I have practiced medicine for 36 years including general medicine, emergency medicine, and occupational medicine. I deal with the penicillin allergy every day. Some observations.. In the 1940s’ 1950s’ and forward many people were prescribed penicillin for viral illnesses. The natural course of the illness is fever followed by a rash when the fever breaks. Many were labeled allergic when they developed their viral rash while taking the ineffective penicillin. Another story I was told during my medical training (needs confirmation) was that injectable penicillin was in a bees wax matrix when it first came on the scene and that the wax was an allergen that caused a reaction. I have learned to question penicillin allergies by asking “what did it do to you?” I have received answers such as “made me nauseous”,”I didn’t like it”, “It didn’t help me” ALL listed as penicillin allergies.
I have a “real” allergy to penicillin. Only occurred in the last couple of years (I’m in my 60’s). Caused anaphylactic shock. That’s what happens to people with peanut allergies, etc. I had to get to a hospital for treatment. No more penicillin for me.
Here’s one for you. About 15 years ago, I developed a bad reaction to all (so far) antibiotics. Started with Amox, but everything I have tried since has caused the same reaction.
About 3-4 days after I begin to take it, the skin on my hands starts to blister & peel. The skin around my nails hardens to the point that it causes my nail beds to buckle..it take months to grow the deep “lines” out. It’s like I’ve been poisoned. I have told this (and shown this) to every Doctor I have seen, and they are bewildered.
The last time (about 2 years ago) it was much worse. Blisters and skin shedding on the bottom of my feet & in my mouth/throat. I went to the Emergency Room (because it was on a Sunday), where a physician’s assistant...using a book...I kid you not, decided that it was nothing to worry about. She sent me home.
On Monday, my regular Doc gave me steroids to stop the worsening reaction. Also said that I should have an epi-pen on hand when (in the future) we would try the newer classes of antibiotics to see if those would work.
When I went to the pharmacist to get the steroids, I showed her my hands and told her what had been going on...she said “looks like Stevens-Johnson Syndrome...that’s not good.”
She’s the only one that has seemed concerned. No idea what to do about that except to not take antibiotics...I’m doing everything I can to avoid them.
Figure it will eventually kill me if I have to have IV antibiotics for some reason. I’ll end up as a “case” on one of those rare diseases TV shows....lol.
My symptom when I was told over the phone to stop taking it just in case was simply an overall itchy, skin crawling sensation. I don’t believe I even had any kind of rash involved.