Can child get strep while taking Amoxicillin?

[worriedmommy]

Does anyone know if your child can catch strep while taking Amoxicillin? My dd has had confirmed Group A Strep in the peri-anal area twice in the last 9 months. (We suspect she's had it many times in the past, but was never properly diagnosed.) Anyway, she's currently 3 weeks into a course of Amoxicillin, 1000 mg per day, and last night she complained of soreness / irritation in the peri-anal area. I looked and it is fire engine red with some red raised bumps. It looks very much like it had in the past. I would have maybe thought this was yeast (although she's also taking Culturelle probiotic to prevent yeast), or simple urinary irritation from an acidic food...but my son, who I bathe with her, also complained of the exact same thing last night, and his bottom looked exactly like hers. So,I'm doubtful about the yeast as he is not on any medication.

 

I guess what I'm trying to determine is if dd could even have a GAS infection if she's been on Amox for 3 weeks, without any missed doses.

[LNN]

I guess what I'm trying to determine is if dd could even have a GAS infection if she's been on Amox for 3 weeks, without any missed doses.

 

My son is on 800mg/daily Augmentin and was just diagnosed with a sinus infection yesterday. Doctor said it' must be a strain that's resistant to the pencillin family and put him on 14 days of zithro (he'll go back on augmentin for prophylactic purposes once the sinus infection is cleared).

 

My daughter and I just completed 10 days of Ceftin for the same sinus infection. My son started having post nasal drip earlier this week but I didn't put two and two together because I figured since he's on augmentin, it had to be viral for him. Not so. So now he's on zith and his doc told me to call my own doctor this morning and get another 10 days of abx because my infection isn't cleared (so Ceftin - a relative to the penicillins, didn't do the complete job, which supports the thinking that this particular bacteria resists the penicillin/cephalsporin families).

 

Amox and augmentin kill a lot of stuff, so until we get sophisticated enough to be able to type a bacteria strain as rapidly as we can do rapid strep tests, it's the stuff that gives you a high chance of killing whatever 'it" is. But it doesn't work on every strain of bacteria and therefore, yes, you can get a strep infection while on amox.

 

For whatever it's worth, my daughter has also struggled with recurrent bottom issues - what looks like impetigo, but could possibly be something else - pediatrician isn't 100% positive. 10 days of Cefelaxin didn't knock it out. A second 10 days of biaxin did. We've started adding a capful of bleach to her bath water twice a week. No idea if it will help, but it isn't going to hurt and since 3 people use this tub, including my Pandas son, it's one of those things that at least makes you feel better for doing 'something".

[thereishope]

Yes, a child can still contract strep while amoxicillan. Also, it can be that the amox never erradicated the infection in the first place. If you get another strep test and the child is on any antibiotics, you can get a FALSE NEGATIVE. So remind your doctor of this possibility. That is also the case up to 3 weeks after finishing meds. So follow up tests should be done 3 weeks after finishing meds.

 

Also, make sure family members are checked for strep in hopes of preventing reinfection. Some PANDAS kids will react to exposure only as well.

 

Here's an article about the failure rate of amox and strep...

http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/.../169459644.html

 

LLM, my son had a sinus infection he was given amox for. Like yours, it didn't help. It took 2 rounds of Augmentin (first script for 14 days, second for 20) to rid him of it. He was also given Flonase to take down the swelling with the second script. If your child has allergies (specficially dust mites which are bad right now) that can be causing the sinus infection. Also, some moms have told me that you need at least 20 days of an antibiotic to rid a sinus infection because the blood flow is slow to get to the area.

[EAMom]

Anyway, she's currently 3 weeks into a course of Amoxicillin, 1000 mg per day, and last night she complained of soreness / irritation in the peri-anal area.

 

Just curious...is this 500mg 2x daily, or 1000mg once daily of Amoxcillin?

 

And, LMM, was your son on 400mg 2x daily, or 800mg once daily?

 

My son is on 800mg/daily Augmentin and was just diagnosed with a sinus infection yesterday. Doctor said it' must be a strain that's resistant to the pencillin family and put him on 14 days of zithro (he'll go back on augmentin for prophylactic purposes once the sinus infection is cleared).

[momto2pandas]

Amox has never helped our ds's strep infections, at least ever since that strain we got a couple of years ago. I've given up on it.

 

Does anyone know if your child can catch strep while taking Amoxicillin? My dd has had confirmed Group A Strep in the peri-anal area twice in the last 9 months. (We suspect she's had it many times in the past, but was never properly diagnosed.) Anyway, she's currently 3 weeks into a course of Amoxicillin, 1000 mg per day, and last night she complained of soreness / irritation in the peri-anal area. I looked and it is fire engine red with some red raised bumps. It looks very much like it had in the past. I would have maybe thought this was yeast (although she's also taking Culturelle probiotic to prevent yeast), or simple urinary irritation from an acidic food...but my son, who I bathe with her, also complained of the exact same thing last night, and his bottom looked exactly like hers. So,I'm doubtful about the yeast as he is not on any medication.

 

I guess what I'm trying to determine is if dd could even have a GAS infection if she's been on Amox for 3 weeks, without any missed doses.

[nomoz]

My daughter never responded well to amox, and had strep infections while taking it. Her strep was present in her throat cultures, as her tonsils (taken out last year) were chronically infected. But Clyndamycin and Rifampin are two drugs my ped. prescribed, not long term, just to get rid of strep pre-tonsillectomy - and they worked well.

Good luck!

[colleenrn]

Yes, for sure you can get strep while on Amoxicillin, but what is more likely is that the strep was never erradicated by the amox. If the strep is intracellular, amoxicillin will not be able to penetrate in order to reach it. That is why they then attempt to use Augmentin b/c it has potassium cluvulanate added to help with that problem, however, even augmentin has a hard time reaching intracellular strep. Cephalosporins (omnicef, keflex) have a better chance at getting it, but not a guarantee. That is why Zithromax is sometimnes one of the best choices. It can penetrate the tissues and reach the strep.

 

The redness you are describing really sounds like a strep infection.

 

This was the case with my daughter in the first 4-6 months of PANDAS. I have all of her labs and recently was looking at them. She was put on Amox in Jan for strep, had strep 3 weeks later, again put on amox, had it 3 weeks later, again amox, had strep again the next month, this time Augmentin. After that we never used amox again.

 

Some physicians will tell you that if your child is on an antibiotic, they can't get an infection, but this is just not true. Can you have her swabbed today or would your doctor be willing to call you in a differnt prescription?

Colleen