Toddler Allergic to Penicillin....

Updated on March 25, 2011
E.N. asks from Oceanside, CA
13 answers

I am so upset...my daughter is having a horrible allergic reaction to penicillin!! She is in pain, swollen, hives, purple in some areas. She will be 3 at the end of the month and my heart is just broken. Yes, we have seen the dr and will probably do a follow up again tomorrow if they are not better. I guess i am looking for another mom who had the same thing happen and tell me-it will pass quickly?!

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

Since this is a common drug to give for things I would get her a medic alert bracelet stating her allergy.

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D.P.

answers from Dallas on

One of the girls I work with has a two year old son who recently reacted to pennicillin. It took about a week of constant benadryl dosing before the symptoms subsided. I'm so sorry you're going through this. Lots of love for your little girl!

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A.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

My girls are both allergic to penicllin. I have some of this allergy in my family history, but since it is a few generations back, I was not familiar when seeing it for the first time. My oldest got the red hives on her trunk as a toddler. Seeing her in the bath was quite a shock! She actual has experienced multiple drug allergies since then, so we are VERY careful in selecting drug treatment for her. My youngest appeared to have no drug allergies until just last year. At age 7, she hived horribly on day 7 of a a 10 day penicillin regiman. For her, the initial flare up was the worst, it subsided by the next day. However, they warned me she could have additional flare ups until the drug was totally out of her system. And she did 2-3 times. But they were not nearly as severe (just a few little itchy hives on her belly). And they passed within 1-2 hours during the school day without her needing to come home. I am fortunate their pediatrician and I are not the same page that we do not treat with antibiotics unless absoltutely necessary, and never just as a "precaution" because we do not want to eliminate more treatment options in cases of an emergency.

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

.

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G.T.

answers from Modesto on

It will be gone as soon as the pennicillan runs the course thru her system. I'm allergic too, it's a pain, I've had the entire rash before, aye yi yi. And all the other antibiotics make you gassy.....

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J.J.

answers from Toledo on

While we didn't have the reaction from Penecillin, we have been there. My 2.5 y/o daughter is peanut allergic. Every reaction has been horrifying, but I remember that first one like it was yesterday (she was 14 months old). I often re-live it. I'm assuming that since you say you've seen the doc, it happened earlier today? It will pass, though its hard to say how long it will take. Did the doc say anything about Benedryl to counteract the allergy effects? That is always our first line of defense when there is any sign of swelling or hives. Hang in there **Hugs**

J. J
www.delaniesdoggy.org

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K.S.

answers from Dayton on

I am also allergic to penicillin. I swelled up and couldn't breathe after getting it for the first time. I make sure to tell every doctor, have it written on every chart, and mention it any time someone even talks about antibiotics. My parents and husband, and most of my friends know I'm allergic in case I can't tell the doctor myself. Honestly, I need to get a med alert bracelet (though I think a tattoo would be more certain and I have considered it) I've never been given it again or even been given a prescription for it. There are lots of other antibiotics out there and I have never had a problem with getting treatment when I need one. I've had erythromycin, vancomycin, and the "z-type" drugs on several occasions. I have probably had the sulfa drugs, but I don't remember specifically. Just remember to spread the word to all of her doctors, your spouse, her siblings, any grandparents, babysitters, or day care providers. Whenever you get an antibiotic prescription, check if it ends in -cillin and insist on a different drug if it does. Tell your pharmacist when you fill a prescription for her. Just be proactive with spreading the information. I have had zero issues since my initial reaction as a child, but they made sure I and those around me knew about it.

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T.N.

answers from Albany on

Hi E., I'm allergic as well. And my daughter too. In childhood I had swelling numbness, needless to say, I haven't tried it since.

Gave it to my daughter since neither of my boys had a reaction. She was covered with hives within 8 hrs of the first dose. She's also allergic to erythromycin with the same reaction.

She's 13 now, there so many other options when they really need an antibiotic (which is not very often). Zithromax works best for her now.

Did the doc give her an antihistimine, or just wait it out?

Poor baby, hope she feels better soon!!

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T.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

I'm sorry your child is having a reaction. I am also allergic to penicillin. Honestly it hasn't effected me. I take care of our illnesses with means other than antibiotics. We use herbal remedies, homeopathy, essential oils, colloidal silver (which is a natural antibiotic that you cannot build immunity to). If there ever were a real need for antibiotics, which we haven't seen in our house in about 10 years, we would use them. But, we pretty much take care of everything ourselves. We are seldom ever sick though.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

If she gets worse, you NEED to take to the the ER.
Or I would take her already.
Not waiting until tomorrow.

L.T.

answers from New York on

If this is the first time, it shouldn't be too bad. I had hives for a few days or less when I was 5. Erythromycin is my antibiotic of choice :)

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

Penicillin puts me into shock and I almost died once. The doctor did not wish to listen to being told I was allergic and gave it to me through an IV so my reaction was severe and immediate, I had already had it once before and had broken out in hives so we knew of the allergy. My son only had 2 doses of a prescription after I asked the doctor to please not give him any because of our family history of severe allergy. With only 2 doses he began to break out in a horrible rash and got really bad diarreah. We now give none of our children penicillin, all 3 have the red bar on their chart so they won't get it. I'm not taking chances with my other 2.
I remember when I got the hives that my dr gave me some kind of steroid to take to counteract the allergic reaction. Did your doctor give your daughter anything like that?
It should pass fairly quickly. Getting better with each day it's had a chance to get out of the body.

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J.A.

answers from Nashville on

Our son is 11 months and was on Augmentin 3ml twice a day up until 3 days ago when we we noticed a rash on his belly and belt line. We called doctor immediately and she said to discontinue use of medicine because he was probably allergic to it. By the next morning when we took him in to be seen it was on his back chest and butt as well. The doctor said that they were hives and to expect them to just get worse and only call back if he started a fever or if his lips started to peel. She said to continue giving him benadryl every six hours and rub cordizone cream on affected areas to relieve itching. Well it's day 4 now and it's from head to toe, his hands feet face and almost every spot on him is covered in a hive or rash. It's started to scare me because on his stomach and side he has purple splotches and some of the hives are big and red with white circles in the middle. None were this severe when we saw the doctor and we don't want to be those parents that freak out on every little thing but we are just so worried for our little buddy and ready for this to subside. We have also been bathing him in a baby salt that we add to his bath water that the pharmicist recommended. While my wife was at pharmacist he also voiced his concern that the doctor did not prescribe an epy pen incase his throat were to swell. We called doctor back but she said there was no need for that and he would be just fine. It's just hard to sit and wait and watch your baby suffer from something that just keeps getting worse. Can anyone give me advice on this or have any of you experienced the purple spots or white circles in the hive? Thank you

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