to think they should hav more evidence before diagnosing an alergy (penicillin)

[itsagooddaytosavehives]

DD has been on flucloxocillin for 4 days for an infection in her finger. last night she was woken up by intense itching and this morning she has an angry red rash all over her hands, feet and knees.

Its not hives and googling told me this was a common side effect and didn't necessarily mean an allergy.

went to the GP and saw the nurse (was no GP appointments available) who took a quick look at her hands and feet and said yes definitely a reaction, stop taking them, take piriton and don't have penicillin based antibiotics again. then she wrote Penicillin under the allergy section of her notes on the computer.

AIBU to think that this was quite rash (haha sorry) or is this usually how penicillin allergy is diagnosed?

This is exactly how I was diagnosed. They don't do allergy testing for it as they can easily offer alternatives.

I have undergone allergy testing for morphine - they stopped the test because I was starting to get breathing issues - they won't confirm I'm allergic - they just say best avoided.

I may get tested. Because I've taken penicillin before and been fine.

Just the last time the swelling and rash. And I felt awful. Flu like symptoms.

I guess ill ask the doctor about testing and if they say they wont or don't need to then we will just assume she is allergic

My DD is allergic to lots of things including a life-threatening nut allergy. She came out in a rash after being given penicillin, so the hospital did a penicillin challenge test. It took most of a day, but we came out of it clear that she hadn't reacted to the penicillin, and she's taken it without problems since then.

We've since moved to the US and the allergist we see here wrote this article about how many people are misdiagnosed with a penicillin allergy.

www.pressherald.com/2015/11/13/maine-voices-new-fda-approved-test-reveals-if-penicillin-allergy-was-misdiagnosed/

We were getting allergy testing done for DD and her GP asked them to add in penicillin since it had been diagnosed by rash. The allergist responded that would be ridiculous, they don’t need to test because the rash reaction is sufficient for a lifetime ban on all -Cillins

When I was having testing done with a different allergist I asked about adding penicillin for me (I’m also allergic) and got the same response.

That’s how my parents realised I had a penicillin allergy when I was a baby.
Like any other allergy - you can’t really know if you’re allergic until you’ve been exposed to it I guess.
I’m mum to a child with multiple food allergies, including anaphylaxis to cows milk - weaning was a massive, terrifying minefield, but trying common allergens was the only way to find out if he reacted to those

Allergic to penicillin here too. Was told I must be allergic by on call doctor circa 1987 when my mum called him out because I was very ill with tonsillitis and had developed a huge rash. For some reason it was never put on my records, regardless of how many times I mentioned it over the years, it always seemed to be a surprise to the Dr I was speaking too and they gave me an alternative anti-b. Began to wonder if i had imagined it.

Until I had ds, he was around 2 and was given amoxicillin for the first time. A tiny drop dripped on my finger and I absentmindedly licked it. 10 mins later I had a rash from my big toe right up to the top of my head, every inch of my body covered.

oh really, well it seems a rash is good enough to say no more penicillin. thanks all. shes currently having an oat bath after some piriton to try to ease the itching

I’m down as allergic to penicillin, came out in a lovely rash from it. Had no problems taking it beforehand. I have a few seriously allergies and It coincided with two of them mysteriously becoming a lot, lot worse and also becoming allergic to a few other things I’d previously eaten for years beforehand. Doctor thought it was better safe than sorry!

My granny was allergic to penicillin, at a time when it was pretty much the only antibiotic.
She had that sort of reaction the first time.
They gave it her again. Let's say the reaction was considerably worse.
The third time she was putting penicillin on an infected cut on one of the children. She nearly died.

It's apparently typical that it gets worse each time, so you can understand them not being willing to risk it.

Thanks, OP. I'd noticed that the last couple of times they've wanted to give me an antibiotic, they've asked what happened when I took penicillin, and when I said hives, they looked grave and hurriedly moved on. So you've explained that. I've always avoided penicillin because it isn't fun having hives for 2-3 years after one course of penicillin, but had really given a second thought to a more serious reaction.

