Penicillin Allergy Testing
Think you’re allergic to Penicillin? Get tested and be sure!
Studies show that 80 to 90% of people who think they are allergic to Penicillin are not allergic when tested. With a history of Penicillin Allergy you may be denied the use of many first choice antibiotics because they may cross react with Penicillin (*See list below). Besides, there are a number of very common, safe and effective antibiotics that are thought to cross react with Penicillin (see list below) , and therefore your doctor may not prescribe.
It’s important to know if you’re still allergic because Penicillin because alternatives are more expensive, often more toxic, and for some illnesses less effective. They also increase your risk of developing future infections with drug resistant bugs.
All of the above problems can be avoided if you test Negative to Penicillin (80 – 90% chance). And if the tests confirm that you are one of the minority who are truly allergic, all your future doctors will pay full heed to your allergic history, and get you desensitized if you ever need a Penicillin like drug in a life threatening situation.
The reasons for the low incidence of truly positive Penicillin Allergy on testing are:
1. You can lose your allergic sensitivity over the years;
2. The symptoms you had, especially if it was a skin rash, may have been due to the infection for which the Penicillin antibiotic was given ( this is very likely if the reaction occurred when you were a kid);
3. The reaction may have been from a different drug you were taking at the same time;
Penicillin Allergy Skin Test can determine whether you are truly allergic or not. And since many people are scared of taking Penicillin even after the negative test, we will have you ingest a dose of the Penicillin drug under observation, with appropriate precautions, in our office and ensure that you do not have a reaction.
Call us today at 304-343-4300 to schedule your appointment for Penicillin Testing.
*A Partial List Of Antibiotics that are thought to cross react with Penicillin Allergy:
Penicillins: Amoxacillin, Augmentin, Ampicillin, Cloxacillin, Dicloxacillin, Methicillin, Penicillin(including PenG & PenV), Piperacillin, Nafcillin, Ticarcillin. Timentin.
Cephalosporins: Cefazolin, Cephalexin & Cefadroxil; Cefuroxime, Cefoxitin, Cefotetan, Cefaclor, Loracarbef, Cefprozil, Cefuroxime axetil; Cefepime, Cefoperazone, Ceftazidime, Ceftriaxone, Ceftizoxime, Ceftobiprole, Ceftaroline, Ceftazidime, Cefixime, Ceftibutin,Cefpodoxime, Cefdinir & Cefditoren.
Carbapenems: Meopenem, Imipinem, Cilastatin, Ertapenem, Doripenem.
Monobactems: Aztreonam