Penicillin Testing Available
Millions of individuals carry the label of being Penicillin allergic, yet several studies have shown that only a fraction of these people truly have an allergy. Typically, doctors tell their patients to avoid Penicillin if there is suspicion of reaction but this eliminates a very effective class of antibiotics. Until recently, allergists have not had a reliable way to test for Penicillin allergy; however, a testing reagent called Pre-Pen is now in production and widely available. Pre-Pen will test for the major allergenic portion of Penicillin and if positive is highly suggestive of true allergy. If testing is negative, the likelihood of allergy is significantly lower but would require further testing to assure that Penicillin could be taken safely. Our office will be offering this service to our patients and we would encourage you to discuss this with your doctor.