Omnicef and stools

I was given omnicef for a sinus infection, though I was told to take it twice a day , ive only been taking it once a day , due to an unnormal schedule... It has caused me to be so uncomfortable..I cant stand it. I have unbelievable abdominal pain, cramps ... but no diarrhea... Im constipated , one bowel movement a day ... and I also have the rust/ red stools. which is a listed side effect . Ironically, Before being diagnosed with all of this, I was in the doctors office a few weeks earlier complaining of stomach problems. . thinking I may have an ulcer, and my doctor told me It was only stress... yet he never tested me for an ulcer, no x-ray , nor an endoscopy. Now Im on some medicine that apparently may mess me up even more. WOW.

My 1 year old was prescribed Omnicef for a possible sinus infection. Before she started taking this med she had a little cough and a runny nose, not that bad at all. The doctor thought she should go on this for 14 days to help. She has been on the med for 4 days, and her symptoms have gotten worse. She is coughing all the time, she is having massive maroon colored runny stools, and she has a horrible diaper rash. She has started to get a welt on her thigh, and rash around her cheeks and chin. I am currently waiting for the doctor to call us back regarding the problems she is having. I am so glad I found this website, and know that I am not being paranoid. My daughter is the most even keeled baby you will ever meet, but the last couple of days she has been crying all the time as if she is in pain. I have stopped the medication and will never allow her to take this medicine again!!!!

Be aware that "Brick Red Stools" in children can suggest a bleed from Mackel's diverticulum and hence must be referred to a paediatrician. Mackel's diverticulum is a congenital condition. The bleeding usually settles on its own but very rarely the child can become severely anaemic and may need a blood transfusion. Surgical intervention also is very rare.
GS
UK

My 6 mos. old daughter has been on Omnicef for about 3-4 days now, AND she is also dealing with some constipation...today she had about 3 clay like stools that were red-orange and then tonight another one was completely brick red/maroon. It didn't really look like a typical bloody stool, but I was nervous due to her constipation and straining when trying to get it out. I called the triage nurse and she said it was from the Omnicef...thank God she's not actually bleeding!

It was very alarming though, and we almost went to the ER. Hopefully her resp. infection and constipation will subside and she will get to feeling better soon!

My daughter was prescribed Omnicef for an ear infection. Almost a week into the dosing she developed a severe rash all over her body. She also was very "sensitive" while on the meds, which it's hard to tell if it was the meds or just not feeling well. But my son has been on this med before and had the orange/red stools. After reading all of these posts I will never allow him to take this medication again. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we have seen the worst of her rash and she can start to get on the road to recovery.

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP- 9 MONTH OLD SON
TOOK this drug- he has had 4 brick red stools and is looking pale - the Dr said it was the dye in the medicine but the medicine is white- please someone reply I just don't feel right about this

Omnicef is actually one antibiotic my 2 year old has little trouble with. The red stools are alarming but at least they are solid. Currently he's on Augmentin which has caused horrible rash and loose stools.
The other nice thing about Omnicef is the dosing schedule.Usually once or twice daily depending on the infection. The 3x daily with Augmentin is way too much stress for me to bear,and for him even more so. Seeing his poor little red butt makes me cry with him. Since the two drugs can be used for the same infections, I will be asking for the Omnicef first from now on. Omnicef seems to clear his infections very quickly. The Docs really should forewarn about the red stools though, they are quite scary,even though they are typically harmless.

This is the second time my 9 month old has been prescribed this antibiotic. The fist time, she was 5 months old and after 3 days had a 'rectal fissure' (supposedly since she had a positive test for bloody stool) and the medication was discontinued. Just about two weeks ago, she was prescribed it again. She had the red/rusty stools and I took her in and it was negative for blood. She has been refusing to eat and extremely irritable. After 7 days of this antibiotic, I took her back in for a recheck. Her ears were clear and the antibiotic was discontinued. She has been off of the antibiotic for 5 days now and is still irritable, having explosive diahrea diapers 4 to 5 times a day and refusing to eat. Currently we are monitoring her for dehydration and giving only pedialyte for feeds. She has had a total of 16 ounces yesterday and had 13 ounces today. She has had continued diahrea and has had 2 very barely wet diapers now.
My four year old was on this medication a couple of times and never had any trouble. I am concerned however about the reactions that have been experienced this time around. I hope that no other parent has to endure this with their child. Personally, I will request something other than Omnicef in the future.

