Where There Is No Doctor 2011 71
How to Avoid Serious Reactions
to a Penicillin Injection
1. For mild to moderate infections:
2. Before injecting ask the person:
give penicillin pills
instead of injections
“Have you ever had a
rash, itching, swelling,
or trouble breathing
after getting an
injection of penicillin?”
3. Before injecting penicillin:
If the answer is yes, do not use penicillin,
ampicillin, or amoxicillin. Use another
antibiotic like erythromycin (p. 354) or a
sulfonamide (p. 356).
4. After injecting:
always have ampules
of EPINEPHRINE
(Adrenalin) ready.
stay with the person
for at least 30 minutes.
5. If the person becomes very pale, his heart beats very fast,
he has difficulty breathing, or he starts to faint, immediately
inject into a muscle (or just under the skin—see p. 167) half
an ampule of EPINEPHRINE (Adrenalin, a quarter of
an ampule in small children) and repeat in 10 minutes
if necessary.