Different Treatment for Penicillin Allergy

Penicillin is one of the most common antibiotics used in every hospital in the world today. Its therapeutic effect is at wide range, treating many kinds of diseases with different causative factors. It is usually indicated for patients with endocarditis, rheumatic heart fever, rheumatic heart diseases, brain infections, septic shocks, gangrenous wounds, gonorrhea, and many more. Its mechanism of action affects some spirochete, clostridium, streptococcal, pneumococcal and gonococcal infections. Penicillin is also indicated in various respiratory and urinary tract infections. Penicillin’s used is widespread and some diseases require penicillin as the strongest and most appropriate treatment than other drugs.

When a person’s body is allergic to penicillin, a generalized affectation occurs. Allergy to this kind of drug may be inherited, since most of hypersensitivity disorders are passed through genetics. A person with other types of allergy may also be vulnerable to penicillin. When an allergen enters the body such as the administration of penicillin, antibodies cause extreme inflammation to specific sites. Influx of fluid and other defense factors arises due to blood vessel dilatation. When this physiological reaction becomes extremely exaggerated, it may cause damage to some organs. It may also be life-threatening and may also result to death.

The treatment for penicillin is slightly synonymous to common allergy treatments. When drugs are taken orally, anaphylactic reaction takes place in a longer time. Symptoms may appear after a number of hours. When penicillin is administered intravenously, its allergic effects are experienced in a matter of seconds to minutes. Allergic reaction also has its own stages. Mild allergic reactions mostly require first generation antihistamines. 

Penicillin Allergy Treatment

Diphenhydramines are the most common antihistamines in treating allergies in which the effect is confined more or less at the integumentary system. In higher stages of allergic reaction, gastrointestinal with the integumentary affectation is evident. Antihistamines are also indicated for these allergic effects. When the effects extend to cardiopulmonary, potent vasoconstrictors are indicated such as epinephrine. The body, when affected generally, causes extreme influx of fluids that may affect different body organs. The fatal effect may manifest in the respiratory and the cardiac systems causing extreme inflammation and narrowing of the airway. Wheezing may be present upon auscultation bilaterally at both lung fields and both upper and lower lung lobes. Severe difficulty of breathing is experienced with chest tightness. As it is a form of shock, it lessens the cardiac output. Potent vasoconstrictors help in increasing the stroke volume of the heart.

Since the allergic attack of penicillin may be highly fatal, skin tests should be done as ordered by a physician before drug administration. Skin tests are done intradermally using a solution containing 90 % saline solution or distilled water for injection and 10 % of the drug. The solution is injected at the forearm as the most common site of skin testing, forming a wheal about 1 – 2 mm in diameter. If the wheal enlarges at the site or if inflammation is very much evident with rashes and itching at the site, the person is positive for penicillin allergy.

There are different responsibilities in giving the treatments for penicillin allergies. The most common adverse effect of antihistamines is sleepiness and drowsiness. A medical personnel administering the drug should educate the patient regarding the side effect and if possible prohibit some activities that may cause falls and accidents. The patient should not drive or operate hazardous machines.  Other adverse effects such as nausea and vomiting should be explained to the patient so he or she will not be overwhelmed upon experiencing these.

When administering vasoconstrictors like epinephrine, monitoring of blood pressure should be done strictly every 15 minutes since the effect of intravenous epinephrine is very fast. In cases of severe anaphylactic shock, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation might be essential. The medical personnel assigned to these extreme cases should be very knowledgeable in emergency practice.