Has anyone suffered a severe reaction to Penicillin?

Question

I recently suffered a severe reaction to Penicillin at the age of 42, having taken it previously in my life with no problem. Has anyone else suffered this and did they find they were more allergic generally to stuff afterwards? I ended up in hospital and it was very scary. Am recovering now and feeling tired, but on the mend. Is this how you felt too?

Answer 1

Firstly to be allergic to something you have to have had contact with the stuff previously - this would explain why you haven't had reactions before.

You sound as if you had the worst reaction there is - anaphylaxis. This is extremely serious, as you know, and you must never come into contact with penicillen based drugs again. Ever. You will not grow out of this.

Your immune system has overreacted to something (penicillen) it didn't like. This is a highly specific response. You are not necessarily going to have this sort of extreme reaction to anything else but you could get mild allergies to any of trillions of things, just like the rest of us!

There are plenty of alternatives to the penicillen group of antibiotics and I wouldn't pay too much attention to scare stories of people being allergic to all antibiotics.

Incidentally you're reaction was truly allergic. A lot of people find that antibiotics can give them a tummy upset and call this an allergy. It is not. It is either an intolerance (unpleasant but not dangerous) or is due to the bugs in the gut being disturbed by the drug.

You should check with your doctor if you're worried about this. This is a common allergy; they can give you the best advice.

Speedy recovery.

Answer 2

My Dad spent several weeks in hospital after a doctor made a mistake and gave him penicillin. I'm allergic too, but luckily I've never gone into anaphylactic shock.

JS made a good point. Allergies develop with time. When your body is exposed to something 'foreign' (a chemical like penecillin or a pollen particle, for example), the immune system has to decide if it's dangerous or harmless. If it decides it's dangerous, it sends out the troops to destroy it. This is called an immune response, which is great if it's a nasty virus, but not so good if it's some medicine that's supposed to help you.

The next time you're exposed to the same thing, the immune system remembers it and the response is faster and more intense. This means that allergies actually get worse with time. Every time you're exposed to the allergen, the reaction is worse. So something that never bothered you much can suddenly become life threatening.

You just have to be vigilant. I have several allergies and try my best to stay away from the things that make me ill, but it's not always easy. Your case is so severe that you probably need to carry medication with you in case of emergencies - your doctor will be able to explain this.

Answer 3

I had a reaction when i was a baby,my mum told me i came out in a rash and i must remember to inform the medical Doctors i'm allergic to Penicillin.
I read in the paper a while ago a landlord of a pub ,had a cold ,and got some Penicillin from his Doctors,he only took two tablets and ended up being rushed to hospital where he died 24 hours later.
It's very scary when you think how much of the drug is prescribed without patients knowing they have an allergy.
.Glad you are recovering though.

Answer 4

Mandy, I was given penicillin when I was one. I was allergic and the reaction was severe. The doctor who came to see me thought I had meningitis as I had all the symptoms associated with meningitis. I was taken to hospital and after tests it was found that my symptoms where a reaction to penicillin. I have never been given it since or any other related medicines. I cant remember how it felt, but from what I've heard, I wouldn't like to find out.
Hope you feel better soon and I wish you a speedy recovery. Take care. xxx

Answer 5

I went into anaphylactic shock when I had penicillin. I'm also allergic to Erythromycin which they give to people who are allergic to penicillin. I wear an SOS Talisman as I'm allergic to quite a few things including eggs, aspirin and plasters as well. I have very severe reactions to eggs and penicillin that require immediate emergency medical intervention. It's not nice.

Make sure if you need anti-biotics you make the doctor aware that you have had a severe allergic reaction to it and therefore you can't take it.

Answer 6

Yes, I am allergic to most forms of antibiotics. I was very tired and weak feeling afterwards too. I'm also tired and weak after a severe asthma attack. I don't think it caused it, but since then, I have developed sensitivity to bandages (the adhesive not the latex), alcohol, pets and dust. I think our bodies just become more sensitive as we get older.

If I have an infection, I make an evil concoction of grated ginger, minced garlic, grated onion, cider vinegar, wasabi (you can buy it in tubes at the grocery store) and chili pepper. I mix it together and keep it in the refridgerator. If I feel a sinus infection or a respiratory infection going on, I'll take a teaspoon about every six to twelve hours. It's strong and I am usually back to normal by the second day. I go ahead and take one more dose just to be sure I got everything.

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger (don't used dried ginger spice)
1 tbsp fresh grate onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp of wasabi
1/2 tsp of chili pepper

(I guess you could use a food processor too)

Mix and keep in a tight jar. It's potent and will open up your sinuses. We call it plague tonic. (Your breath will be strong while you take this, but then you don't really want anyone around you do you?

Answer 7

like you i have taken penicillin with no problems until last month. i had a chest infection a was prescribed them 500mg twice a day for a week . at the end of the course i noticed my ankles had started to swell . i just ignored this and went to bed . the next morning i looked like someone had pumped me up to twice my size, even my tongue swelled up . i was taken to hospital where i had drips in my arms and had to eat (drink) through a straw for a few days until my swelling had gone down , it was a scary experience. the hospital were boggled as to how this had happened and just put it down to a "reaction" to the pills. anyway , hope you are better now , take care . ps, i haven"t noticed i"m more prone to reactions yet, but do feel very washed out , GP said should feel fine over time and take it easy .

Answer 8

I wasn't sure if I was allergic or not, I wanted to try it because I was tired of getting yeast infections from anti-biotics. The doctor said, well, you can take this, and if you feel like your throat is closing up and you can't breathe, call 911. I took it and I'm not allergic. Perhaps see an allergist and have some tests to see what you are and are not allergic to. Someone should have asked you if you know that you have an allergy to anything before administering it to you, especially penecillin. You should have been taken care of better than that. Fell better soon!

Answer 9

Can't speak from personal experience, but from my knowledge as an intensive care doctor. Anaphylaxis can cause a condition called ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), which in turn occasionally leaves long-term effects on the lungs in the form of mild scarring. Similarly, if your reaction was severe enough, it may have caused mild but permanent heart damage, which could also leave you tired and out of breath. Or it could all be something completely different. In either event, I'd definitely have it checked out. Depending on the exact pattern of your symptoms, a chest X-ray and/or a cardiac echo might possibly be helpful.

Answer 10

i had this happen to me when i was in my teens. had been given penicillin when i was a kid and then suddenly one time i had it and ended up having to go to the hospital as well cuz of breathing problems and rash all over my body etc. i haven't had penicillin since nor any of its related antibiotics. a few years later i had a reaction to erythromycin and also sulfa drugs so now all 3 are on my list of what i can't have. i just make sure i tell this info to any health care provider. also a good idea to have it written down with your basic info in your wallet in case something happens to you and you are unconscious.
hope you are feeling better!