Is pencillin safe

Answer 1

Penicillin is the safest of all the known antibiotics. The dose of penicillin used by Chan and Flory was only 5000 international units. Fortunately it worked. Normally half million dose of procaine penicillin will cover most of the susceptible infections. But one million penicillin G can be safely given two to three times a day to an adult in pneumonia. The maximum dose of penicillin given in meningitis is 24 million international units per day. Even the higher dose can be given with out any problem. The real problem is you give either the sodium or the potassium salt of the penicillin. Kidney gets load of excretion of that much sodium or potassium. That is 'the' beauty of penicillin. Penicillin is very safe. But there is one exception. Patient may get anaphylactic reaction at times. You have to manage it. Other wise the patient may die on the spot. The use of penicillin has practically stopped due to fear of anaphylactic reaction. Large number of patients die of not getting penicillin. Very few will die of the reaction. Doctors do not take the risk. That is correct. For this loss of lives the society and judiciary is responsible.