Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and penicillin allergy

@tkanan Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, a place to give and get support. Glad to have you.

I moved your question to the COVID-19 group because you are asking about the COVID-19 vaccine, right?

Members like @silverwoman @wildcat @migizii @fiesty76 @jmb73 already discussing the vaccine here.

Below is a discussion you may find of interest. You may wish to scroll through the posts.
- To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/to-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate-that-is-the-question/

May I ask what your wife's provider has advised and if you've looked into what Pfizer has to say on the matter?

@tkanan Welcome to connect We can't prescribe but help when we can.I also am allergic to Penicillin I had both my Pfizer vaccines and had no reaction at all

Thank you @lioness. May I know for how long you stayed in the clinic monitored after you got the first shot?

I have signed up to get a COVID vaccine but am scared I will get sick from it! I had a pneumonia shot last month and was sick after. The flu shot made me sick in November! I know I survived but it is no fun coming home to be sick for 3-4 days! Any suggestions or ideas on this topic? Words of wisdom?

Hey, I got my second Pfizer vaccine last Friday. I work as a Pharmacy tech and the guy who put my shot was the head pharmacist for where work. I asked him about any allergic reactions due o this vaccine, to which he replied that it is really rare. However, the protocol that we all have is that for providing vaccinations is that they should stay at least 15 minutes after the vaccination was given because most systems like allergic shock have been known to happen very quickly. It is exceedingly rare as the days progress. Hope this helps!

@tkanan- Good morning and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I understand your concern, however, the CDC recommends patients with severe allergies get monitored for 15 to 30 minutes after receiving the vaccine as a precaution. Severe allergies are those that induce an anaphylactic reaction. There are no ingredients in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination that should cause issues in patients with penicillin allergies. The CDC recommends patients with severe allergies get monitored for 15 to 30 minutes after receiving the vaccine as a precaution.

Have you had any severe allergic reactions to vaccines in the past? Have you spoken with your PCP?

Thank you @merpreb - this is a great answer. I do not live in the US, so you may imagine how things are different in developing countries, where the protocols are not clear enough. If I may ask you the same question but for different vaccines like the Astra-Oxford, the Sputnik or the Sinopharm, will the answer be the same, especially in terms of the ingredients ?

@tkanan- I can not answer for Astra-Oxford, the Sputnik, or the Sinopharm as they have not been approved for use in the US on an emergency basis. I understand how difficult COVID-19 and its vaccines have been for the world with all sorts of different protocols. It's been horribly confusing and with resistance, very challenging.

You will have to ask a more knowledgeable science-oriented person about ingredients, even those in use in the US.

When are you scheduled to have your first vaccine?

Suzanne - Feeling ill after vaccines is the body's way of telling us it is reacting to the injection and forming the desired antibodies. Reactions range from nothing to mild - sore arm & headache to robust - fever & body aches.
The best advice I can offer is pretty generic - Tylenol for fever, headache & body aches, plenty if liquid, and some rest. My daughter had a serious case of Covid that lasted (literally) for months, so I think 48 hours of headache & tiredness was worth it.
Sue

Thanks. My question was for my wife, she was scheduled to have it yesterday, but when the staff realized she is penicillin allergic they refused to give and asked for a penicillin allergy test, which is something not very safe by its nature up to my knowledge. Thanks again.