Is anyone else allergic to antibiotics?

[GTX]

I didn't used to be allergic to anything but about 10 years ago I had a nasty reaction to Amoxicillin. After that they gave me Erythromycin which I was able to take at first and then had a reaction to that too. Then we tried Cephlexin and that gave me a reaction. After that we tried another related antibiotic and it too gave a reaction.
Now the dentist gave me a new one to try, Azithromycin and this one almost put me in the hospital today.

In ten years I've not been able to really find an antibiotic that doesn't give me a anaphylactic reaction. Gee, I hope I don't get a really bad infection!
Oh, and now I seem to be allergic to Lortab too so I get Percocet

Has anyone else had this happen? Is anyone a pharmacy person or Dr?

[dart3404]

I'm allergic to penicillin.
That certainly does suck. Take your vitamins and stay healthy...

[GTX]

Yeah, knock on wood I can stay healthy. I don't normally have too much problems.
These last pills cost me $6.25 for each pill only to find out that I'm allergic to them!

[73chgrSE]

I just got some "omnicef" for a sinus cold it's f#$@ng $118.00 for 20 pills. Thats crazy high.

If you are allegic to cephalyxn you cant take this either.

[68chrgrwife]

I am very allergic to anything in the "cillan family too.  If it gets on my skin I stop breathing....Go figure none of the kids are allergic, but won't let the dr prescribe any of that crap.  I can use Z pack though, so have nothing else to tell you...sorry.  Hope you never get sick is all I have to say. 

[Brock Samson]

WARNING:
Another thing to look out for are steroids... doctors make so many mistakes in RXs... my GF told the MDs at Stanford she was allergic to them,.. guess what?.. Yup!  she nearly died when her throat swelled up...   
My sister was overprecribed them being given a normal dose when she was extreamly ill and all of 90 Lbs. and it did kill her after a horriffic two month fight...

  Thank you and God bless you Linda.    

[Charger_Fan]

Penicillan here too.
Oh & as of last summer, wasps.

[dodgecharger-fan]

I have a mild allergy to penicillin and tetracycline.

I get hives if I take either one.


Allergies can develop. Growing up, I never had any environmental allergies. Now, depending on weather conditions, I'll get knocked on my ass in the spring or fall or both.
It hasn't been the same each year since it started about 10 years ago though. I don't recall have any problems last year.

[GTX]

For those of you who are allergic, do you wear a medic alert tag?

If you get in an accident where there is risk of infection and cannot speak they will start you on a routine of antibiotics as standard protocol and that could be fatal.
For example, swallowing lake water, car accident with intrusion into your body just to name a couple.

I wear a medic alert necklace since I don't want the bracelet but I'm running out of space on the tag to list all that I'm allergic to. Any first year EMT or Dr should look for the tag before they treat you and it can save your life. (I got knocked down in my first aid class for not looking hard enough for the tag)   

I also keep an epi pen around too just in case I get a real nasty response - almost needed it yesterday . I'd hate to croak just because the doctors didn't learn that I was allergic til I stopped breathing.

I hope I don't develop an allergy to rust or I won't be able to work on my car! 

[d72hemi]

I'm allergic to penicillin.
That certainly does suck. Take your vitamins and stay healthy...

Same here. I was 5 or 6 years old at the time, the doc thought the hives were because I was getting sicker, so he perscibed more.    The jackass nearly killed me.

[68chrgrwife]

I know I should get a tag, but haven't yet.  Also we found out about my allergy when I was 6 months old and almost died from not being able to breath.  Dr now says,"you probably grew out of it, lets prescribe it and see what happens."   IDIOT!!!  I'm not dying to "see" if I grew out of an allergy that was extreamly severe 28 yrs ago..thanks I'll pass...

[pettyfan43]

My wife has a mild allergy to penicillin, gives her a rash. But she can take Keflex.

[GTX]

Keflex is the brand name for Cephlexin and I really wish I could take that. At least that one gives me the least troubles but I still need to find one I can take.

You really never think of these things or how hard it can be until you find yourself needing an antibiotic which most people take for granted.

[Charger74]

Me, penicillin and sulphur based drugs.  Both put in the hospital when I was in 3rd grade for a week.  What an adventure that was.

[moparsuebear]

As a nurse, I can tell you that a lot of the episodes any of you have with certain meds, can be labeled as a "side effect" or adverse reaction and not so much as an allergy. Hives or a rash are very common side effects to many abx and only in those instances where anaphylatic shock or impaired breathing has occurred can one seriously say they have a drug allergy.

and to the person who referred to an allergy to "sulpher" drugs, I had to surpress a giggle..... those drugs are actually called "Sulfa" drugs, not sulpher!

There are such a variety of abx on the market today that one can surely find a suitable abx without adverse reaction, such as Ketek, Biaxin, Macrodantin, flagyl, Batcrtrim, or Levaquin. 

To the person who is "allergic" to Lortab..... which is just the generic name for the narcotic Vicodin, do you know how addictive Percocet, another narcotic, can be??

When my boys were babies they were given Amoxicillin for an ear infection. They broke out in hives after the dose. I took them to the ER and since then, they've been labeled as allergic to the cillin family of abx. Their dad, (akcharger) is deathly allergic to penicillin, so we took our boys "allergy" at face value, trusting what the docs had told us. A few years had passed and both my boys had a horrible case of strep throat. The prescribed med was penicillin. and guess what, no hives, no reaction whatsoever.

My point is, if a doctor tells you that you have an "allergy" to a certain med, please, make an appt with an allergist to know for certain!!!