RCPCH guidelines about managing drug allergy.

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/RCPCHCareePathwayforrChildrenwithhDrugAllergy.pdf

Yep, same for me - I had repeated tonsillitis as a child and had amoxycillin umpteen times, then bam, all-over itchy swollen rash after one particular course when I was 10. They noted me as allergic to all varieties of penicillin thereafter, with dire warnings that as an adult the reaction was likely to be much worse!

I had Septrin for the next 2 years until I had my tonsils out, which I believe has since been withdrawn...or I might have dreamt that?

I've since discovered I react badly to quite a few antibiotics, but my only other true allergy is nitrafurantoin. Very nasty respiratory effects, scary shit.

I too was diagnosed as a teenager with an allergy to penicillin. I can out in spots all over my body.

I’m in my 50s now and very had an issue with taking other kinds of antibiotics. I would just make sure your Dd knows about the allergy as she dries up, so it becaimes second nature for her to tell medical professionals.

Depends where you are but here it is reasonably common to go to an allergy clinic for an allergy to be confirmed.

Penicillin allergy isn’t without consequence - there are lots of other abx but one of the main classes used in place of penicillin (cephalosporins) has a degree of cross reactivity meaning some people are allergic to both. The drug that was found to be the chief culprit in perioperative anaphylaxis was an abx commonly given in Theatre to people who report a penicillin allergy, some of whom are not actually allergic to penicillin.

The nurse did the right thing however - she would be an absolute fool to do anything else and risk a life threatening reaction. I would not be querying her action at all.

That's interesting to know trixie, thanks. Especially as my only allergies are to medications! I also get an adrenalin reaction to normal dental anaesthetic...

But I had keyhole surgery a year or so ago with no issues apart from a rather unpleasant reaction to the post-op anti emetic, cepha-something? Began with a c. Couldn't move for hours.

My mum had a reaction to Penicillin exactly the same a few years back and had numbness in her fingers for months after. She was told not to take it again.
As a child I had the same thing.

trixie has provided a good explanation of why anaesthetists recoil when I reply that my allergic reaction to penicillin is a swollen face - it's the danger of an anaphylatic response. They do always ask what the allergic reaction is, though, to check.

I’m allergic to penicillin they found out when I was a baby I came out in a red rash all over my body i’ve never been given it since then and it’s down in my file that am allergic to it I have to have erythromycin instead. I’ve never had any sort of special allergy test though.

A lot of people are misdiagnosed with it. I suspect it might run in families, my GF had a bad allergy and I have reacted twice to antibiotics, penicillin then cephalosporin, about 10% of patients have an allergy to both so I shouldn't have been prescribed the cephalosporin. Second reaction happened quicker and was much stronger.

I had a similar reaction when I was a baby to amoxicillin so never have it, very careful when giving it to the kids etc.
Dd1 had similar when she was a baby.

Then she was hospitalised with a kidney infection. Didn't respond to the alternative antibiotics so the doctor asked me what the symptoms for her allergy were. I said a red rash which looked like a viral rash covering her body. She said that that was a typical reaction of a particular illness when given amoxicillin rather than allergy. Dd was given the 'cillin antibiotic and recovered quickly, no side effects - thankfully.
They would have given her the other antibiotics anyway I think as nothing was working but would have had to manage other symptoms. I believe they would also do so in cases like meningitis.

I seem to remember reading that some people are diagnosed with an allergy to penicillin when what they actually have is a post viral rash (and didn’t need antibiotics at all).

Thanks, rash is almost certainly from the antibiotics and not viral, they were given to treat an infected finger she wasn't poorly. But I understand what you're saying

Also worth noting you can become allergic at any time.
My DS2 was confirmed as allergic to Penicillin at 18 months, which was slightly odd as no-one on either side of the family have ever had any problems with Penicillin. He became covered in huge raspberry blotches after taking just two tablets and his skin swelled up, it was terrifying.. then last year, aged 54 exactly the same happened to me, i've never had any problems with it up until then!