S/O - Penicillin Challenge

Has anyone done a pencillin challenge?

For background information, my son was prescribed antibiotics for an ear infection when he was 10-11 months old. He broke out in a rash - he had TERRIBLE eczema at this point so it was hard to tell what was causing it. We went back to the doctor and got him a different antibiotic.

Later that year, we went to an allergist for his eczema. They said when he got older he could do a penicillin challenge. Does anyone know the details about this?

TIA

S/O - Penicillin Challenge

My son may be allergic to penicillin. I was told we cannot do testing until age 6 or 8 and that he shouldn’t have any medications containing it until then. From there it’s a series of like 2 tests if I recall where they would actually have to inject him. It also involves some blood testing too I believe. I believe they cannot do it younger than 6 or 8 due to inaccuracy, I forget why. This is the basic idea but I for the specific details that the allergist gave me

S/O - Penicillin Challenge

Wow this is interesting. I’ll have to ask my dr. My dd has had penicillin many times. Last time she was given it she broke out in a terrible rash along the right side of her body.

S/O - Penicillin Challenge

I'm curious, why are they choosing to challenge? There are tons of non-penicillin derived antibiotics available that it is highly unlikely your DS would ever be faced with a situation in which no treatment options existed.

I've done research on antibiotics for work and so rarely hear about challenging, I'm just interested in the rationale because I'm a giant dork.

Re: S/O - Penicillin Challenge

Not a bad idea.
Less than 10% of people who think they have a penicillin allergy actually do have one when tested. That’s a HUGE number of people who don’t actually have an allergy.
A true penicillin allergy can also prevent you from using related second generation drugs.

The alternative antibiotics with the same coverage have worse side effects (wipe out gut flora, cause nausea and diarrhea, severe rash when given, etc), some aren’t available orally (so you need to stay longer in the hospital or need an IV service) and when used widely can increase resistance and contribute to “superbugs” especially in hospitals. Not to mention they are very expensive when compared to penicillin.

Personally, I would prefer a penicillin derived drug just for the side effects and coverage.

S/O - Penicillin Challenge

I agree about not actually having a true allergy. A bad enough side effect would be enough to prevent penicillin use. A patient with a documented adverse event wouldn’t be given penicillin, even if they didn’t have a true allergy.

The safety profile of many “comparable” antibiotics isn’t crazy different. Of course, drugs affect people in different ways. I always take the side effects list of drugs with a grain of salt, there is an insane amount of over reporting adverse events and so, so many of them have nothing to do with the drug itself. The cost thing is an excellent point, I hadn’t thought of that.

I would prefer penicillin, too but if my DD has a sensitivity I would be hesitant to give it to her even if she didn’t have a true allergy.

S/O - Penicillin Challenge

I've never done it and I've had a true penicillin allergy since childhood. The skin on my hands and face peel. I was told it is possible to grow out of it. In high school, I took a drug that was a penicillin derivative and same reaction. Recently though doctors have been asking me if my allergy is a true allergy. I guess they want have more options of what to prescribe? When I do take antibiotics, it's always Levaquin, Cipro, etc, heavy stuff. If it was my child, I'd be apprehensive of them trying it again, at least at a young age.

Re: S/O - Penicillin Challenge

S/O - Penicillin Challenge

This may help:

https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/community/pdfs/penicillin-factsheet.pdf