Is it normal for my son to have stomach pains with his Penicillin antibiotic?

Question

My 16 year old son started taking antibiotics on December 9th. On Sunday (December 11) he started to have stomach pains above the navel. I started probiotics. The situation has improved over the days. ( During 4-5 days the improvement ) However, Sunday ( yesterday ) he felt a pain in the same place for a few minutes. The pain diminished a lot afterwards, however, pain at 2-3/10 is still present. The antibiotic he took was penicilin 3x/day for 10 days. He finished taking it yesterday morning (last dose in the morning). He is eating, drinking and his general condition is good. No fever. No diarrhea either. Also, my son has no known allergies or health problems. He takes concerta and intuniv for his ADHD. Has no pain on palpation. Bar pain above the belly button only. No nausea/vomiting. He sometimes says he needs to burp, but is unable to. I had given him Gaviscon last week, but no effect. Thank you ☺️

Sarah-Yan Chagnon · Accepted Answer

Hello, Abdominal pain with antibiotics is quite common throughout the treatment and sometimes even in the week following the end of the treatment. Since he has no severe digestive symptoms, his general condition is good and the pain is consistent with the new medication, I don't think it is necessary to consult at this time. I recommend that you continue the probiotics for another week and monitor the evolution of the symptoms. If the symptoms worsen or become severe, then a medical consultation will be necessary. We look forward to hearing from you, Sarah-Yan Chagnon, pharmacist