My 24 month old daughter was prescribed Omnicef for adenoiditis by her ENT. She is on day 6 of the drug and is experiencing a terrible pimple-like rash over her entire body, and her infection symptoms don't seem to be improving very quickly. She is also very agitated and fearful of things that she is not normally scared of. She has been extremely moody and clingy since taking this drug (not typical of her personality). She also has the maroon stools. I am calling the ENT tomorrow in hope that he will suggest an alternative to this drug, to which she is OBVIOUSLY having a reaction.

I was amazed by other parents entries on the side effects of Omnicef. My 6 year old son Matthew has had the exact same side effects! Hives that look like he was lashed, horrible stools, etc. He has Autism, so you can imagine how horrible this was for his emotions. I discovered this website today and have immediately stopped the medication. He was taking this for Sinititus. I definitely will be spreading the word on these side effects to other parents!

My 7 month old daughter has only taken her second dose of omnicef. This is her 4th antibiotic in a row for an ear infection that started 3 months ago. So far she hasn't had any problems with this antibiotic (and luckily any other antibiotic), but I will definately be paying closer attention to her behavior at night after reading this. She really hasn't slept very well since she has been sick anyway. She has had red looking stools, but her MD told me she would so I wasn't concerned.

My son is being treated for an ear infection and this is his first time on omnicef. I have noticed day #2 and my 15 month son's stools were maroon colored. My first thought was blood as well, but I was told this is a normal reaction for omnicef to turn bowels orange or maroon colored resembling blood due to reaction with iron in the diet. The pediatric nurse assured me that this is normal and they look for symptoms such as bright red blood in the stool,black stool, and abdominal pain. My son's appetite is good and he is now after day #2 afebrile and doing just fine. However, I will continue to be observant.

Wow am I glad I found this site! My son has had blow out diapers with brick red stools since he started this drug. It looked like he was bleeding to death! Three or four stools a day. We will inform our pediatrician immediately.

I was prescribed omnicef for redness in my throat which assumed to be some type of infection. I was told by my doctor that I had a "viral infection" I was given a 10 day does, after a day or two I noticed very soft stools which lead to diarrhea, nausea, anal and vaginal irritation and itching. I have been trying to drink a lot of water to flush my system but I am not back to normal. My appetite is a little off and the irritation seems to be somewhat like "diaper rash?" I'm 34 years old! I will never take this medicine again, I haven't been back in touch with my doctor but after reading all of this I am now thinking I should. This is scary.

My 7 mth old daughter was given Onicef for her double ear infection. Several days into the medication we noticed her stools being an orange/red color and was worried that there was blood in her stool. My husband and I were not aware of this side effect. She has also started waking up several times during the night crying out and will not go back to sleep. This is very unusual for her since we can put her down at 9:30 and she will sleep until 6:00 the next morning. I am glad to know that we are not the only ones experiencing these problems. I wish we would have know sooner.

hello. my 27 month boy was prescribed omnicef for pharyngitis. he has had six doses (once per day) and started having brick red stools 3 days into taking omnicef. we were extremely worried at first to see the red stools but finally found out it was a side effect and not blood in his stool. on day 6 of omnicef he started having diarrhea. i hope this doesn't persist for the four more days of omnicef!
BEHAVIOR - starting on his fourth day of taking omnicef he has developed a very cranky, fit-throwing behavior that we hardly ever see out of him. his appetite has gone down considerably also. our little 27 mo. boy usually is a hefty eater but hasn't even had the desire, really. throughout today (day 6) he has been unable to even play his favorite games due to his grumpiness. i'm relieved to have read other parents noticing these same issues with their little ones.
good luck - mommy

My son is 11 months old and was prescribed Omnicef for an ear infection / sinus infection last week, and after a few days his stools became brick red in color. He is on an iron-fortified formula. Over the past 6 months, my son has struggled with recurrent ear infections / sinus infections, and from what I remember this is the second time he has been prescribed Omnicef. The first time he took Omnicef I was still nursing him at least half of his feedings per day and supplementing with same iron-fortified fomula he is on now, and I don't recall any brick-red stools.

