skin rash on hands

On sunday night i started to get a really sore throat. by monday morning i could hardly swallow at all. i also got a slight redish rash on my arms. i started taking amoxicillin thinking that i had strep throat. as of yesterday my throat hurts less and even today it doesnt hardly hurt at all but i have this rash that developed worse on my hands and feet. i thought i may have been allergic to the amoxicillin so i stopped taking that yesterday. the rash is still getting worse. its all over my hands on the top and on the palms. it itches very much. its also on my feet on the soles a little bit and on my ankles. its starting to go farther up my arms. its redish and its not really raised at all. it started out as little red spots but its all connecting now. what would this be?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like hives. They are red itchy areas which may suddenly appear. Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others may be triggered by viral infections or medications. In your case sore throat may be responsible for the hives.
Apply calamine lotion and take some Benadryl for your symptoms. If the symptoms persist then topical and oral steroids may be needed for which I suggest a dermatologist’s consultation.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep us posted on how you are doing. Kind regards.