Jun 30 2009
Treating Mononucleosis – Skin Rash
If you have a skin rash during a bout of Epstein Barr or mono, it is important to determine the cause of the rash. It is possible that the rash is a post viral rash or it can due to an allergy or intolerance to medication or food. Let’s have a look at the common causes for a skin rash when treating mononucleosis.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are of no use in treating viruses like Epstein Barr – the virus which causes mono. In fact using antibiotics like amoxicillin and ampicillin in mono patients may cause a measle-like rash.
Occasionally antibiotics may be prescribed when treating mononucleosis if a secondary bacterial infection like strep throat develops. In these cases it is worth getting a swab and culture done to confirm if you have developed a secondary infection. If you do test positive for a bacterial infection, then amoxicillin and ampicillin should be avoided.
Viral skin rash
A skin rash in the early, acute stage of mono can be a viral rash which normally resolves itself within a couple of days. This skin rash is commonly seen in children.
Allergy or intolerance to medication or foods
A more extensive and prolonged skin rash can be an allergic reaction or an intolerance to a medication or food that you have been taking. Many drugs can be hard for the body to metabolise. If liver function is impaired, as it often is with mono, the rash may be itchy, red and raised. It may be accompanied by nausea, poor appetite, headaches and malaise.
Natural remedies for a mono skin rash
If a skin reaction does appear when you are treating mononucleosis there are a few remedies you can try. Topically you can try some healing gels like paw paw ointment or aloe vera gel which can take the itch and redness out of the rash.
Exposing the skin to sunlight may enhance healing – just don’t get sun burnt. If using sunlight when treating mononucleosis it is advisable to test how your body reacts first for a few minutes. Although most of my patients find sunlight helpful, some individuals seem to get an adverse reaction to sun which can worsen their symptoms.
When treating mononucleosis patients with a skin reaction, I have found the nutrients vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc and the omega 3 fats can reduce the inflammation and discomfort. Anti-inflammatory foods in the diet like turmeric, ginger, garlic, deep sea fish, pineapple and paw paw are also excellent.
Doing some gentle liver cleansing with lemon juice in warm water on rising, plus plenty of fluids throughout the day is essential to flush the virus and toxins out of the body.
For more information on treating mononucleosis naturally with nutrients, herbs, a healthy diet, liver cleansing and lifestyle changes, then please refer to my e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures”.
8 responses so far
I am quite likely to have a rash due to complication of taking amoxicillin while I had a viral infection. This webpage makes the most sense, but I hope there is more information available. I had ruptured an eardrum on a return flight in mid December. For days prior I felt under the weather and sub coming to full out weakness fell asleep early on the day before my return. I felt feverish and like I was developing a serious cold. On the ninth day of taking the amoxicillin I developed a very itchy rash. It started behind my ears, but soon after was on my arms and then legs. It continued to spread throughout out my extremities and scalp. My extremities also swelled to the point I could not close my hands and walking was painful. That day I went to a doctor who thought it a allergic reaction to the antibiotic and prescribed methyl prednisone. There was very little relief, so I revisited the doctor who then up the steroid to a more powerful prednisone. I had a low-grade fever on that visit and a cough (I have not taken any of the prescribe second antibiotic or cough syrup but both symptoms seem to have disappeared). The swelling is gone in hands and arms, and greatly diminished in my legs and feet. Benadryl helps relief the itch, but I don’t want to use it to frequently. Unfortunately, none to this treatment seems to relief the rash much. The rash seems elusive. Sometimes its course seems like it just moves from one location to another nearby one, but other times it jumps elsewhere. The rash starts out as bumps and then join to form huge welt-like marks and then as they disappear (if) they become a red blotch before returning to normal. I haven’t had much on my chest, back or face relative to other areas. The most intense itch has been on my hands (mostly palms and fingers, scalps (particularly along the hairline) and feet. At times these areas become painful on palpation which really stinks when you have an intense itch. I must say I felt much better today than previous days, but as I type this evening I feel/see the itch reoccur in some area on my arms and legs and forehead, jaw line and below my chin. I have not taken a medication of any sort in twelve years prior to this by choice and it a significant challenge to my beliefs of healing be in this predicament. Like I said it seems that the information that has been reported on this webpage seems to be the most likely explanation, so I hope that I can get more information on the best course of action and progression. It’s been difficult to get any information at all, but this seems like a good lead. Thank you so much and have a blessed New Year!
