Medication reaction. I am really mad here

[Freebeemom]

Ugh...my children are allergic to pennicillin. My youngest had a sinus infection. Dr Recommended Cefzil, looked through the chart and said, "well, I don't see a reaction to cefzil, let's try it" Uh...I mentioned that my oldest has a very severe reaction to the slightest bit of penicillin. I should have said no, and should have rejected it, but no. I trusted her and now my 2 yr old is on steriods, pain killer and adarax for the swelling. I am so pissed. I have been with this dr for at least 10 yrs and now I have to switch. Sigh....

Seeing a child like this day after day makes me thankful for our health and my heart goes out to parents with terminally ill children.

[pepperpot]

:hug

[buttrfli]

Don't feel bad, theres no way you could have known that your youngest would also have an allergy to the meds. Hope your lil one feels beter soon!

[Eyore]

I went and looked the medicine up and found this, maybe she thought he would be ok on it. But she shouldn't have taken a chance.
I'm sensitive to Sulfa drugs, makes me very itchy. My doctor won't even consider anything related to sulfa to give to me. I'm on blood pressure medicine and asked about "water pills" to go along with my other blood pressure medicine. He told me then that they are sulfates and most people can't take them if they are allergic to sulfa. But there are a few that can take them. He gave me the choice to try them and I chose to try it, we started on the lowest dose possible. So far so good.
Maybe your childs doctor thought the risk was low enough to try it. But she should have made you aware of the risk.
Hope your little one starts feeling better soon.
BEFORE THERAPY WITH CEFZIL IS INSTITUTED, CAREFUL INQUIRY SHOULD BE MADE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PATIENT HAS HAD PREVIOUS HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS TO CEFZIL, CEPHALOSPORINS, PENICILLINS, OR OTHER DRUGS.

IF THIS PRODUCT IS TO BE GIVEN TO PENICILLIN-SENSITIVE PATIENTS, CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED BECAUSE CROSS-SENSITIVITY AMONG β-LACTAM ANTIBIOTICS HAS BEEN CLEARLY DOCUMENTED AND MAY OCCUR IN UP TO 10% OF PATIENTS WITH A HISTORY OF PENICILLIN ALLERGY.

IF AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO CEFZIL OCCURS, DISCONTINUE THE DRUG. SERIOUS ACUTE HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS MAY REQUIRE TREATMENT WITH EPINEPHRINE AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES, INCLUDING OXYGEN, INTRAVENOUS FLUIDS, INTRAVENOUS ANTIHISTAMINES, CORTICOSTEROIDS, PRESSOR AMINES, AND AIRWAY MANAGEMENT, AS CLINICALLY INDICATED.

[BeanieLuvR]

I hope your little one is feeling better soon. :hug

[sunniekiss]

Ugh...my children are allergic to pennicillin. My youngest had a sinus infection. Dr Recommended Cefzil, looked through the chart and said, "well, I don't see a reaction to cefzil, let's try it" Uh...I mentioned that my oldest has a very severe reaction to the slightest bit of penicillin. I should have said no, and should have rejected it, but no. I trusted her and now my 2 yr old is on steriods, pain killer and adarax for the swelling. I am so pissed. I have been with this dr for at least 10 yrs and now I have to switch. Sigh....

Seeing a child like this day after day makes me thankful for our health and my heart goes out to parents with terminally ill children.


Oh man I do feel your child's pain. I am also allergic to penicillin & sulfa drugs. It makes my doctor nuts trying to find alternatives whenever I need antibiotics.

Why do you feel that you need to switch doctors? I certainly would not be shy in calling her to let her know that the medication did on fact make you child ill & you are none to pleased with her.

I can see your point though & if you feel better switching, then go for it. But I would most definately have a very intensive face-to-face discussion with that first doctor. I would also be asking for a refund for the office visit since she did make your child even sicker than he already was.

{{Hugs**** to your baby.

[buglebe]

Because one child is allergic to a drug does not mean another will be.

[iluvmybaby]

Ugh...my children are allergic to pennicillin. My youngest had a sinus infection. Dr Recommended Cefzil, looked through the chart and said, "well, I don't see a reaction to cefzil, let's try it" Uh...I mentioned that my oldest has a very severe reaction to the slightest bit of penicillin. I should have said no, and should have rejected it, but no. I trusted her and now my 2 yr old is on steriods, pain killer and adarax for the swelling. I am so pissed. I have been with this dr for at least 10 yrs and now I have to switch. Sigh....

Seeing a child like this day after day makes me thankful for our health and my heart goes out to parents with terminally ill children.

