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Original poster

Low temperature on Amoxicillin

27 replies

JRP86 · 08/12/2018 08:10

Hi. Just like in the title. My LO (19mths) has been diagnosed with chest infection so he got antibiotics prescribed - amoxicillin. This is a third time he's taking them and a third time the same pattern happens: as soon as he takes the first dose, his temperature drops really low (around 35C). He's acting fine otherwise just the low temp. I've asked the doctors and they said amoxicillin doesn't make the temperature to go down so it can't be because of that. Well, it clearly is because it can't be a coincidence that it happens each time he's on it. Has anyone experienced that? Everytime it happens I worry he could go into a hypothermia or something...

OP posts:
Walkingthroughawall · 08/12/2018 13:01

Amoxicillin doesn't make you're temperature drop. Infections can cause low temperatures as well as high.

Walkingthroughawall · 08/12/2018 13:03

your not you're Blush

Iesugrist · 08/12/2018 13:03

Maintaining core temperature within the range needed for life is a really high priority for the body so it's very difficult to shift it out of this range without very significant outside factors - usually extreme environmental high or low temperatures. Temperature readings are not the most reliable at the best of times. You do get reduced blood flow to the skin at times in the fever response which will read as a low temperature. Almost certainly doesn't have a core temperature that low without seeming very sick in other ways!

Never heard of low temperature readings before as a reaction to amoxicillin and quick search for scientific papers doesn't have anything; maybe it is a coincidence (the variability of temperatures in unwell children is a big confounding factors), maybe a reaction unique to your child.

If you really wanted to test your hypothesis you could try it a few times when he isn't unwell? And/or use a dummy drug as a control. But probably more effort than you would want to take and hard to justify...

bonzo77 · 08/12/2018 13:06

Where did you take the temperature? Mouth / ear / arm pit or rectal? Where did you take it previously?

Low temp (or one that goes up and down ) is characteristic of sepsis. But probably not in isolation.

Original poster
JRP86 · 08/12/2018 16:15

I think I've searched the whole internet on this issue and couldn't find anything regarding this. It is strange that he maintains low temperature for the whole course of antiobiotics (mostly at night though) and goes back to normal when he finishes them. The only thing that I came across was the article that alternating ibuprofen and paracetamol could cause low body temp. Whether it was backed up by some science papers - don't know, but I was giving him both Nurofen and Calpol so maybe it is right?

I always take his temperature from his ear using Braun thermoscan thermometer. It is working ok (checked on myself and hb) and the batteries are fine too. I read about sepsis and this made me call 111 first time it happened but as I said in my first post he seems fine, he's not lethargic, wakes up fine, just feels quite cold to touch so I put another layer on him before he goes to bed.

OP posts:
LondonLassInTheNorthPole · 09/12/2018 01:39

Ibuprofen and calpol together are only really recommended to be given together when the child is very poorly / uncomfortable / in lots of pain and given the go ahead by a doctor

Original poster
JRP86 · 09/12/2018 08:11

@LondonLassInTheNorthPole i know that, thank you very much. He was having over 40C temperature all night and nothing was working hence I was giving him both (alternating them every 4 hours) and yes that's what the doctors advised me to do. I wouldn't go ahead and give my son any medicine without consulting the doctor first.

OP posts:
LondonLassInTheNorthPole · 09/12/2018 14:44

JRP.... Calm down !

If a child was having temperatures of 40' and nothing was working thats when hospital is needed. Could be alot more serious like sepsis!!!

LondonLassInTheNorthPole · 09/12/2018 14:45

In your post you said low temperature acting fine other wise but then stated you were giving him both calpol and ibuprofen
Thats why i queried it

Walkingthroughawall · 09/12/2018 15:50

@LondonLass paracetamol & ibuprofen are absolutely fine together.

Hypothermia as well as hyperthermia can be a sign of sepsis (more common in older people but it is something to consider nonetheless).

LondonLassInTheNorthPole · 09/12/2018 17:44

Walking through a wall

As i have said... Yes they can be taken together in extreme circumstances with the doctors approval and only for certain problems. For example not be taken if a child has chicken pox

I did not say you can't take them together.
Maybe re-read my post!

Walkingthroughawall · 09/12/2018 18:21

They are taken together regularly for many things and don’t need a ‘doctor’s approval’. The risk of using ibuprofen in chickenpox has nothing to do with paracetamol, and a chest infection (described in the op) is not chickenpox.

suddenlypanicked · 09/12/2018 18:26

Not to alarm you but it is a flag that someone is septic so maybe ring 111
Especially as it's a chest infection

LondonLassInTheNorthPole · 09/12/2018 18:42

Walkingthroughawall

Maybe have a google !!!