My 4 month old son was diagnosed with bronchiolitis 6 days ago. The physician put him on Omnicef. Today, day 6, he had brick red stools. We took him to the after hours pediatrics and tests were done on it. It tested negative for blood. Learned from the Physician there that she'd seen this before. I feel so much better seeing other people have experienced the same side effects. Wish I'd known as well, because I was very frightened!!

My 5 year-old daughter starting taking omnicef nine days ago. On day seven she began complaining with tummy aches and several hours later began experiencing diarrhea. I mentioned to my husbsand that this may be a side effect and he thought we should stop the drug. I am concerned that if we stop the medication she will relapse....she has had a severe sinus infection and this is her third antibiotic since none of the others seem to be have been effective. I have not noticed any red stools with her but it is still possible.

Hi our 17 mnth old is on this. He had the red stools on day 3.
He has been cranky and screaming. We are stopping the med today.

29 Years Old - MALE

starting taking Omnicef 300mg 2 per day,... 7 days ago! RIGHT AWAY red, thin, sometimes sand-like stools. 5 days into the 10 DAY CYCLE, the always fun, anal itchy rash! I must be an idiot for not stopping the medication earlier, BUT I will NOT finish the last three days! Never had any reaction to ANY other medication in my life.

THE EFFECTS OF OMNICEF ARE WAY WORSE THEN WHAT OMNICEF WAS BEING TAKEN FOR! Bad Medicine!

Started taking Ominicef 300 mg. for upperrespitory infection
and Bronchitis on Dec 17,2005 dose 2 300mg tabs daily,
I developed extrime diaharea, which continued for 5 days, I was supposed to take this for 7 days, on the 5th day I developed an extemely sore throat which felt like a boil in my
throat, went back to the Dr. and had blood tests done I had
noticed a coffee ground effect coming from the stool, the test
showed that I was bleeding internaly and there was blood in the stool. The doctor had me stop taking it, I have just started to have normal looking stools, but this extreme reaction has
left me very weak,due to the extreme loss of fluid and blood

what the heck!!!! this is a very dangerous drug????
diarhea, gas, rash, bad dreams?? is thi sdrug just a experiemental drug doctors use if other medications don't work. CAUTION-REPORTED OF REDDISH BLOODY LOOKING STOOLS WHILE TAKING THIS DRUG!!!! YOUR DOCTOR SHOULD BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY!!! AND STOP THIS MEDICATION!!

I have been searching the web for side effects to this antibiotic & found this site. My 20 month old daughter has also experienced the big itchy bumps all over her body & brick red stools from this medication. I have been told this is an allergic reaction & to use benedryl until everything clears up. I have also been told the red stools can be GI bleeding & if it is it will be mucasy or have red blood streaks in it & that it is very serious if so. I got my info from nurses & doctors over the telephone. I had planned to take my baby to the ER just to relieve my own worries, but after reading all the other people that had the same reaction I will just watch her closely. I would like to hear from those of you that have dealt with this reaction in your babies & how long it lasts & the ending results from this medication.
Thanks :)

My son is 13 months old and this is the 3rd time that he has been on omnicef. The firt time it was for pneumonia, and these last 2 times, it was for an ear infection. The first 2 times he took this medicine, it gave him a diaper rash like poison ivy. Thats all. But this time, He has Bloody looking stools. he is a little irritable, but he was before he got on his meds because of the infection. His stool really concerned me, so when I read your comments, I am reassured, but I am still waiting on the dr. to call me back just to be sure. Thank you.

Wow, this is very imformative...I am both shocked and alarmed that they would torture children with this horrible medication. My 12 month old has been on this medication for 1 week, he too has had red stools I figured it was probably a side effect but, I found it very strange that he has been very aggressive, clingy, and throwing temper tantrums, which he never does, he's usually very happy no matter what. I decided to do some research and see if I was the only one who had noticed behavioral changes with this medication. Nonetheless, I just threw the bottle in the garbage where it belongs, this crap should be banned our babies shouldn't have to suffer like this.

