Penicillin

[queenofmean]

After being on this for 3 weeks (end is in sight) it has me thinking.

OH like a lot of people is allergic to Penicillin. What about things like Flucloxacillin and Amoxicillin - are they unable to take these also? I know they get Clarithromicin as a substitute but is there other alternatives too?

Just curious :)

[dannyk13]

Both are derivatives of penicillin

[Pigletion]

If allergic to penicillin, then all antibiotics in that family should be avoided (typically all end in -cillin).

Hospitals etc. generally have a poster/info that looks like this http://www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/SharePoint110/Antibiotics%20Web%20Documents/Penicillin%20Poster.pdf

[queenofmean]

Thank you Danny and Pigletion - that is quite useful to know.

[woofgang]

I get given metronizadole when i need it for sinus infection.

[queenofmean]

I hope you don't get them too often Woofgang. They are so painful :(

[woofgang]

thanks Queenie. I can usually manage them but just occasionally it all gets out of hand.

[Samuraisan]

Woofgang, i think I read somewhere that Metronidazole is the only antibiotic you must not drink alcohol with. Don't get ill this week !

[jno]

some antibiotics you shouldn't mix with alcohol because it weakens the effect. With metronidazole it's because it'll make you sick.

[queenofmean]

I can imagine Woofgang.

Sounds rather potent stuff! I don't drink so I'm ok :)

I'll need to let OH know if he ever needs it since he's allergic to Cillins

[sddsddean]

I've been allergic to penecillin for 50+ years. Used to have oxytetracycline as my 'regular' alternative, but haven't had that for 10 years or more due to 'bugs' getting resistent to it (or so the Doc says). To be honest, I can't remember what I had last time. Don't care, as long as it works!

[Sqad]

My guess.......just a guess mind you, is that 50% of people who say they are allergic to penicillin, evidence based on a rash, are indeed NOT allergic to penicillin.

Just a thought.

[bednobs]

i agree, lots of say older people who are allergic to penecillin were first given it when it was scraped off the petri dish

[queenofmean]

I'm not sure either Sqad. I know my friends mum is allergic and I believe it's more than a rash. But I haven't really asked her. I did ask OH and he can't remember as he was only a child.

I'm allergic to Trimethoprim though - nasty thing lol

[rockyracoon]

'My guess.......just a guess mind you, is that 50% of people who say they are allergic to penicillin, evidence based on a rash, are indeed NOT allergic to penicillin.

Just a thought.'

It's interesting that you say that Sqad. I took penicillin for years without incident until one time in my twenties I took at and come out in a huge red rash, I felt like I was burning from the inside out. I got prescribed it once again and the same thing happened.

The reaction happened (but not as severe) each time I took triple therapy medication for h.pylori, but the doctor who I saw about it told me to take antihistamine and it eventually cleared up.

It's all over my medical notes that I'm allergic to penicillin, but I'm not convinced, it may just cause me to have a bit of a reaction.

[woofgang]

Oh I am allergic alright....I did get a rash everywhere which joined up into red plaques, also my hands, feet, face, lips and earlobes swelled up. The rash was also on the palms of my hands and soles of my feet which eventually peeled. The itching was FIERCE and my feet were so swollen i couldn’t get into shoes so had to stay off school. I felt ill with it too. I was off school about a week until i could get shoes on and the worst of the skin peeling was over because my hands looked so awful. My feet did too but they were hidden of course.

[woofgang]

the problem with your guess Sqad is that though you may be right, I don’t see people who have had that kind of reaction queueing up to test it :)

[rockyracoon]

My doctor refused when I asked if I could take penicillin as a last ditch attempt to rid myself of h.pylori.

[woofgang]

rocky the trouble is that (most)doctors don’t like to kill their patients :) or even make them seriously ill.

[weecalf]

Took that amoxicillin .end ped up with inside mouth raw tongue white spot all split couldn't bear anything warm but is easing after bout 3 day is this definite allergy to this antibiotic it was for bad chest .

[Peter Pedant]

// My guess.......just a guess mind you, is that 50% of people who say they are allergic to penicillin,//

probably more than a guess
'a lot' say they are allergic to pen when they have got the predictable diarrhoea
and another 'lot' say they are allergic from their teens when they have been given amp or amoxi for a sore throat which is in fact glandular fever. (90% score a non-allergic skin rash)

so it is possible if you are an epidemiologist to assess the mortality from saying you are allergice when ya aint - pen is such a GOOD antibiotic ....

so one has mentioned erythro as an alternative

oops Daily Mail that organi of truth says 90%
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2825060/Most-people-think-allergic-penicillin-NOT-Experts-warn-patients-missing-effective-treatment.html