No more penicillin allergy!!!Yeaaaaaaa

[irish]

If you remember I had gram negative sepsis in December and the infectious disease doc (who is extremely good) chewed me out because I had 2 penicillin allergies listed and had never had testing to see if I was really allergic. This doc was right. He had to really change IV antibiotics often to work it out so that my resistant bacteria would be cured. I was very grateful as the other doctor kept telling me how lucky I was to be able to tell about my experiences as the death rate is quite high in the "elderly" and especially with autoimmune diseases.

Well, about 40 years ago or so I took amoxicillin and got a fine rash on belly and arms. A year or so later I needed antibiotic again and I was given Cephalexin and had the same reaction. So I ended up with 2 drug allergies and just had to take the other stronger and more spendy meds. Well, I ended up with the immune deficiency and took a ton of antibiotics over the past 30 years.

On Monday I went to an allergist and had testing done to see if I was allergic to the family of drugs involving penicillin G, Pro-Pen and amoxicillin. I am not allergic and I am so thankful. I go back in April and have testing for Keflex or Cephalexin which is another subset of the penicillin family and has another whole bunch of drugs. These 2 drugs and all related to them are used so much in the treatment of many infections and often used along with another IV antibiotic to get good coverage for a lot of these resistant bacteria.

I have since read an article telling that there is a huge amount of people walking around who are classified as allergic to penicillin and they really are not. Also, this doc said that it is a shame that these people are not getting tested yo find out if they are really allergic to penicillin as when people have to resort to the stronger more expensive antibiotics it causes the build up in resistance in the bacteria. So in essence, by not being more vigilant about this issue we are causing our own problems with drug resistance. I never heard it put this way before and it makes sense. So thanks be to the infectious disease doc who chewed me out. He was right to do so. Irish

[katie1111]

A few years ago I was hospitalized with a badly infected gall bladder.  Like you, I had been told by my parents that I was allergic to penicillin.  My doctor encouraged me to try Ampicillin stating the same thing, they many people who thought they had a penicillin allergy didn't.  He ordered an IV infusion and had a nurse remain in the room while it infused - No problem.  I am no longer allergic to penicillin and that opens a whole bunch of antibiotics I can now try.

Katie1111

[irish]

I was just tested for the cephalexin and so happy to be able to take these drugs plus the penicilins. Irish

[bluegardenia]

anybody had thechance to  test white cells before and after taking an antibiotic? mine go down so quickly that when I was at the hospital for a bad diverticulitis they stopped a local antibiotic because of that.  when I was a girl I took AMPLITAL that is a penicillin and my eyes became like a frog's so since then never again penicillin and very seldom erhitromicine, seldom means for me that I took it last time five years ago

[Tharrell]

My daughter as well had a penicillin allergic reaction when she was young and I was told not to let her have penicillin again. We had her tested a few years back and it came back negative. However, doctors still will not give her penicillin, just in case. She does have multiple other antibiotic allergies. So they just work around it with other antibiotics. It is nice to know though, that when it comes down to it the doctors can prescribe it.