My 5 yr old was diagnosed with a sinus infection and pink eye this a.m. Came home gave him his first dose and about an hour or two later he came downstairs and his face was bright red, warm to touch and bumpy. I immediately thought it was an allergic reaction.
Called back, he had been seen by their nurse practitioner, and her directions were to hold the night dose, give Benadryl and then in the morning try another dose, monitor him and see what happens. This seems strange to me. As a kid, and after having 3 kids, I have never been told to give a medication thought to have given an allergic reaction.
My best friend has worked for a pediatrician for about 15 years as medical assistant and when I told her this she FLIPPED out and said that is insane. She advised me to not give the next dose, and call the Dr back and demand another antibiotic.
Has anyone ever experienced something like this? Honestly, I think this is very bizarre. But I know I am not a Dr. But this is my child, and it scares me!
Thanks ladies! You totally confirmed what my gut knew :)
On the advice of my friend I rushed and got him some Benadryl, gave him a dose and he started looking better quickly. I will give him another dose before bed, and get a new script in the a.m.
I would *not* do it unless I was sitting in front of an emergency doctor who could resuscitate him if he went into anaphylactic shock. But that's just me. I am not a health care professional of any type.
Please be sure to report this "advice" to your doctor.
Wait -- is your son's face still swollen etc.? I would get him to an urgent care center or even the ER if the swelling does not go down after a dose of Benadryl!!
When my daughter's limbs swelled only slightly after she took an antibiotic (she wasn't even red like your son), the doctor immediately said, "It's a mild allergic reaction but even this mild one means she should never have [that antibiotic] again." She was immediately put on a different family of antibiotics. Don't mess with this. Insist that tomorrow he be seen first thing by a doctor and explain that you are not going to follow this advice from the NP.
I would absolutely not give a dose, and I would consult with the MD, not the mid-level(NP/PA - I absolutely refuse to see an MD that uses NPs or PAs), and a pharmacist, but I would NOT give another dose of that med... geez, what an idiot, I'd go a step further and report her to the nursing board in your state.
Do not give another dose! If there's already been an allergic reaction the second one could be even worse. Reactions can get worse the more you're exposed to something. Allergic reactions to antibiotics is nothing to play around with.
I'm shocked you weren't told to come in. When my son had a reaction after only 2 doses we were told to bring him in not to just give him Benadryl and try again in the morning.
I would bring him in to the urgent car or another doctor. Get the reaction taken care of properly and get a different antibiotic if treatment is still needed.
I agree with your friend.
Sounds like an allergic reation to me as well. My son gets hives from amoxaciline. So from now on he does not get anything with pinaciline in it. We didn't know that's what cause it so he got several more doses before we knew that's what it was and if we had not done that I think he would have been much better off. If your momma's instinct says don't give him to him don't do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Demand a different antibiotic.
If you think he had a reaction to the med, do NOT give him more. Do not listen to that NP! If he is in fact allergic to it, the second dose will have a much bigger reaction.
I would call and demand to speak to a doctor!!!!!!
May I add that if this were me, I would report this to someone. If the NP is giving those instructions to everyone it could be not just dangerous, but possibly deadly.
I'm late chirping in but no don't give another dose.
I have no known allergies. While on vacation about 5 yrs ago I had a uti. My dr called in an RX to the local pharmacy. I took it as I normally would but soon after I could not hold my head up . Hubby did not let me sleep more than 1 hour at a time. We thought nothing of allergy until my regular dr said I should have been in the ER because my lethargic reaction was an allergic reaction.
Take no chances. Get another RX
My daughter had the same reaction when she was around 4. Her doctor gave her another antibiotic for that illness but said she was not willing to say it was an allergic reaction to the medicine. Next time she got sick and needed an antibiotic we tried it again and she had no reaction. So now I wonder if it was the antibiotic or if she had a virus that caused her rash and flushing. Any way, since it turns out she is not allergic, I am really glad we gave it another try. It is really best not to throw out a whole class of drugs if you don't have to.
I think you should listen to your doctor (not the NP) and not your gut or the non medical people on this site that freely give out advice. In my experience, doctors do not take chances with kids lives and are terrified of being sued.
Never been told that one!
I did have a child have a delayed reaction to an antibiotic. She was about 9 months old and about 3 days in started developing a rash and hives. We were advised to IMMEDIATELY stop dosing and bring her in for steroids and a change in medications. Her chart was permanently marked and I still remember without any notes that she has (not an allergy, but) a hypersensitivity reaction to cephalosporin antibiotics. And I list it on every medical document that I fill out for her.
I would insist on a new medication and ask her to provide you with something showing why she thinks this is a good idea to "try one more dose"...
Can't your next dose be even more severe? I'd go to a new ped. Good luck!
You have been given great advice. So I will only add new info possibly.
My son is allergic to sulfa- based antibiotics...as am i. 10% of the population is. .. those people allergic to sulfa are most likely allergic to zinnat.
Best of luck and feel good soon!
