Child care: How to deal with penicillin allergy

Fact Checked

Penicillin allergy is considered as the most prevalent drug allergy and the usual cause for skin rashes. Remember though that rashes can be triggered by other conditions as well.

Indications of penicillin allergy

It is important to note that penicillin allergy can trigger dangerous allergic reactions. Luckily, most children with the allergy usually have mild reactions that leads to simple skin rashes such as hives. Aside from hives, children who experience severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, difficulty swallowing or a swollen mouth or throat might indicate anaphylaxis.

In case the reaction is limited to hives, you will notice pinkish or reddish elevated areas on the skin that are itchy, vary in size and can come and go over a number of hours. The older hives in one part of the body subsides while fresh ones continue to manifest in a different location. Remember that an individual hive should not last more than 24 hours. If it lasts that long, the child might have erythema multiforme which is a similar skin rash.

Penicillin allergy
As for severe reactions, the treatment involves steroids and/or a shot of epinephrine.

Erythema multiforme is a form of allergic reaction that can also be triggered by penicillin allergy. The difference with hives is that this rash continues to spread and lasts for 1-2 weeks.

Management

Aside from stopping the use of penicillin that might trigger an allergic response, the child is usually treated using an antihistamine such as diphenhydramine to alleviate the symptoms of itchiness and hives. As for severe reactions, the treatment involves steroids and/or a shot of epinephrine.

If a child has penicillin allergy, he/she must not be given amoxicillin and other penicillin-type antibiotics. The use of the cephalosporin-type antibiotics is considered safe but there is still a small risk for developing a reaction as well.

Important facts on penicillin allergy

Even though a reaction can be instigated in just minutes up to hours of using penicillin, it can take days or even weeks for an antibiotic to trigger hives in children. In addition, the child might have taken the antibiotic and had no previous reaction and then abruptly develops a reaction upon the next intake.

Parents must always remind the doctor if a child is allergic to penicillin before every prescription is given. Even though they usually have an allergy warning in the chart, it is best to stay safe and provide a reminder.

More importantly, always bear in mind that many parents think that their child has penicillin allergy when in fact they do not. Consulting an allergist is the best way to determine if the child is actually allergic to the medication.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top

The information posted on this page is for educational purposes only.
If you need medical advice or help with a diagnosis contact a medical professional

  • All firstaidsaskatoon.ca content is reviewed by a medical professional and / sourced to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

  • We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable websites, academic research institutions and medical articles.

  • If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please contact us through our contact us page.