Need sick kid advice.......

[Minnie_me]

We thought DD had a cold all week (starting Monday). But she kept insisting that she was much sicker; she was EXHAUSTED, could hardly keep her head up by Thursday. Took her in today to find out that she has pneumonia (with hardly a cough!).

Anyway, she's had pneumonia and bronchitis before, and was prescribed zithromax, which she's also had before. She took the 2 tsp dose when we got home from the doctor, ate dinner, ate dessert............and then had terrible diarrhea and vomited for about half an hour.

Then she was fine.

I'm assuming this was from the zithromax. Even though she's never had that reaction before.

Do I need to call the dr in the morning about this? Did her diarrhea and vomiting rid her body of that first crucial dose of antibiotic? Poor little thing; I feel so bad for her!!!

Any advice would be great!

 

[christiane]

Sorry to hear about your daughter.

Her reaction could be an allergic reaction to the medication. You might want to talk to a doctor before giving her the next dose. If she is allergic, it could be worse after the next dose. Can you call someone tonight? If a doctor is not available, call a pharmacist.

Hope she is better soon...

 

[Disneylover79]

I too think that it could be a reaction to the antibiotic.... I would call the doctor on call and inform him/her of this reaction they might be able to call in another antibiotic... good luck and to you and your DD.. hope she feels better soon

 

[wehavesix]

We thought DD had a cold all week (starting Monday). But she kept insisting that she was much sicker; she was EXHAUSTED, could hardly keep her head up by Thursday. Took her in today to find out that she has pneumonia (with hardly a cough!).

Anyway, she's had pneumonia and bronchitis before, and was prescribed zithromax, which she's also had before. She took the 2 tsp dose when we got home from the doctor, ate dinner, ate dessert............and then had terrible diarrhea and vomited for about half an hour.

Then she was fine.

I'm assuming this was from the zithromax. Even though she's never had that reaction before.

Do I need to call the dr in the morning about this? Did her diarrhea and vomiting rid her body of that first crucial dose of antibiotic? Poor little thing; I feel so bad for her!!!

Any advice would be great!

I'm sorry your dd is feeling bad.

Just so you'll know in the future, pneumonia rarely produces a cough in the beginning. Cold symptoms with little or no cough and extreme fatigue are classic pneumonia symptoms.

As for the meds, she is having a reaction. Don't give her another dose until you've spoken with her doctor. Like the pp said, it's a good idea to call the pharmacist for advice too. He/She should be able to answer questions and MAY be able to make a substitution depending on what the prescription said on it. The pharmacist may also be able to reach the on-call doctor and get a new med prescribed more quickly than you can get through.

Give your dd a big from me. I hope she feels much better soon.

(I'm giving this advice because I've been there. Mom to 6 kids, Mimi to 2, and 20 years as a pre-k or k teacher have taught me a few things. Also, my sis and 2 of my bil are pharmacists who have come to our rescue many times over the years. I am NOT a doctor and have no formal medical education.)

 

[lsyorke]

I wouldn't jump to an antibiotic reaction, since she's had it before. Pneumonia creates alot of mucus and, sorry this is gross, but kids swallow it and it can create loss stools. Zithromax can be irritating to the stomach lining, which may have triggered the vomiting. Give it on a full stomach, instead of before the meal.

 

[Goofyluver]

I wouldn't jump to a med reaction either.

My DS frequently gets pneumonia...and has had med reactions as well.

Pneumonia is often accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea...due to the mucus, etc. in the body.

The meds could cause an upset belly...in which case maybe it would be better to give it with food or milk. That often helps.

 

[monkey68]

I would not call it an allergic reaction, nasuea, vomitting, diarrhea are all side effects of zithromax. If you take the dose with food, not before, it can decrease the GI symptoms. Unfortunately, any medication will cause side effects. Zithromax gets absorbed quickly, so depending on how long it was before she had diarrhea, she may have already absorbed the dose.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

I hope the little bugger feels better. Sick kids are the worse - you feel awful, they feel awful, and there really isn't much you can do about it

Had she been eating normally before today - you said she ate dinner & dessert tonight. If she hasn't really had an appetite before today and then you throw in meds that upset the stomach and then eating too much food after not having an appetite it could have just been too much on her system and the vomiting diarrhea was her bodies reaction to get rid of it quick. I would say that if the "mommy alarm" is going off then its worth a phone call to someone to get a little peace of mind - wether it be the pharmacist or the doctor.

 

[Minnie_me]

Thanks, everybody!

Of course, I did call the doctor's office first thing this morning. There was nobody I could call last night.....

They said that antibiotics irritate the stomach lining (as a few of the PPs mentioned), and that this was definitely NOT an allergic reaction.

She feels better this morning, ate breakfast, took another dose and went to play practice. Of course, I'm afraid she's going to get hungry and queasy there, but they're not allowed to eat in the auditorium. I may have to run up and sneak her a snack anyway!