I understand why you would be upset that your child is ill, but please consider that medication affects everyone differentily, and whether one child is allergic to it doesnt mean that EVERY child you have is allergic to it. For example, I am allergic to penicillian, however my mother and my brother and my grandmother are not, in fact they have no allergies at all except a pain medication allergy to codiene on my grandmothers side. I dont think that your Dr took an unsafe risk, as everyone ....even those that are related, have different allergies and reactions

PS hope she gets to feeling better soon, please dont make any hasty descisions, right now you are upset. If this Dr has been with you for 10 years, you obviously trust and care for him/her a great deal

[speedygirl]

Did that child already have a known, documented PCN allergy? From what I know, isn't Cefzil usually contraindicated in patients with a penicillin allergy? If it was known the doc was wrong to prescribe but if it was not what Buglebe says is right.

[tngirl]

Because one child is allergic to a drug does not mean another will be.
She said that both were. The doctor should not have given the child this particular medication, especially when there are plenty of other ones available that do as good or better job. I had a minor reaction to penicillin as a child and even today the doctors will NOT give me anything with penicillin or anything that may react the same way. They said I may have outgrown the allergy, could have the same reaction or I might have a more severe reaction and it wasn't worth the risk.

[ttistin]

My oldest is allergic to penicillin, my other two are not. me and dh are not allergic to it either, but my dad is lol

:hug hope your little one gets better soon.

[tngirl]

My oldest is allergic to penicillin, my other two are not. me and dh are not allergic to it either, but my dad is lol

:hug hope your little one gets better soon.


I am the only one in my family that is. Everyone else is allergic to sulfa drugs, but I am not. I think I was adopted:star:

[bonniejeanne]

I remember when my son was about five years old. He had an ear infection for which the doctor prescribed Keflex. Well, he could have gone to school with the ear infection which wasn't really bothering him, but he woke up the next morning with a rash that covered him from head to toe. Turns out he was allergic to the medicine. I couldn't send him to school looking like that; no telling what the teachers would have thought.

[Jenefer3]

I'm sorry your little one experienced an allergic reaction to it. Hopefully he's improving and feeling better.

I know how scary bad reactions can be. My son had a reaction to a sulfa drug and ended up in the hospital with Stevens-Johnson syndrome. He had to see a burn specialist and we had to put special medication on the "burns". After he got out of the hospital we had to do a lot of follow up appointments with the dermatologist and continue using this special medicine. Since he had burns on his feet, we had to have him wear flip flops (so sweat and germs wouldn't build up) and we had to replace the flip flops every week or so. I know now that it could've been much worse than what it was, but that was 3 months of hell dealing with it.

My youngest daughter is allergic to promethazine and zomig.

[Freebeemom]

Thanks for all the kind words etc.
Jenyfer, what were the symptoms of this that you found? was your child bleeding from the mouth etc?

What gets me is that I told her that my other children were allergic, severly...and she almost blew it off. Makes me so sick. There has been no change in his condition since Friday. Sat it got so bad his joints were swollen and he couldn't walk.
Man, I sware, I wish I knew more herbal remidies!

[Eyore]

Sorry your little one isn't getting better. Maybe take the little one to the ER and have them check the child out or to a different pediatrician.
I assume the doctor that prescribed the Cefzil also prescribed the other medicines for the reaction.
I can understand you wanting to find another doctor,especially if she almost blew it off.
Hope your little one starts feeling better soon.

[iluvmybaby]

I apologize for my reply, I could have sworn I read that ONE child was allergic to penicillian, but one wasn't. Yes, I would change Drs in a heart beat if he KNEW she had a penicillian allergy and gave her something that was KNOWN to cause an allergic reaction among those with penicillian allergies

[Jenefer3]

Thanks for all the kind words etc.
Jenyfer, what were the symptoms of this that you found? was your child bleeding from the mouth etc?

What gets me is that I told her that my other children were allergic, severly...and she almost blew it off. Makes me so sick. There has been no change in his condition since Friday. Sat it got so bad his joints were swollen and he couldn't walk.
Man, I sware, I wish I knew more herbal remidies!

No, he wasn't bleeding from the mouth. He got this weird rash on his feet and hands, then he got "blisters" on his feet, hands, nose, and in and around his mouth.

If he's not getting better, I would take him back to the doctor or the ER. Hope he feels better soon.

[buglebe]

I, too, did not read well enough. I agree. Change doctors or have a discussion, very serious , with her.

[tarasdream]

i was given kelflex and have never been allergic tio anything in my life and im 61. i broke out in a bright red rash everywhere. in i a couple days i had big red water blisters everywhere. it took almost 2 months for it to go away. which is normal with that severe of a reaction. i was in the er 3 times because i got dehydrated. i honstely thought i was going to die. i went thry 5 boxes of benadryl because the itching was so bad . the doctors said they had never seen a reaction that bad. i cant take any penicillianat all and some others cross over with penicillian. but the blisters can take 6 to 8 weeks to go away and then you peel dry skin like a sunburn.

[Katt]

The first post does say the oldest, not the current patient. And it's correct, just because one is allergic, doesn't mean others will be. The doctor should have changed the script if you had asked though.

I'm hoping your child is getting round the clock benadryl on top of the steriods? If old enough, we give Pepcid also, because it's an H2 inhibitor and helps with the allergic reactions.

Hopefully it will be out of his system quickly. :)