Being a parent is hard enough. The last thing you want to worry about is the potential of your child having a reaction to a medication that is supposed to provide relief. Penicillin is a category of antibiotic, and the good news is that there is a cost-effective test that helps to identify when you or your child may have an allergy. It’s called Pre-Pen testing. Here are a few things you should know before pursuing this test.
Up to 85-90 of individuals who think that they are allergic actually are not. The symptoms that they experience may not be an allergic response, or due to the antibiotic itself. Your immune system also changes as you age, and you may no longer be allergic if you truly were in the past. It’s hard to know if you fall into either of these categories, but Pre-Pen testing can help to identify if you’re actually allergic to Penicillin.
Finding out if you truly have an allergy to Penicillin is important given the cost of antibiotics, appropriate treatment, and to combat drug resistance. Penicillin is usually a cheaper antibiotic. It is a medication that is appropriate for many infections, which also has less side effects. Testing is completed using a safe multi-step process that is completed by a trained individual. It is started by a prick test. If this portion is positive, testing stops. If the results are negative, then intradermal testing begins followed by an oral challenge. The total testing can take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.
Now that you know that you may not be truly allergic to the category of Penicillin, you’re ready to pursue Pre-Pen testing without worrying. This could be a valuable opportunity for you and your loved ones to effectively treat symptoms safely and efficiently.
Please contact our office today at (616) 994-2770 for an appointment to find out if Pre-Pen testing is an option for you.