[GTX]

To the person who is "allergic" to Lortab..... which is just the generic name for the narcotic Vicodin, do you know how addictive Percocet, another narcotic, can be??

Yes, I really do and I only take that stuff when I need to. Do you know how deadly taking a narcotic that makes me stop breathing due to allergic reaction can be? I sure hope the doctor wouldn't prescribe a pill that will addict me in 10-20 doses. I have a serious respect for narcotics especially in light of the current national problem with oxycontin. I also saw a med professional lose their career from narcotic addiction when I worked in the hospital.
Given the choice of taking a pill that has the potential for addiction (as do all narcotics) when I need one versus a pill that can kill me with a reaction I choose the former with caution.

Was I actually diagnosed with this and followed up? Well yes, I come from a family of nurses and my mother was director of I.V therapy for many years at a leading hospital here until her retirement and she was who I called when I couldn't breathe and we had me tested when I had my first really bad reaction.  My initial step though was to confirm the information since I got so much conflicting information by talking to an old professor of mine ( Dr Hansen)  who taught at the 'U of U' here ( Yes, I took med classes in my undergrad days)  and practiced at the 'U' Med center (eventually ended up working on a national drug counsel formed by the president) 

As for my 'allergy', why and how do you think I got an epi pen? Around here they are rx only.
I don't pay $50.00 and take something I don't need? I REALLY don't relish the idea of ever injecting myself with anything and that includes an epi pen as well. Yep, I was wheezing and had seriously impaired breathing as well as major hives on my eye lids and scalp as well as other places nurses know you can get them.   

The reaction to the  Keflex family I suspect is a side effect and the dr suggested it may be but still, hives, itching etc is no fun and you can't take this lightly and I don't think any doctor would suggest it. I really don't want to push it too much and find out the hard way. They may call it an allergy when it's only a side effect but every med causes a reaction and not all are desirable and still needs to be taken seriously.

I'm still searching for something that I 'know' I can safely take and won't cause any reactions.
I would LOVE to get into an allergist right now but at the moment my co does not offer any med insurance and I can't afford it.

[Todd Wilson]

I had a little bit of a reaction to a sulpha  antibiotic years ago. Made me sick to my stomach and dizzy.   I can take amoxicillian and penicillian without any problems at all.



Todd

[moparsuebear]

The reaction to the  Keflex family I suspect is a side effect and the dr suggested it may be but still, hives, itching etc is no fun and you can't take this lightly and I don't think any doctor would suggest it. I really don't want to push it too much and find out the hard way. They may call it an allergy when it's only a side effect but every med causes a reaction and not all are desirable and still needs to be taken seriously.

Funny story about hives and itching in relation to a med. I went in for a contrast dye CT scan one night at the ER with severe abdominal pain. The radiologist stated that only like 1 to 2 percent of people have adverse reactions to the injected dye, and that I should be fine. About 5 min after the procedure was over it felt like I had ants crawling all over me and I asked my hubby (akcharger) if my face was puffy, cause it felt like a million miles wide. He and the docs were like, no, you're fine. Well, I went in the bathroom and my face was so swollen and puffy I looked like those wrinkly faced dogs. Then the hives started and I used a comb to scratch and I felt like I was on fire. My earlobes were twice their normal size. It was horrible. The nurse gave me several doses of benadryl with no effect. So, to anyone who breaks out in hives or an itchy rash after taking any med, whether orally or intravenously, I can empathize! When I go to the docs, and asked if I have any allergies, I am sure to tell them about IV Contrast dye!!!

I laugh at those commercials that talk about how this medicine cures my headaches, but side effects include abdominal pain, muscle weakness, and leg pain..... I think I'd rather have a headache than those other side effects. How come no pharmacuetical company has made a medicine that's the cure all for side effects and how come there are side effects anyway?

And to GTX, didn't mean any negativity to you whatsoever. I just hear so many stories of people being addicted to pain meds. I'm just looking out for my other mopar friends!! 

[GTX]

And to GTX, didn't mean any negativity to you whatsoever. I just hear so many stories of people being addicted to pain meds. I'm just looking out for my other mopar friends!! 

And much appreciated.      I really didn't mean to appear cross which I really wasn't.

I've been much too serious lately!

[Charger74]

As a nurse, I can tell you that a lot of the episodes any of you have with certain meds, can be labeled as a "side effect" or adverse reaction and not so much as an allergy. Hives or a rash are very common side effects to many abx and only in those instances where anaphylatic shock or impaired breathing has occurred can one seriously say they have a drug allergy.

and to the person who referred to an allergy to "sulpher" drugs, I had to surpress a giggle..... those drugs are actually called "Sulfa" drugs, not sulpher!

There are such a variety of abx on the market today that one can surely find a suitable abx without adverse reaction, such as Ketek, Biaxin, Macrodantin, flagyl, Batcrtrim, or Levaquin. 

To the person who is "allergic" to Lortab..... which is just the generic name for the narcotic Vicodin, do you know how addictive Percocet, another narcotic, can be??

When my boys were babies they were given Amoxicillin for an ear infection. They broke out in hives after the dose. I took them to the ER and since then, they've been labeled as allergic to the cillin family of abx. Their dad, (akcharger) is deathly allergic to penicillin, so we took our boys "allergy" at face value, trusting what the docs had told us. A few years had passed and both my boys had a horrible case of strep throat. The prescribed med was penicillin. and guess what, no hives, no reaction whatsoever.

My point is, if a doctor tells you that you have an "allergy" to a certain med, please, make an appt with an allergist to know for certain!!!

Thanks for correcting my Suebear.  I always do that.  Have since I was little.