Nine out of 10 people who believe they have a penicillin allergy are NOT actually allergic to penicillin. The mislabeling of a penicillin allergy may be due to normal side effects of the medicine or side effects from the illness that the penicillin is treating. If you believe your allergic to penicillin, it’s vital to have penicillin testing complete to confirm or deny your suspicions. Allow us to answer several frequently asked questions about penicillin testing:
How does penicillin testing work?
Penicillin testing is divided into three stages to ensure safety. Upon making a penicillin testing appointment with Dr. Brauer, you can expect these three stages to occur if you do not experience signs of a penicillin allergy after each stage:
- Dr. Brauer will place penicillin on your skin and assess the reaction (skin prick testing).
- If your skin does not have a reaction to the penicillin, Dr. Brauer will place penicillin under your skin’s surface (intradermal testing).
- If there is no reaction to the penicillin, Dr. Brauer will ask you to take a dose of penicillin (oral testing).
When should I schedule a penicillin test?
Even if you tested positive for a penicillin test in your past, you may have outgrown it! Allergists recommend having a penicillin test completed if your last positive penicillin test was 5+ years ago.
You can learn more about outgrowing your penicillin allergy and other frequently asked questions in our last blog, Penicillin Allergy FAQs. We covered these questions:
- What are the signs of a penicillin allergy?
- Can a penicillin allergy go away over time?
- Are other drugs safe to take if I have a penicillin allergy?
Why should I get tested for a penicillin allergy?
Penicillin is an affordable and effective antibiotic. People who have a true penicillin allergy will need to purchase other types of antibiotics when dealing with a bacterial infection, and those antibiotics can be much more expensive than penicillin. Further, your body may develop a resistance to antibiotics and the medicine may become less effective.