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An Allergic Reaction To Amoxicillin Can Cause Yeast Infections In Infants

The use of antibiotics to cure ear infections in infants and children may have severe results if the infant is found to be allergic to the drug. One of those reactions could be a yeast infection which is both painful and pervasive.

Nothing is more painful for a parent than to see her infant struggling with the symptoms of an ear infection and that infant’s inability to enunciate what the child is feeling. As a parent, we feel powerless and thus seek out the assistance of a pediatrician. Amoxicillin has been known to treat ear infections.

An allergic reaction to Amoxicillin will manifest itself in red blotches which resemble blisters from chicken pox. The quarter-size blotches can be as itchy as poison ivy.

Amoxicillin can cause allergic reactions, such as hives. This medication can clear an ear infection but it can cause allergic reactions. One of the most severe allergic reactions can be "anaphylaxis," or allergic shock which if severe, can possibly cause one to lose her life. About four percent of children who take Amoxicillin experience at least some of the symptoms, according to an FDA study. A child can begin wheezing or have swollen lips. If this continues, the child might lose consciousness and reach anaphylaxis, requiring an immediate injection of adrenalin, or else shock could be fatal.

Nevertheless, Amoxicillin is a popular medication. Pediatricians recommend Amoxicillin for ear infections, as well as tonsillitis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections. One out of four children has taken Amoxicillin in a three- year-period, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research, and the trend will likely continue.

An inexpensive antibiotic, Amoxicillin is available under various brand names: Amoxil, Polymox, Wymox, and Trimox. Unfortunately, about 30% of children, up to age twelve, have some type of mild allergic reaction to this antibiotic.

The term "allergic reaction" is easy to confuse with "side effect" from a medication, but a distinction exists. A symptom (such as headache or slight diarrhea) that causes only discomfort in your child and that may disappear even before your child finishes the medication is classified as a "side effect." A true allergic reaction, however, is the immune system's overreaction to the medication. An allergic child's body views the microorganisms that Amoxicillin produces as foreign substances and then creates allergic antibodies to fight them.

These antibodies can cause hives to appear. Hives are itchy " pale bumps that can occur in clumps and be large or small,". Worst of all, scratching the hives can cause them to reappear. Other allergic reactions your child may have include thrush (oral yeast infection), severe vomiting, and watery diarrhea. A combination of allergies or one allergy can appear, soon after taking the first dose of Amoxicillin. Sometimes, the reaction will appear after several doses.

Could your child be allergic to Amoxicillin? Any child who's allergic to penicillin needs to avoid Amoxicillin. Also, a child that has asthma, hay fever, or eczema has an increased risk of having an allergic reaction to this antibiotic. The same situation is true if one or both parents have any such allergies. Furthermore, if your child has kidney disease or infectious mononucleosis, she is more likely to be allergic to Amoxicillin. Don't hesitate to discuss concerns with the pediatrician before obtaining a prescription.

After beginning treatment, if your child shows possible allergic reaction to Amoxicillin, she should promptly see a pediatrician for a physical exam and a review of his or her medical history. This information will help in diagnosing the reaction as a true allergy.

A skin test for allergic reactions to all penicillins is how some pediatricians confirm if an allergy actually exists. They use a small, diluted amount of antibiotic to see if a reaction occurs.

Once the pediatrician confirms the reaction, he can advise on proper treatments. Your child may require prescription medications. However, he will also be open to over-the-counter remedies, if they seem appropriate. For instance, calamine lotion and a non-prescription antihistamine may ease itchy hives.

Other antibiotics are now available that can replace Amoxicillin. Cefaclor, azithromycin, and clarithromycin are some of the choices. These more expensive antibiotics are useful for Amoxicillin-allergic children. Some children outgrow their allergy to Amoxicillin by the time they finish elementary school.

Tags: allergic reaction, allergy, Amoxicillin, and clarithromycin, antibiotics, azithromycin, blotches, Cefaclor, chicken pox, ear infections

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