Skip to content
My WebMD Sign In, Sign Up
Last Reply:
Allergic Reaction to Z-Pak - Intense Hives For 5 Days - Have Question
avatar
stevieswen posted:
Hello. I am a 44 year old female who was given a Z-Pack for bronchitis. After taking it for two day, I broke out in very severe hives. I ended up running a fever at the same time and wound up in the ER for treatment. It took a lot to bring the fever down in the HR, but it was finally brought down. I was given Prednisone 20mg 1x per day for 7 days for the hives and told to also take Benedryl. It has been 5 days and I have been running a fever of 99-100. For me, my temp runs 98.6 or lower. So having a 9-100 fever is not normal for me. My bronchitis is getting better and I'm staring to feel stronger and better every day. I was dealing with the bronchitis for about two weeks along with a sinus infection.
My hives are looking better every day, but I still itch and though they are looking better, I will say that my skin looks ugly while it's trying to heal.
My question is can the hives be driving a fever at this point? How long does the average fever last? Just wondering if or when I need to be concerned about anything. I have an ENT appt on Tuesday and was wondering if I should have any further blood work done. I've already had a CBC, Rheum Pamel , Thyroid Panel, and a Chem 12 all which were normal. Any insight you can share is much appreciated.
2 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Allergic Reaction to Z-Pak - Intense Hives For 5 Days - Have QuestionHello. I am a 44 year old female who was given a Z-Pack for bronchitis. After taking it for two day, I broke out in very severe hives. I ended up running a fever at the same time and wound up in the ER for treatment. It took a lot to bring the fever down in the HR, but it was finally brought down. I was given Prednisone 20mg 1x per day for 7 days for the hives and told to also take Benedryl. It has been 5 days and I have been running a fever of 99-100. For me, my temp runs 98.6 or lower. So having a 9-100 fever is not normal for me. My bronchitis is getting better and I'm staring to feel stronger and better every day. I was dealing with the bronchitis for about two weeks along with a sinus infection. <br />My hives are looking better every day, but I still itch and though they are looking better, I will say that my skin looks ugly while it's trying to heal. <br />My question is can the hives be driving a fever at this point? How long does the average fever last? Just wondering if or when I need to be concerned about anything. I have an ENT appt on Tuesday and was wondering if I should have any further blood work done. I've already had a CBC, Rheum Pamel , Thyroid Panel, and a Chem 12 all which were normal. Any insight you can share is much appreciated.
Reply
 
avatar
Elizabeth_WebMD_Staff responded:
Hi stevieswen -

Wow, that is quite a reaction, I am so sorry you have been suffering with this.

Sorry, I did not see your post earlier, you may have already seen the ENT and wanted to follow-up to see how you are doing.

Please keep us posted,
Elizabeth
Report This| Share this:Allergic Reaction to Z-Pak - Intense Hives For 5 Days - Have QuestionHi stevieswen - <br /><br />Wow, that is quite a reaction, I am so sorry you have been suffering with this.<br /><br />Sorry, I did not see your post earlier, you may have already seen the ENT and wanted to follow-up to see how you are doing.<br /><br />Please keep us posted,<br />Elizabeth
Reply
 
avatar
stevieswen replied to Elizabeth_WebMD_Staff's response:
Thank you....I wanted to provide an update for you.....
I saw an allergist yesterday for the allergic reaction and to begin the process of determining what is driving my sinus issues.
The allergist confirmed I had "one of the worst penicillin allergic reactions he'd ever seen". He confirmed the rash is from the penicillin.....which one is to be determined later as I had three of them. The allergist is going to do some blood work to allergy test for now.....can't skin test due to the rash but will at least do some blood work (which I understand is not as accurate but could give us some clues for now).
My question is this....how do I best care for a rash that was caused by penicillin? The rash is improving daily now.....is there gentle soap I can use? Can I shave my legs or should I wait. The allergist said I could shave, but I'm a little nervous....i don't want to activate the rash....any guidance you can give as to how best to care for the rash as well as how long it takes for this to go away and resolve itself would be much appreciated.
Report This| Share this:Allergic Reaction to Z-Pak - Intense Hives For 5 Days - Have QuestionThank you....I wanted to provide an update for you.....<br />I saw an allergist yesterday for the allergic reaction and to begin the process of determining what is driving my sinus issues.<br />The allergist confirmed I had "one of the worst penicillin allergic reactions he'd ever seen". He confirmed the rash is from the penicillin.....which one is to be determined later as I had three of them. The allergist is going to do some blood work to allergy test for now.....can't skin test due to the rash but will at least do some blood work (which I understand is not as accurate but could give us some clues for now).<br />My question is this....how do I best care for a rash that was caused by penicillin? The rash is improving daily now.....is there gentle soap I can use? Can I shave my legs or should I wait. The allergist said I could shave, but I'm a little nervous....i don't want to activate the rash....any guidance you can give as to how best to care for the rash as well as how long it takes for this to go away and resolve itself would be much appreciated.
Reply


Back to Top
Back to Top

See Related Women's Health Communities

See All Communities

Featuring Experts

Profile
Mohiba K Tareen, MD Expert
Mohiba K Tareen, MD is a board certified dermatologist who has an innovative practice in Roseville, Minnesota. Tareen Dermatology ( www.TareenDermato...More
Profile
Mary Ruth Buchness, MD Expert
More Experts

Popular Discussions

Start a Discussion | See All

Helpful Tips

Natural Herbal Treatment for Any Health Condition
Natural herbs clinic is an online, very convenient drug store which provides you the comfort of purchasing from home the medicines ... More
Was this Helpful?
Yes No
1 of 1 found this helpful
Post a Tip | See All

Helpful Resources

Post a Resource | See All

Related News

Related Drug Reviews

  • Drug Name User Reviews
See More

Report Problems to the
Food and Drug Administration

FDAYou are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.