Penicillin Allergy - Anything to Watch Out For?

You know if everyone that cares for her knows she has this allergy then I would say it's okay to relax a bit. Communication with all of those around you is key when you have a child with any kind of allergy! You should find out if your pharmacy can mark it in their computer, that's what I have done.

Not sure if your child will develop other allergies such as food so I would be careful when introducing new foods such as milk, eggs, etc. Use the recommended guidlines on all of the "funny" foods and listen to your pedi but don't let them scare you, it's more common than you think. Not sure if this allergy runs in your family but it can happen at any time!

Good luck

One of my sons was this way and it went into his joints. He couldn't move because he was in so much pain. We got him to the hospital in time. We also had to be careful with immunizations as well because they caused him severe trouble. Most people with penicillin allergies have allergies to other things.

My daughter is allergic to penicillin. Hers cropped up as moving groups of hives - they looked like huge patches of mosquito bites all over her body. One minute they'd be in one place, five minutes later, they'd moved, or disappeared (like when I got to the docs office!) and come back later.

She's got an allergy alert in all of her medical records (school, camps - where ever she goes) and has the allergy on our emergency info card near the home phone. She's also been taught to tell that information if there's ever an emergency (she's six). The doc told us that if she has it again, the reaction can worsen but didn't get into specifics. Her initial reaction wasn't a strong one like the joint issues the other mom mentioned but I do what I can to be sure it won't get to that point.

One thing my son's nurses recommended (he has a heart issue) - put that info on a sticker on your child's car seat with the allergy info. In the case of an accident, you may not be able to get that information to the help when it arrives. I had never thought of this with my girls (and hate to think of it now!) but DS (dear son) is on a specific heart med that he'd need. So that info and his doc's info is afixed to his infant seat.

Other than that specific med, she hasn't shown any allergies to anything else, be it immunizations, meds, foods or environmental stuff. I consider us lucky on that front!

Good luck to you!

Hi K.
I am allergic to Penicillin, so wasn't my father, and I think my oldest son is too.
Just remind the daycare practitioner that your child cannot be around anything related to penicillin. Just remember that certain things are usually treated with Penicillin, so always ask.
Everything will be okay :)

HI K.,

My son has a lot of food allergies and also allergies to many topical creams and sunscreens. He has never taken antibiotics, but his cousin had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin, so I am thinking this could affect him as well.

As far as what to 'look out for'..the major foods that cause allergies...milk, eggs, soy, wheat, nuts, shellfish, fish. My son is allergic to most of these. There are many websites that help with food allergy signs, what to avoid and so on.

Good luck.

I found out about my penicillin allergy when I was seven. Mine wasn't the hives most others are talking about. It was severe vomiting. None of my kids are allergic to it, and if they are prescribed anything from the -cillin family I have someone else administer it. In college when studying microbiology, I wore a mask and gloves when we got to the spores that produces penicillin. After that day, the room was disinfected from top to bottom so I wouldn't have to worry about remaining spores.

I never had a problem in daycare. If I had any medication to bring in with me they kept it in a separate refrigerator. The teachers were very careful to wash their hands after giving someone penicillin. And this was before the abundance of allergies that are out there today. She should be fine at school and daycare. They are used to dealing with any type of allergy now.

Other allergies that I have to look out for are painkillers. I am also allergic to percocet and codeine, which takes most painkillers out of option for me if I need them.

If you have any more specific questions, please message me. I'd be glad to give you any other info ai may have.

Hi K.,

On another note...two of my children were also diagnosed with penicillan allergies when very young and a pharamacist told me it might just be the red dye in the meds they were having the reaction to. We kept them away from penicillan and when they were older (10ish) we had them tested through a blood test to see if they were indeed allergic. Both of them were NOT allergic to penicillan. Just something to also keep in the back of your mind...It might not be the medication.

My 14 month old is also allergic to amoxicillin. They say that 10% of all kids who are allergic to amoxicillin are also alergic to the cephlosproin antibiotics as well.

My little one's reaction was a bit more severe than yours was (we ended up in the emergency room after day 2 of taking the amxoicillin and after the first dose of the cephlorsporin drug) but neither our doc or the emergency room doctors said anythng about not coming in contact with it.

Allergies are funny things, you never know what else you may have problems with. I am allergic to a couple drugs. Penicillin is one, Septra is the other. I am also allergic to shellfish, and this needs to be told to medical personnel because of the iodine used inthe industry especially in MRIs. I had the shellfish first, then came the septra, then the Penicillin.

