Do you wear a talisman if you have a penicillin allergy?

[cliffdiver]

Been allergic to penicillin since late teens (rash).

Friend was shocked I didn’t wear a talisman alerting HCPs of my allergy as apparently if I needed antibiotics and was not in a position to communicate then penicillin would usually be the go to antibiotic.

Does anyone have any thoughts? I didn’t think it was necessary...

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Watching with interest, I'm allergic too and didn't think much about it. But I'm also allergic to nitrafurantoin and chlorphenamine, so the talisman would be gigantic.

[PhDPepper]

Oh like a medi alert bracelet?

No I don’t wear one and I have a bee sting allergy too, but my phone’s emergency health card says what I’m allergic to and who to call. Those bracelets are ugly

[HowcouldIpossiblyknow]

Yes I think it is a very good idea - op's friend has a point. For the reasons s/he gives, really.
They can fit a lot of tiny writing onto the locket, and also give a number to call for more info, so you can cram in information about a lot of allergies!

[delilahbucket]

I don't wear one. Never occurred to me to do so. Penicillin isn't the "go to" antibiotic it once was.

[Notanothergiraffe]

I’m with PhDPepper

I have thought about it in the past a long time ago but never actually bought a talisman.

My phone’s emergency card does state it though and is accessible without my fingerprint or pin so anyone should be able to see it easily.

I would be interested if any paramedics can tell us if it is routine to look at phones for info?

[HowcouldIpossiblyknow]

Ooh what's a phone's emergency health card, that sounds like a good idea too! (In case the necklace has somehow fallen off and become separated - yes I do tend to envisage complications!)

[Notanothergiraffe]

howcouldipossiblyknow
It’s on an iPhone and you set it via the Health app I think.

[HowcouldIpossiblyknow]

sounds good, but how is it accessible without the pin? On my phone you can't see anything without the pin (though I admit I am probably not the best informed person about its functionality!)

Mind you the phone could also get separated from the person - thinking rta for example. So I will keep the necklace as well!

Yes would be interesting to know if paramedics do check phones.

[BikeRunSki]

I have a colleague who is a Type 1 diabetic. He has this info tattooed on his left wrist.

[HowcouldIpossiblyknow]

That's interesting bikerunski, I've never heard of that before but it is the safest way.
Just read back and it looks as though I sounded sceptical about the phone card - I'm not! Just genuinely interested in how it bypasses the pin.
Any paramedics/medics around who can say whether in practice such things (necklaces, cards etc) do save lives? I always feel a bit nervous when I forget mine (rarely but has happened).

[Seeyamonday]

I wear one around my neck as I have a very serious reaction to general Anaesthetic and am scared that if something happened to me my medical records might not be available to whoever is dealing with me, better safe than sorry.

[May50]

I am allergic to penicillin but don't wear a bracelet or anything. I have thought about it, but not got round to it. Maybe I should.

[PoppyPopcorn]

Not a medic but...

If you are a diabetic or similar it's entirely possible that you would be unconscious by the time the ambulance picked you up and a medic alert bracelet saying that you're a type 1 diabetic or have epilepsy could save a lot of time faffing and trying to work out what's wrong with you.

I would imagine that with antibiotic allergy, you'd more likely to conscious, and in the position to be able to tell the doctors and nurses yourself. Or someone with you will be able to.

[PhDPepper]

@HowcouldIpossiblyknow if you try and open my phone without my finger print it brings you to a screen to input the pin- on the bottom left there’s an ‘emergency’ button
Press that and it’s another screen on the bottom left of that screen there’s a medical alert button. Press that and you get my emergency details. I’ve not included a screen shot of that because that would be stupid

[HowcouldIpossiblyknow]

thanks phd - that is very useful!

Poppy my fear is the rta scenario - emergency surgery followed by prophylactic antiobiotics when not conscious!

(Not that I spend a lot of time thinking about it - but that's the main reason I wear one. Of course there are other unconscious/delirious scenarios, and the fact that oral information may not get passed on or written into the notes.)

I have heard (second hand only admittedly) frightening stories of the consequences of penicillin allergy, so that has also affected my decision to do the necklace. Now off to work my phone out!

[Borntoflyinfirst]

My mum has one as she is allergic to certain pain killers. So for the same reasons as OP it’s important people know.

[Monkeypuzzle32]

Never even occurred to me and I have quite a bad allergy to amoxicillin/penicillin -I was shocked a few years ago when a first aid trainer said it could kill 😮 I don't think they use penicillin so much though these days?

[Mupflup]

I have penicillin allergy and never thought about wearing one...on the basis I've only ever had an (admittedly horrendous) rash as a reaction I've never taken it that seriously as I've figured it's not gonna kill me. Never thought about the being unconscious scenario before though tbh.

[CandyMelts]

Never thought about this either... like @mupflup I've just had one horrendous rash as never taken it since but I think the any further reactions can be much worse?

I recently had a bad accident, knocked unconscious and I can't rememeber the following hours when I woke up. DH said I was talking gobbledigook but the one thing I was consistent on was telling the medics I had this allergy. So somewhere deep in my brain I obviously consider it important!

[sashh]

I think humans should be able to have a microchip linked to a database, hospital / ambulance could scan and bring up any details.

[imokit]

Medical alerts and emergency cards are also on android.
I'm not allergic to anything but I have my blood group and emergency contacts in there.

[Notanothergiraffe]

I too have only had the horrendous rash that covered every centimetre of my body and I mean every centimetre!! I gather that subsequent reactions can be much worse.

[HowcouldIpossiblyknow]

I agree, I've heard the reaction can be worse each time.

What I don't know though is whether, if you have the rash reaction the first time (maybe 'rash' is a bit of an understatement though, as in my case it was basically wholesale change of colour!), may you be likely have the anaphylactic shock reaction if you have a further dose? I've always assumed yes, which is why it can be so dangerous - but am not a medic!

[cliffdiver]

Sorry I forgot I started this thread!

Thank you for all the responses.

I assume that if I were in an accident there would be something on me (driving license?) that would identify me that would mean the HCPs could look me up and access my centralised medical records.

I too have been told that the reaction can get worse each time, giraffe and possibly.

[BikeRunSki]

But I don’t think all medical records are centralised are they? Not completely?