How long an allergic reaction will last?

Can an allergic (skin) reaction to augmentin occur after taking the antibiotic? How long will it last?

• I've been on augmentin for a week, taking my last pill yesterday. Two days ago I developed a VERY small rash just on my arms and it went away after I dried off from my shower. The next day (yesterday) it was on my arms again, as well as my stomach but I didn't worry because I thought it was a heat rash (which I get a lot). This morning I woke up with a head-to-toe red, bumpy rash (including everything but my actual feet). Hundreds and hundreds of bumps. I went to my doctor and she told me that it could be an allergy to penicillin but was unsure because I had already finished taking the augmentin. Is that possible? The itching is unbearable and the rash looks awful - to the point of not leaving my house. I've been prescribed steroids, but the doctor said the rash would continue for two weeks - can it really last that long?! Please help!

• Answer:

  Yes, you can be allergic to augmentim. You could have developed an allergy to something that you weren't allergic to before. If it is an allergy to the drug, if you take it again, you could get the reaction sooner than you did this time and the reaction could be as bad or worse. If the doctor says the reaction could last as long as two weeks, then it could last that long. (Let's hope not!) It is also possible that you are having a reaction to something else. You should be tested to be sure that it is the augmentim. If you are, you will have to avoid it in the future. You will also have to avoid related medications. Consider anything that you have been exposed to during this period of time in case something else is the cause. I wish you the best. Allergies can be miserable. Rashes are miserable.