Tag Archives: penicillin allergy

Patient, Know Thyself

I know I’ve talked about knowing your medical history before in the Health Blog. Think of it this way — your doctor sees a lot of patients every day/week/month/year. You can’t expect them to remember everything about every person! Doctors and other health care professionals are human. They have good days and bad days and they make mistakes. Knowing your history (including allergies, medications you take, and other stuff like that) can help prevent a mistake from being something serious. Case in point: I got bit by a cat over the weekend at the cats-only boarding facility. Unlike every other … Continue reading →

Penicillin Allergy

A penicillin allergy is an allergic reaction to penicillin antibiotics. Basically, your body’s immune system overreacts to the drug. A penicillin allergy is the most common type of drug allergy. Some people who are allergic to penicillin are also allergic to other similar or related antibiotics. (I have a penicillin allergy and can’t take other related antibiotics, either.) However, there are many people out there who think they have a penicillin allergy but don’t. Just like other types of allergies, you can outgrow the allergy or become less sensitive to penicillin. Some people may have had a bad reaction as … Continue reading →