Children under Amoxicillin or Augmentin may develop a rash on their skin at some point when they are on the course of the medications. While the rash may look like a kind of allergy reaction, sometimes it may not be an allergy but a non-allergic rash mostly occurring from a virus attack. So, if your child has been on an antibiotic like Amoxicillin and they get a rash while still having the medication, you may want to know what it is and how to respond to the situation. A doctor will recommend that unless you can differentiate the rash from an allergy reaction to the medication, you want to stop it until the child is examined. For non allergy Amoxicillin rash, you may still continue giving the baby the antibiotic.
Most antibiotic medications cause a rash which manifests as a side effect. Amoxicillin is an antibiotic drug that tends to cause a rash more frequently when compared to other types of antibiotics. Drugs belonging to the penicillin class such as Amoxicillin and Ampicillin happen to be sensitive in people who take them. It is estimated that about 10 percent of persons taking penicillin report being allergic to the medications. However, the percent may still be quite high. Sometimes, people mistakenly believe that they have developed an allergy reaction to penicillin, even when it is not the case. A rash is a frequent reaction in people who take penicillin.
What does Amoxicillin Rash Look Like
Generally speaking, when a person takes Amoxicillin, they may develop one of the two common rashes. One type of the rash is an allergy and the other type is a non-allergic reaction. The most prevalent rash of the two is the one that is as a result of an allergy.
Hives: A child may develop hives that manifest in form of raised, itchy, whitish or reddish bumps forming on the skin. These bumps appear after taking one or two doses of Amoxicillin and when that happens, the child may be having an allergic reaction to penicillin. If your child has a bacterial infection and they have been prescribed Amoxicillin, and during the course of taking the drug they develop hives, you need to call the doctor.
The allergy reaction may get worse, so you want to make sure that your child does not get complications from the drug. Until you have called the doctor and explained the concern, you should not give the child another dose of the drug. If the child is experiencing difficulty breathing, or showing signs of swelling, they may need to get to the emergency room.
Maculopapular rash: With this rash, it looks quite different from the hives and appears later in time than do appear hives. The maculopapular rash presents in form of flat, red patches forming on the skin. An individual may have smaller, paler patches accompanying the red patches. This rash will develop between three and 10 days following the start of Amoxicillin.
That said, an Amoxicillin rash can actually develop anytime within the course of taking the antibiotic. It mostly forms on the abdomen, chest, or back and is usually seen on the legs, arms, and face.
Causes
Doctor agree that hives forming after taking Amoxicillin are as a result of an allergic reaction, but on the other hand, they do not understand what exactly causes the other type of rash – maculopapular rash to form. When a child has a skin rash that does not present with hives and other symptoms, it may not be an allergic reaction. The child may just be having a slight reaction to the medication without it being a true allergy.
Girls tend to develop a skin rash than boys when they take Amoxicillin. Kids who are said to be mononucleosis or mono and they have antibiotics, they are more likely to have a rash. The Amoxicillin rash was noticed first in the 1960s among children who were being treated for mono using ampicillin, as the Journal of Pediatrics says. The rash was said to have formed in almost every kid – with 80 to 100% of cases being reported in children who had treatment using the medication.
Because today, not many children get treatment for mono by taking Amoxicillin due to its ineffectiveness in offering treatment for the same, the cases for rashes are fewer. Mono is actually a viral illness and sometimes, an antibiotic which is meant to treat bacterial infection may not be administered. However, where a child gets Amoxicillin when they have acute mono, they may develop a rash.
How Dangerous is Amoxicillin Rash?
While Amoxicillin rash may not be dangerous in itself, if an allergy is triggering the rash, then the allergy may be perceived as dangerous to the child. Allergy reactions may worsen over time if a person continues to be exposed to the allergen. A child who has allergic reaction to Amoxicillin may develop anaphylactic reaction which may cause life-threatening complications like stopping breathing.
Amoxicillin Rash Pictures
Amoxicillin Rash Treatment
An Amoxicillin rash like hives that develops in a child may be treated using OTC medication like Benadryl. There are dosing instructions when using this drug to counter the reaction. If it is a case of hives, you should not give the child any more antibiotics before a doctor examines the child. If it is a different rash than hives, you can use Benadryl if there is severe itching accompanying the rash. Again, you should make sure that a doctor sees the child before you continue giving the antibiotic so that the healthcare provider rules out the chances of having an allergic reaction. What you need to know is that rashes can be very confusing.
Developing a rash could mean nothing but it could still mean that a child has an allergy to Amoxicillin. An allergy reaction can become serious very quickly and it can put a child at risk of death. Be sure to consult with the doctor whenever you notice any form of rash developing on your child when he or she is under an antibiotic or Amoxicillin. This way, the symptoms will be evaluated to make sure that it’s not an allergy reaction. The doctor will advise accordingly what to do after examining the child – you may continue giving the child the medication or stop it altogether.
Remember that as a parent, when you find yourself in a scenario whereby a child develops a rash, your first response is to stop giving the drug to the child even when you know that it’s a non-allergic reaction. You may want to know that it’s better finishing an antibiotic course than stopping or changing to a different one. This is because:
- When you stop the Amoxicillin, it will not make the rash to disappear faster
- It allows you to avoid changing to maybe a broader-spectrum antibiotic, which may not be necessary or which could cause more serious problems like vomiting and diarrhea
- Your child may be labeled allergic to penicillin class of drugs when it’s not actually the case after you stop giving them the medication. This would mean that they are limited to antibiotic choices in the future.
So, if your child is taking Amoxicillin and they develop a rash, it is recommended that you call the doctor immediately and have the symptoms examined. If you can identity that it’s not an allergic reaction to the drug, you may continue giving the drug but make sure you talk to a doctor immediately. For the case of an allergy reaction, a doctor will recommend the appropriate steps to take, they may need to change the medication to prevent serious allergy reactions.
The warning signs it’s a true allergic to Amoxicillin would be abrupt onset of rash occurring within just two hours of having the first dose, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, a very itchy rash, or development of hives.