Both drugs taken together for a baby is NOT recommended....
If one drug doesn't work, then yes try the other but if a child / baby is so poorly that they need both of them then they need to be seen again or need to be in hospital

I won't be repeating myself yet again so i bid you a good night !

suddenlypanicked · 09/12/2018 19:12

London

You're not right

Doctor approval for the combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol isn't needed.

Paracetamol isn't always effective in bringing down a temperature and a child is sometimes still suffering even with paracetamol so you can alternate with ibuprofen
It doesn't mean the child needs to be in hospital!

LondonLassInTheNorthPole · 09/12/2018 19:19

Suddenly....

alternate but together is not recommended !

LondonLassInTheNorthPole · 09/12/2018 19:33

Its pointless because i keep repeating myself.

Just google and it will come up with the exact same thing i have said.
But the NHS website must be wrong.

Anyway, refuse to have this argument anymore.
Hope OP's child feels better soon

Original poster
JRP86 · 09/12/2018 19:49

Okay I think it's time to call down :) my question was whether anyone has experienced low temperature after amoxicillin as it just seemed too coincidental and we suddenly got a fight about the nurofen+paracetamol Hmm just to clear few things:
I have called 111 with this tempereature not going down, they asked me to bring him to out of hours dr straight away and by the time we got there (around 40 minutes) he was fine - typical Wink

I have also called 111 first and second time the low temp happened being scared that it was sepsis. I then spoke to the actual doctor over the phone and after him asking many questions about my son (I even had to wake him up so the dr could hear him awake and sound) he reassured me this was not sepsis and we have seen another doctor both times within few hours of a phonecall. When I ask about the low temperature they just said it could be him recovering from an infection and it def isn't because of antiobiotics. Yet it happened again literally two hours after I gave him the first those... it just seemed strange. My son has been seen/examined by the doctors and he is fine it is just bugging me and I was wondering if that has ever happened to anyone too. Confused

OP posts:
Original poster
JRP86 · 09/12/2018 19:56

I guess I should have told the whole long story at the beginning to avoid arguments... sorry!

OP posts:
bobstersmum · 09/12/2018 20:06

My dd has history of ear infection and I was advised to give paracetamol and ibuprofen together at bedtime. They only say not to regularly do this because if you don't know what's causing the fever these drugs used together are very efficient at masking serious illness. That's what I was told.

Iesugrist · 10/12/2018 09:18

To be fair @LondonLass is using the NHS online advice found here:
www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/can-i-give-my-child-paracetamol-and-ibuprofen-at-the-same-time/

But I do find it a weird bit of advice from this service! There isn't any direct safety downside - the disadvantages are that it could get in the way of a parent bringing a very sick child to medical attention - but presence of fever shouldn't be the only deciding factor anyway - and that if you don't alternate you end up with long gaps where you can't give any medicine for the fever (stressful for parent / miserable for child, not a risk to health though).

Random18 · 11/12/2018 15:38

My DS has had a few very low temperatures. Below 35 degrees. Once we ended up in A&E.
The common factor for him is Nurofen. It can really lower his temperature.
Discussed with GP who wasn’t concerned - that said I will treat each instance separately and if I am concerned about low temp and other symptoms I will get medical advice straight away.

AdrianaRued · 03/02/2020 01:28

I'm so happy to find this post. My 9m Old daughter was on cephalexin, and right after the first doses her body temperature dropped. 34.3C!
I was driving myself crazy. The sepsis word also got into my mind, but my PD reassured me that it wasn't her case. As yours, otherwise than the body temp she was perfect!!

On day 6, after taking the body temperature every hour, and showing that 30 mins after the antibiotic it dropped 0.8C, the doctor decided to stop the antibiotic.

All of this is to let you know that you aren't alone.
How long after finishing treatment did your son got a normal body temp?

RyanD · 13/04/2024 01:49

Hi i was googling this to see if this was a common occurence and nothing seemed to shed light on this but then i came across your post yes i know its years old.

My son is 3 and has a chest infection we have been prescribed amoxicillin and hes now on night 3 of his course and 3 nights in a row ive taken his temp before bed and it read 36.8 and when he goes to sleep its dropping to 35.4 or 35.3 and this has happened before when he has been on a course of Amoxicillin. I explained to my doctor about this and he has said its nothing to worry about but im stopping his course and going to the doctor 1st thing and telling him this is def a side effect when my son is taking this medication.