Sudden rash all over my body - what? Why?

[IHeartKingThistle]

Been ill for a couple of weeks with what doc now thinks is double ear infection, but been throwing up and all sorts of other symptoms too.

Finished amoxicillin on Sunday. Been taking cyclizine for nausea and came off that today. Started on beechams cold and flu yesterday, which I take whenever I'm ill. Been getting steadily better.

Just looked down and I'm covered in little red spots! Not particularly itchy but everywhere! Why? Not changed washing powder or anything. Basically been in bed most of the week.

Do I take antihistamine when I don't know what's causing it??

Post viral rash?

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I had something like that at the end of a cours of Amoxycillan a few years ago. It didn't make me feel ill, just look horrendous. I didn't get it checked out as it came out literally before Christmas. I wonder if it was a reaction.

If you're able to post a photo, I can let you know if the rash looks the same.

Could well be post viral rash- my son used to get this whenever he was ill. Have you any pics?

This is the top of my thigh, which is one of the worst areas.

I've never heard of post-viral rash but I like the sound of the post- bit!

Can adults get that too?

Could it be an allergic reaction to the antibiotics? I had a very similar one recently a day or so after taking Flucloxicillin, and the antibiotics are the only thing I could put it down to.

I think a conversation with a trained medic would be what I’d be doing. Maybe take a photo and then ask your surgery for a phone consultation. You can send the photo for them to look at. I assume you’ve checked it disappears under a glass pressed on it?

pityriasis rosea maybe?

I had this recently at the end of a course of doxycycline. I was so worried about it I spoke to a doctor and took photos of it - I’ll add one here. They said it was post viral and sometimes often triggered by the end of a course of antibiotics. I took an antihistamine to stop it itching and it went away over a day or so. No issues since. Weird!

I had Pityriasis rosea once after a cold. It looked very much like your rash. It wasn't itchy but looked awful. I had it for a few weeks and then it went away as suddenly as it came.

Could you have had glandular fever? There's a rash that can come up after certain antibiotics (including amoxicillin) if you take them when you have glandular fever.

That looks like an allergic reaction to penicillin. You can have taken it many time previously with no reaction and then suddenly get a reaction.

Could it be the antibiotics if I finished the course on Sunday?

I've had pityriasis roscaea and that looked different and was much itchier.

It's everywhere!

Don't know about glandular fever but have only had a very mild sore throat so surely not?

Not to alarm you OP but if it’s a reaction to penicillin you should let your GP know immediately and not take it again unless prescribed by someone who knows you’ve had this rash.

I took penicillin all my life with no issues until I was 23 when I was prescribed it for an impacted wisdom tooth and broke out in a rash. The dentist told me to stop taking it immediately and accelerated my appointment to have the wisdom tooth removed. I told the oral surgeon what had happened and he told me if I took penicillin again it could kill me. That was 30 years ago and every time I’ve been in hospital I’ve had a big coloured bracelet and a different coloured file telling everyone I was allergic to penicillin. Since then I have had doctors speculating I might not actually be allergic but no one has taken the chance to prescribe it.

Incidentally, there was an interesting article in the Washington Post today about rashes in connection with coronavirus, and again, I do not wish to alarm you - the upshot of the article was that rashes had been presenting in healthy patients who had tested positive for covid but were either otherwise asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

Thanks @mommybunny - I wonder if it could be the amoxycillin but I was OK until today and I stopped taking them 4 days ago!

Had a covid test, came back negative yesterday.

Have taken a Benadryl but it's getting a bit itchy now...