A post on penicillin and parenthood? I hope the alliteration caught your attention for this very important topic! If you, a family member, or a friend believes yourself to have a penicillin allergy, please please read on. And share this post with anyone you think this information might help.
Back in March of this year, the kid school germs were swirling in our house. My younger son had some sores on his lips that just wouldn’t go away. So, I took him to urgent care. It turned out those sores were actually a symptom of strep throat. This kiddo, who is (theoretically) allergic to penicillin, got prescribed some non-penicillin antibiotics. And his case of strep throat went away.
Less than a week later, I found myself in Georgia, on a work trip, feeling sick with a sore throat and a fever. I headed to the nearest clinic. Sure enough, I, too, had strep. I also was (theoretically) allergic to penicillin. So I got prescribed some non-penicillin antibiotics, took all of my client meetings from my hotel room, and went home. A week later, I was feeling (mostly) better.
Fast forward two weeks, and my achy throat and fever returned. Back to the clinic I went.
This time, the Physician Assistant (PA) at the clinic gave me a stern talking-to. The strep throat had come back, and she was searching for another medicine to prescribe me, given my penicillin “allergy.”
“You know most adults who think they’re allergic to penicillin actually aren’t,” she informed me, her tone serious and her eyes locked on mine. “Yeah, my doctor may have mentioned that to me at some point,” I mumbled, eager to get out of the clinic and back to work. “No, seriously. You need to go get tested.” She wouldn’t let it go. “I’d have a lot more leeway to help you fight this infection if I could prescribe you penicillin. Promise me you’ll go get tested.”
I probably rolled my eyes. But I agreed I’d make an appointment with my allergist over the summer.
Why did I think I was allergic to penicillin? Because somebody once told me I broke out in hives when I took it, when I was 3 or 4 years old. Why did I believe my son was allergic to penicillin? Because as a baby, he broke out in a rash a few times when we gave it to him for his umpteenth ear infection.
After I recovered from the strep throat relapse, I decided to look into this whole “maybe you’re not actually allergic thing.” It turns out there is relatively new medical research indicating that about 90% of people who believe they are allergic to penicillin actually aren’t!! 90%?! I was shocked and motivated to go get tested.
3 Parenthood-Related Reasons to Get Tested for a Penicillin Allergy
Shortly after our run-in with strep throat, my son had a big allergic reaction to a cat and was having strange reactions to some fruits. It seems we were destined to spend time with a local allergy specialist. “Well, if I have to go to the allergist anyway, we may as well book appointments together!” I told him.
I went and took that skin test over the summer. Sure enough, I’m not allergic to penicillin after all. I’m now on a mission to spread the word about the importance of verifying this allergy.
Here are the 3 reasons I think any adult who thinks they have a penicillin allergy should go get tested:
- Range of options now: If you’re trying to combat those fierce kid germs that come home every day from daycares, schools, and playgrounds, it’s good to have as many medication options as possible. According to this Mayo Clinic article on the subject, when a patient reports a penicillin allergy, the prescribing health care professional is often forced to use “more expensive and less effective antibiotics.” I probably wouldn’t have had that recurrence of strep throat had I been able to have penicillin the first time I went to the clinic.
- Range of options as we age: The most compelling reason the PA gave me for getting tested was that as I got older, and my immune system became weaker, the benefits of being able to have penicillin would grow exponentially. I’d like to live a long and healthy life and be there to see my kids grow up. Knowing that I could have access to a medication that could one day possibly save my life was a pretty big motivator.
- Anger & regret: When I was pregnant with my two boys, I tested positive for Group B Strep. If you’ve been through this, you know that this bacteria can be fatal for a baby if the mom isn’t treated with antibiotics during labor and before birth. Because I thought myself allergic to penicillin, the doctors had to give me a substitute medication during labor. This alternative antibiotic took 8 hours to take effect. In other words, my doctors told me I had to be at the hospital to get the medication at least 8 hours before giving birth. How is any new mom supposed to time her labor so that it lasts no shorter than 8 hours? My anxiety levels were so high as I approached the due date that for my second son that I went into false labor a few times. I hurried to the hospital again and again, to make sure I’d meet this 8 hour window. Knowing I wasn’t allergic to penicillin would have made the whole birthing process much less anxiety-ridden for me.
What if you think your child has a penicillin allergy? When my son and I went on our mother-son trip to the allergist, we learned that it’s probably a good idea to get him tested, too. Eventually. He’s 10 years old right now, and the doctor advised us to wait a few years to test him. Why? Just because the skin test is a bit unpleasant. He encouraged us to come back before my son goes off to college, though, just to get this taken care of before he fills out college medical records, etc. So we’ll wait until he’s a teen and take him in. Chances are, he’s in the clear, too.
If you or someone you know has a penicillin allergy, I encourage you to go get tested. It’s a pretty short (less than an hour) procedure, with a potentially big benefit.
Want more practical tips on working parenthood? Check out my book, Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave
