Penicillin Allergy:
Avoiding The Danger

How safe is penicillin?

A penicillin allergy can affect some people so acutely it will become a dangerous method for treatment of choice. But for most people, penicillin can be considered the most widely recognized treatment of choice by many doctors for most types of bacterial infections.

Actually, over-use in today’s modern society has led to an increase in bacterial strains which have developed a resistance to it, therefore rendering it useless often as a treatment routine.

This allergy will commonly lead to anaphylactic shock in many patients because it is a serious life-threatening condition which easily can lead to a fatality. The common symptoms to look for include:

• hives and intense itchy skin
• wheezing
• vomiting
• signs of shock

If you notice any of these when administered, they can all advance to a blockage of your air passageways. An immediate dose of epinephrine is needed to reverse this abnormal response by the patient’s immune system.

The good news, unlike a food allergy, current testing procedures can accurately diagnosis this allergy with 100% accuracy so basic safeguards can be utilized to prevent any serious future reactions.

How Do I Know If It’s An Allergy

A diagnosis is dependent on the testing by a board-certified allergist. But family history is still considered to be the #1 indicator of a true allergy. Therefore if another family member has a penicillin allergy, chances are much greater the same problems will show up in future generations. Most practices now though require all patients, after receiving the injection, to wait for at least 15 to 20 minutes to observe for any signs of possible adverse reactions.

The Penicillin Family

A penicillin allergy can be observed in any (or all) members of this bacterial-fighting group of medicines. Notations on your chart plus a medical ID (in case of emergency or a visit to a new doctor or pharmacist) requires immediate assistance to describe your difficulties. This is one of the biggest reasons an accurate diagnosis is so vitally important.

Common members of the penicillin class of drugs include:

• Amoxicillin
• Ampicillin
• Dicloxacillin
• Oxacillin
• Nafcillin
• Penicillin G
• Penicillin V
• Piperacillin
• Tazobactam(Zosyn)
• Cephalosporins (a class of drugs closely related to the penicillin family)

Familiarize yourself with these names to prevent future accidental ingestion for your own safety. This will help to ease the possibility of an accidental prescription being handed to you by the doctor, the possible accidental dispensing by the pharmacist and the accidental use by any emergency team in time of crisis.

Do not ever assume everyone already knows these names because it is in your charts. Speak up and guarantee your safety. Not everyone is familiar with each of the common names which are part of the penicillin family.

So a penicillin allergy can be easily controlled and completely avoided as long as you the patient stay pro-active in your own healthcare. Ask questions, keep accurate medication schedules, and never be to scared or shy to speak up and verify the prescription is valid for your continued safety.

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