Penicillin

[BabyOrSanta]

Was in hospital yesterday and, yet again, they asked for the "symptoms" of my penicillin allergy.

They gave me something else instead, fair enough. But I'm just wondering if anyone could tell me why I'm asked this every time even though it's in my notes and what makes penicillin so good that I'm at a disadvantage by not having it?

I'm not overly bothered that they ask me - I'm just curious as to why they don't just give me other antibiotics without questions.

Because people who are allergic to penicillin are disadvantaged - you have ruled out a whole class of antibiotics and so you will want to check that the allergy is really an allergy before taking someone's word for it.

Loads of people tell you they are allergic to penicillin when what they mean is they felt a bit sick, or and some diarrhoea with it or a host of other symptoms that have nothing to do with penicillin allergy.

So for any drug someone tells you they are allergic to, it's correct practice to always check what the symptom was.

There may be a time where you absolutely need that drug and a lifetime of false belief in an allergy is life-threatening for you.

Penicillin is not just one drug but a whole group of drugs - each has been very slightly modified in order to attack a different bacteria. They are a great tool in the arsenal for first attack on a bacterial infection of many different types.

If you have only ever had a mild reaction to penicillin - a rash for instance - often in the past these were wrongly attributed to penicillin by worried parents rather than diagnosed by a doctor, and could have been a post viral rash for instance.

I start vomiting bloody with bloody diarrhoea so was told not to take penicillin again. In a life or death emergency I would, of course, take it.

I'm just wondering what penicillin antibiotics do that "synthetic" antibiotics can't?

My dd is allergic to penicillin. We are questioned about this a lot too. My gp said many people who think they are allergic are not. My dd had her reaction (blisters and large sores all over her skin and in her mouth) when she was 1, she's 5 now and the doctor said at some point they will do an allergy test on her.

As per Beyond penicillin is many antibiotics, not just one. And different infections are sensitive to different antibiotics, so you can't just swap to another, it has to be something that infection is sensitive to.

As a serious example, my DM has anaphylaxis to penicillin and sulphonamide antibiotics. When she was in hospital with sepsis, she ended up critically ill due to the limited choice of antibiotics she could have, and then having a very long, boring stay in hospital having an antibiotic reserved as one of last resort as it was the only one her bugs were sensitive to, and wasn't a penicillin.

If she hadn't been allergic to penicillin, she wouldn't have been as sick, and could have gone home much earlier on oral antibiotics.

It's important to make sure you aren't avoiding penicillin just because it once 'made me feel a bit funny' as the results could be serious for the patient.

I wonder if the doctors would do an allergy test on an adult?
I've not had penicillin for about 5 years now (DM reckons I hadn't had antibiotics for a long time before that) and i reacted badly to 2 lots of it before they put me on a non-penicillin based one but I wonder if I'd still react badly if I took it? It would make my life a lot easier!

I have noticed that other peoples' penicillin antibiotics come in a much smaller box! So is it that there are just more of them (so they can be more specific) and that they pack a harder punch (as they seem shorter courses)?

I'm allegedly allergic too but have never once been asked symptoms and am 44 now!

No one has ever suggested allergy testing either!

I'm sure it was a rash but can't really remember.

I was also allergic to strawberries once upon a time but when I accidentally ate some years later no reaction the or since.

Weird.

I always get asked this to and my stock answer when they say “What happens if you take penicillin?” Is “I don’t know, last time I did I woke up in ICU!” Normally shuts them up.

I really don’t fully remember and did wake up on ICU (I was 9) but I recall having massive blisters all over my body which eventually burst and then the skin fell off. So all in all not a great day for me.

DH also allergic so I live in fear of my daughters becoming allergic too.

Many people who state they have "allergies" are dramatizing what are side effects.

Medical staff tend to ask about a patient's declared 'allergies' because they may not be allergic.

But yes, it's a pain when you are allergic to something and they appear to doubt you.

I don't mind being questioned, I think it's because I've been in hospital to have the baby then again yesterday so it's all come at once. Normally, I wouldn't have this much contact with HCPs! And normally it's the dentist who prescribes antibiotics and she doesn't question me.

When they asked about my latex allergy (had to have an epidural for stitching) I told them it was fine as it's only a contact rash which is sore but the epidural and stopping me bleeding was a priority!

Somewhere down the line it was added to my medical records that I’m allergic to penicillin. I’m not. It sometimes makes me sick but not consistently. I’ve been told it can’t be removed from my records.