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your post. Sorry to hear of your rash. It does sound like it may be a side effect of the amoxicillin.
I would recommend you do a few days of a gentle cleansing diet based around fresh vegetables, fruit, quality protein, healthy fats and lots of pure water. If you have not already, I would add some probiotics like acidophillus and bifido bacteria into your diet to replensih the healthy gastrointestinal flora. Some of the anti-inflammatory foods like ginger, turmeric, fish oils, vitamin C and zinc would be worth including. When the itch appears you could try a warm oatmeal bath or try a topical ointment like aloe vera or paw paw. I hope you start to feel better soon.
Elizabeth
Thanks for your prompt reply! It’s music to my ears! I intend to go along with your recommendation and move back out of the medical paradigm where one problem leads to another through interactions (side effects) that most are not fully aware of or tend to understate. It’s too easy, and profitable for the medical and pharmaceutical establishments, to remain in the medical world once you’ve landed there. I know better and still there I was. I can’t tell you how many websites I searched where one after another story was “I have this similar rash and the doctors treat it several different ways without success and none could reveal an underlying cause”. I’m so thankful I found your website and am convinced that this is how I came to be in this predicament. I hope that others will arrive at your page and find it as helpful and avoid additional complications. My wife is a chiropractor, we live through chiropractic philosophy but in rare emergent cases seek medical advice. The power that made the body heals the body! Medicine can only hope to alleviate the symptoms with minimal consequence elsewhere while the real healing is delivered through innate intelligence. The life force will serve us best when we treat our body as the temple it truly is! Do you have any other means of publicizing your knowledge in this area (FaceBook, email, …)? I would like to stay in touch and see that others are aware! Thanks Again!!
Hi Matt,
Yes I agree that many people get stuck in the conventional medicine loop. The body has a wonderful self-healing mechanism if given the chance. I’m sure your chiropractic knowledge will help. Keep us posted on how you go.
Elizabeth
PS. I do a weekly blog on natural healing plus the occasional Youtube video, podcast and ezine article when time allows!
I have mono, and am currently on the mend. My sore throat has been healed for weeks, and my bouts with fatigue are few and far between. But over the past couple of days, I have noticed something of a skin rash developing on my back. Raised skin and bumpy, but not particularly itchy, and only a very light shade of red. Today, it spread to my face a bit. I know that the mono is still very much in my system, but most of the websites that I’ve read say that rashes are more common during the preliminary stages. What am I currently experiencing?
Side-note: I took a Claritin D 24-hour Allergy pill this morning, and have a sketchy history with the pill in the past. Never developed a rash because of it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I am experiencing an allergic reaction.
Thanks,
Alex
Hi Alex,
Yes the viral rash commonly seen in mono usually appears in the initial, acute stage of the infection although I have had patients who experience the rash at a later stage. In the longer term mono can compromise liver function so seemingly safe drugs and foods can cause a reaction. I would be drinking lots of fluids and adding some anti-inflammatory foods like fish oils, ginger, turmeric, vitamin C and zinc into your regime. If the rash persists, then using a gentle soothing cream like paw paw or aloe vera extract may help.
Elizabeth
Hi,
I’ve had mono for about two weeks now, and one of the new things that’s started in the past day or two is that I’m itchy all over, especially my feet. I don’t have a rash or any bumps yet, so I’m not sure if this is related, but it’s driving me crazy and keeping me up all night! I can’t seem to get it to stop. Any suggestions? Ive tried different lotions, but thats it.
Thanks!
Libby
Hi Libby,
Sometimes itchiness can come from the liver being involved in mono. I would recommend you take some natural anti-inflammatories like vitamin C, zinc, ginger, fish oils and turmeric. Drinking plenty of pure water, following an alkaline diet and doing some dry skin brushing may also help. Lemon juice in warm water on rising or a gentle liver cleanser would be advisable.
Best Wishes
Elizabeth