cautious to giving him any penicillin's for a while to avoid having a possible even worse reaction later on. Also just some information I have had great success in using ear drops to keep from getting bad ear infections and to heal pain in the ears, I have also been using it on my children for a few years and works great, you can get them at a lot of natural food stores, amongst other places. Usually contains, tea tree oil, garlic, amongst others.
My son has a penicillin allergy, diagnosed at 8 mos. He had amoxicllin 3x before it happened (repeat ear infections). The dr said an allergic reaction can happen the first time you have something, or the 100th time, so you can't judge by how many times you've had something before. It is NOT something to be taken lightly, as it can come back worse if a second/third reaction occurs, even causing anaphalactic shock. My son developed a classic penicillin rash, and it sounds just like what your son had....started on his inner thighs, then spread to his belly, armpits, neck & face. Did you by any chance take pictures of the rash at its peak? That will help you identify the rash...here's a site that shows the placement of a "classic" penicillin rash: http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/allergic-skin-reactions Hope that helps!
I work in a family pratice as a CMA (Medical Assistant ) And yes I believe he is have a reaction to the med. stop the med and call you doctor, not that he had this reaction for the future and also let your pharmacy know and so when there are times you may forget they will let you know..... I hope this helps. In all honesty I would find a different doctor. How long has this NP been working? Zyrtec is for allergies and for a reaction to meds. Roseola is not treat with zyrtec.... Your child is 8 months oldyou don't want to give him things that he or she doesn't need... Hope this helps... if anything and he is still having symptoms go to a childrens urgent care and see a doctor not a NP... hope this helps and the best of luck to you.
we went through the same thing, and my son is 8 months old as well. when the rash began, i stopped amox. and two days later he was clear again. On regards to his ears, the were still a bit infected, but it went away on its own. The fever did not return either. I hope he is feeling better!! Btw, no allergy medicines were given.
hi z. i am a mom to a three year old son, whom has always gotten ear infections with colds. i have found that with any antibiotic/ it strips the stomach of its natural (good)bacterias. with out this bacteria, it can cause diarhea/ stomach pains. (diarhea causes painful diaper rash.) i give my son "florastor". this is in a pill form that you can open up/ and maybe put in food/ or drink.) this replaces the natural stomach bacterias. (for a diaper rash, (if not an allergy,) i generously use A-D diaper rash/ diaper cream. this helps alot with diaper rash pain. although "florastor" is no longer on the market, so you might need to order it online. (thats what i recently had to do.) before you give your baby anything though, always check with the pediatrician, and they will tell you the proper dose. good luck with your precious chlid!
Hello. My 11-month daughter just went through the same thing. High fever..ear infection... then a reaction to the amoxycillan. As soon as I started the antibiotic, she had bad diarrhea and was inconsolible. The dr. said to give her yogurt with the antibiotic,but that did not help. When she developed a rash on her torso, I wondered the same thing - allergic reaction or roseola (my son had this twice, so I knew what it was)? I brought her to the dr.'s and he was able to tell right away that it was an allergic reaction. He prescribed Omnicef and she handled that much better.
That was my recent experience. The NP should have asked for a 2nd opinion if she was unsure about the rash. I hope your baby feels better. It is definitely no fun when they are hurting...
www.naet.com you will be surprised
I'm going for Roseola. He is the perfect age and I believe that an allergic reaction would not come on so quickly. It takes a while for an oral antibiotic to get into the system. Have his blood titers checked for Roseola to see if he did indeed have it.
Amoxicillin/penicillin allergies can be life threatening. Moreover, if your son was only on the antibiotic three days, the fact that his ears were clear when re-checked doesn't matter- that's enough time to set him up for a really bad rebound infection and Zyrtec will have no impact on that. In my experience (and both of my kids had chronic ear infections), he should have been given a second antibiotic to adequately treat his ear infection. I love a good nurse practitioner, but you need to see a pediatrician about this- in fact, most nurse practitioners recommend a follow-up visit to the doctor's pediatrician within 72 hours of treatment anyway, if the child is still symptomatic or otherwise shows any complications. Antibiotic allergies are nothing to mess around with, and neither are childhood ear infections. If you don't treat them, you risk speech delays and even permanent hearing loss in your child. In the future, please keep in mind that there is really no reason to wait a week to take a child with an ear infection in to see a doctor, especially if you have a child who may be allergic to the preferred antibiotics b/c the second-choice antibiotics may have to be cycled for effective treatment. I made that mistake with my older child, wondering if it was an ear infection, thinking maybe it was teething, managing pain at home. Why? That only tortures you and the child. I learned to take her to the doctor at the first sign of an ear infection and save both of us considerable pain and frustration. You may even want to ask your pediatrician for a recommendation for a good pediatric ENT. Because my daughter has a penicillin/amoxycillin allergy, we went to an ENT to deal with those issues, and, once the specialist was involved, got a course of treatment that really helped limit occurrences.
Did they test him for strep? Strep can cause a Scarlet Fever rash. My son had a virul induced allergic reaction to amox at age 5 - body covered in a rash that looked like flat mosquito bites. His lips swelled up and became chapped. They tested him for everything, mono, phneumonia, strep and basically by process of elmination came back with it was an allergic reaction to the amox. caused by the way the immune system was already reacting to the specific virus. He had never been allergic to it prior, but now they suggest he not take it. They probably won't give you another antibiotic because his little system is already trying to detox the amox (if he was in fact allergic to it). They told me it had to just run it's course, but THINGS TO WATCH FOR were spots on the eyes, super high fever obviously, and if any of the spots start to ooze or look like open wounds. In severe cases, the spots can turn into blisters kinds like a burn - very bad. Can they test for the Roseola? Also, have him tested for strep just to make sure. You don't want to have to "assume" for the rest of his life that he is allergic to amox if in fact it were something else.
