help! side effects of mupirocin (generic bactroban) ointment?

something is not right with DS. his level of anger and rage since Saturday night is way beyond the norm. even for him, and he has a history of a good temper.

i am desperate to figure out what might be going on.

last week we had an appt with a pedi derm - appt had been made months ago b/c of wait list. main reason to go was for rash on his face (perioral dermatitis) and eczema on his rear end.

his face, according to her looks like it's improving. good. rear end, she said to just keep slathering on thick creams. great. not very helpful, but ok.

however, a few weeks ago he had happened to have a horrid diaper rash. so i mentioned that to her. and the fact that his scrotum was still kind of red IMO.

she looked and said it didn't look bad at all, but she swabbed for a culture "just in case."

i got a call last Fri that the culture was positive for staph aureus and that she was prescribing mupirocin (generic bactroban) ointment to be put on three times a day for a week.

we started on sat morning.

then we had the bath incident on sat night. and since then, each day has been getting more and more crazy with the intensity and duration of the rages. and they come out of nowhere.

also, since mon he's had very, very loose stools.

his face and his ears are flushed throughout the day, but he has no fever.

i've googled mupirocin side effects but didn't turn up much at all

i've got a call into the doc.

but wondering if anyone here has used this, and if they noticed any strange side effects?

or do you have any other ideas of what might be going on with DS? i am beside myself.

today it took me an hour. a solid hour. to get a diaper on him after he pooped. and when it was finally on, there was poop on the walls in his room. on me. on the floor. you get the picture. it was like we went to war. i can't live like this. something is not right, but i don't know who to call. i feel like if i call my pedi, i wouldn't even know what to say i'm calling for.

Wow, that sounds awful! There is something up. I wish I had some advice for you. Sorry you and he are going through this.

ANY medication can cause side effects. Anything. It sounds like it can be highly irritating. He may "just" be in a great deal of pain.

I would call them ASAP, tell them he has been having HUGE behavioral side effects since starting the cream and are there other options.

Has his diet changed at all? Has he been in any new environments?

Oh my goodness. I know you said you're waiting on the doc to call you back but while you wait, maybe give your pharmacist a call?

We have used bactroban on our son for over a year, on and off, and have never experienced any side effects. He had a serious infection at 5 mos that required hospitalization and iv antibiotics. You don't want to mess with a staph infection, things can get pretty scary pretty fast, IME.

Another thing that will help keep the staph in check is 1 tsp of bleach per gallon of bath water. We did this for a year after his hospitalization. An added benefit is that bleach can work wonders for eczema.

From webmd:

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This medication may cause burning, stinging, itching or pain at first as your body adjusts to it. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

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He is reacting VERY strongly to diaper changes (that seems to have been a precipitating factor in several of his outbursts). I would strongly consider that he is in pain.

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Originally Posted by lmh2402

his face and his ears are flushed throughout the day, but he has no fever.

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This is what happens to my DS#1, along with severe behavioral changes including rages of anger when he eats things with food dye, or takes certain medications. DH reacts this way when he uses benzocaine cream.

Whenever we see red ears and face, we say "uh-oh...you know what's coming!"

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Originally Posted by egoldber

He is reacting VERY strongly to diaper changes (that seems to have been a precipitating factor in several of his outbursts). I would strongly consider that he is in pain.

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:yeahthat: Coupled with loose stools and his reaction to the bath, which I assume he understood involved him sitting on his bare rear end, it sounds like he could be in serious pain from whatever reaction it's causing.

Going with the pain angle, what about trying tylenol for a day and see if that makes diaper changes any easier/less painful? Not a long term solution, but I've been following your posts and my heart is going out to you during such a tough situation.