Baby's Amoxicillin Rash

We went in for baby's 9 month checkup last week, but he had some fluid in his ears so the doctor prescribed some amoxicillin to help it on its way.  The doctor didn't know if it was a bacterial ear infection or a viral ear infection, but she prescribed him antibiotics to be on the safe side.  He got the pink bubble gum flavored liquid that I didn't mind taking when I was a child but that my wife absolutely hated.  At first he didn't like it either, but by giving it to him at about 1ml at a time he got better and was even opening his mouth to take it after a few days.

In the afternoon of the 8th day of baby taking amoxicillin he developed an amoxicillin rash on his face and torso.  It showed itself during his afternoon nap, which usually starts close to 2 o'clock and lasts about an hour.  Of course the day it appeared I had to work that night, and during his afternoon nap his mother came home and I left for work.  When she got him up from his nap he had red spots on his face and torso.  I was already at work and felt awful; I was completely powerless to help and could only wait for news via text as my wife took him to the doctor's.  Most of what I learned about it comes secondhand from my wife, who heard it from the doctor.  The best website I found was the aboutkidshealth page, by a doctor out of Toronto.

Amoxicillin rash

They said it's a fairly common reaction, and he's probably allergic to penicillin and other -illin antibiotics.  I didn't see the spots the first night, because I was at work, but according to my wife they were worse the next morning.  She had given him another dose of the antibiotic the evening after his reaction, and it seems like a safe bet this caused its worsening.

This is not a picture of my baby, but this is about what it was like the morning after.  He was like this on his torso, face, and head.  It was scary to see, but at least we knew why it was happening.  Another reason we weren't very concerned is that his mood was fine, he was his usual happy self.

The rash is supposed to clear up as soon as baby stops taking the medicine, so we'll see what happens.  He had taken 9 days of the 10 day prescription, so hopefully his minor ear infection is gone.