My son is allergic to Penicillin also, no sign of the shellfish .

My daughter ( who is 24) is now questioning a mild shellfish allergy, and she is RESISTANT to Penicillin, which I question as a form of allergy.. She does not get symptoms, its just totally ineffective for her. Any thing they use Peniccillin for for her comes right back.

None of us have had a bad bad reaction to Penicillin, but usually with allergies, each exposure gets worse.

Just watch carefully with each new thing introduced.

The doctors recommendations sound a little extreme. I myself had the same reaction as a child and that was about all they gave for antibiotics then. Then the next time I had it, I had a severe reaction with the breathing difficulty that required hospitalization. Now, many years later, I am a nurse, have administered pennicilin to many patients, and the only concern is that there is handwashing immediately after any exposure to the medication. If your daycare provider has to administer the medication to another child, she/he should be washing their hands right after they are done and your daughter should be just fine. As long as your daughter doesn't ingest any of the medicine, there really is no concern. Good luck and don't worry!!

Hi K.,
My family suffers from penicillin allergies. My brothers is more severe. Four years ago at age 41 be was admitted into a Hospital in Brockton and even though he, his wife, my mother and myself said in the ER he was allergic to penicillin, they administered it to him for 5 days without us knowing. He contracted a disease from this called Stephens Johnstons Syndrome caused from his severe allergic reaction. Please be sure you tell EVERYONE about your baby girls allergy.

We were advised that are daughter was allergic to penicillin and it's derivatives when whe was about 2 1/2 years old. She had gotten her first ear infection and everytime she completed a series of meds it would start up again within a few days. Well she finally reacted horribly to the meds and woke up in the middle of the night screaming "it hurts". She had a rash and all her joints were swollen, all over.

She is now 15, was in day care and/or pre school and school and never had another reaction by contracting it from others. Every time we go to a Dr. and they ask about allergies she has been saying it herself since the age of three I think, issue never returned. I truly believe they have to come into contact with it internally for them to react. Her skin has also always been extremely sensitive, reacts to ranch dressing, etc. yet she eats it with no issues.

Don't worry, just ensure she is never on meds that contain any penicillin.

Deb

Hey K.,
Sorry this is so late in response to your question, but I wanted to let u know that your Dr. can prescribe an Epi Pen for your daughter to use in case she were to come in contact with PCN again. It's the same kind they administer to people with bee bites who may be allergic.
I have one for my both son's and I take it with be when we go on vacation. The other thing is, some dr.'s may disagree with this, but if you or our husband are allergic to PCN, then your children are more likely to become allergic. I only say this because we have gone through this situation with both of our son's, unfortuntaely, you don't really know until they are actually on it!
Well, I hope this helps you some. Take care!

Kris

A year ago, my daughter, 3 at the time was ill. She was prescribed penicillian/amoxicillian for the first time. She had no allergies to medicine. A day into the penicillian, my daughter had huge red welts everywhere! Not just a rash, but puffed up red patches. She looked frightful! They kept spreading, on her face, body, back, legs, everywhere! I watched the welt appear every couple minutes. Her body was covered in a couple hours. I called the doctor and was told she must have an allergy to penicillian.

She was prescribed another medicine. Her welts faded and she did get better with the other medicine. My mom is allergic to penicillian. I am not. I've had to be sure I tell her preschool, dentists, doctors, etc to put her allergy on her records. And when I sign her up for programs & have to fill out a medical form, I make sure to list her allergy. I tell friends and family when we drop her off to be watched. I also have explained to my daughter that she has an allergy to penicillan and needs to tell people when they ask if she has an allergy (obviously your little one can't do that yet).

I am not overly concerned about her having any reaction to it unless she takes it orally. I know that medical bracelets are available. You may want to get a medical bracelet for your daughter to be sure people know the severity of her allergy. My daughter has not shown any other allergies to medicine yet.

My daughter and I are both allergic to Penacillin. My daughter's was discovered during an ear infection. She too had the rash but she also had breathing issues with hers. Just so you know..Penacillin and Cephlasporins are the two things you should always list when someone asks about Allergies. Cephlasporins have the mold component al though very small trace it still causes the allergic reaction. I have never had any trouble with someone near us who administers it. As long as they wash their hands thing should be just fine. Hope this helps.

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