This is the 2nd time that my 8 month old has taken omnicef for ear infections. He has had red, bloody looking stools both times. The first time, I rushed him to the doctor and was told he just had a rectal tear. As soon as he finished the antibiotic, the red stools stopped. He is on the medication again and has the nasty diapers again. He is feeling better so I'm not too concerned. I just don't understand why the doctors dismiss the concerns of the parents and act like there is no way the medication would cause this.

My 20 month old son has been miserable since he has been taking Omnicef. He has been very cranky, he does not want to eat anything, and when he does, he trows up everything. His stools are terrible bloody - red and soft. I really thing there's something very wrong with this medicine. I really don't know why pediatricians prescribe this horrible antibiotoc.

My seven month old son was prescribed Omnicef for an ear infection four days ago and it was the worst experience we have had yet...worse than colick and worse than reflux. My son who is normally extremely happy and easy going became a monster. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink and wouldn't sleep. He would throw a tantrum and swat his bottle out of my hand he wouldn't let me rock him or put him in the bed. He acted like he had gone mad and was very aggressive. It was a horrible experience. I called the doctor back after only one day of being on the medicine and they told me that these weren't side effects of the Omnicef and it was probably just his ears hurting to give it a couple more days. This behavior continued until today when I refused to give him another dose and told the nurse so...she asked if he was on any other cold medicine etc...and he wasn't so they prescribed him augmentin which is what we normally take and have never had a problem. I will never give this medicine to my child again and am not sure I will ever take it myself for sinusitis again either. He also experienced red looking stools but I can't swear that it was bloody but it was definitely a rusty red.

I am a 16 year old girl and I started taking Omnicef 9 days ago, for a soar throat due to the flu. After 3 days I developed diarrhea, and the stools were softned and red. I called the doctor and was told that if I had been taking vitamins or other medications with iron that it would turn the stools red. I was taking vitamins that contained it, so I stopped. Although my stools are no long red, I still have diarrhea. I also experienced severe lower back pains while on this. I have talked to my parents and we decided it was best for me to stop taking the medication, due to my back. I really hope my side effects get better soon.

My 4 yr old son was given Omnicef for pneumonia. After a few days, i saw what i thought was blood in the stool....his stools have all been soft, but not diarrhea and also full of mucous. my son dances around crying to have a bowel movement and it breaks my heart. i called his ped who told me too that it was the dye in the med, but hello, the med is white. I have definately seen blood in his stool...bright red. i looked at the website for Omnicef and it says if you see blood in the stool or mucous to stop using it. He's almost done with it so i am going to stop it. My daughter is 2 and is on it as well and so far, no blood in her stool. this stuff is scary. Does anyone know if the blood goes away after you stop this or do you need to seek medical attention?

My daughter is taking Omnicef for a sinus infection. She has had several soft, maroon stools every day and complains of stomach pain. I was told by pediatrician that the red color is because of the way the drug interacts with the iron in her diet. After research on the web, I discovered that I should watch out for fever, stomach pain and diarreah because these could indicate intestinal infection.

I'm a 42 year old woman who started taking Omnicef 8 days ago for Laryngitis.
On the third day I started having and still have soft, mushy stools.
Still have laryngitis. No relief at all.

My 10 month old was prescribed Omnicef for a severe ear infection that actually burst his eardrum. By day 4 he had the dark maroon in his stools. This is day 7 and he had the worst, most substantial diarrhea diaper I have ever seen in a child. That was this morning. After his bedtime dose and a bottle, he threw up the whole bottle and everything he ate all day, which was not much, thank god. We did not have any trouble like this when he had Amoxicillian for his first ear infection.

I'm and adult taking Omnicef for ear infection and immediately noticed reddish softened stools and lack of appetite and aching joints at night. A week after starting it I now have a skin rash--large red, slightly swollen patches around both ears, along the hairline, and along the neckline and hands. It's driving me nuts. I have had construction in our house, however, so I don't know if I can attribute the skin rash to sawdust and sheetrock dust.