IDStewardship

  • Home
  • Articles
  • LEARN ANTIBIOTICS
  • Study Guide
  • Resources
  • Q&A
  • #ASPchat
  • Contributors
  • About

Penicillin

[penicillin photo]

KEY POINTS

  • Penicillin is a beta-lactam antibiotic that works by inhibiting the bacterial cell wall in susceptible organisms
  • Penicillin was originally discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, but was not employed in clinical practice on a large scale until World War II in the 1940s
  • Available for oral, intravenous and intramuscular administration
  • Widely considered the drug of choice for various Gram positive anaerobes (e.g., Clostridium perfringens), beta-hemolytic Streptococci (e.g., Streptococcus pyogenes & Streptococcus agalactiae) and syphilis (Treponema pallidum)
    • Beware penicillin resistance in alpha-hemolytic Streptococci (e.g., Streptococcus pneumoniae & Viridans group Streptococci)
  • Frequent dosing is common, except with the intramuscular formulation
    • Adjust doses for renal function
      • Failing to adjust doses for renal function may increase the risk for seizure
    • Aqueous penicillin G can be given via a continuous infusion over 20-24 hours
  • Beware nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, seizure, electrolyte abnormalities and hypersensitivity reactions
    • Prolonged use (especially >28 days) has been associated with neutropenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia
  • Inaccurate penicillin allergy labels are extremely common and penicillin skin testing may be an option to evaluate a questionable penicillin allergy label

RESOURCES

  • Penicillin G Potassium For Injection Package Insert
  • Penicillin G Benzathine Injectable Suspension Package Insert
  • Penicillin G Procaine Injectable Package Insert
  • Penicillin V Potassium Oral Tablet & Suspension Package Insert
  • Penicillins Review – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (1999)
  • IDSA Practice Guidelines
  • 2015 CDC STD Guideline
  • Infective Endocarditis Guidelines – European Society of Cardiology (2015)

Free Antibiotic Cheat Sheet

Study Guide

  • Pharmacotherapy Study Guide
  • Acyclovir
  • Albendazole
  • Amikacin
  • Aminoglycosides
  • Amphotericin B
  • Amoxicillin
  • Amoxicillin-Clavulanic Acid
  • Ampicillin
  • Ampicillin-sulbactam
  • Anidulafungin
  • Artesunate
  • Atovaquone
  • Azithromycin
  • Aztreonam
  • Bacitracin
  • Baloxavir marboxyl (Xofluza)
  • Bamlanivimab
  • Baricitinib
  • Bezlotoxumab
  • Casirivimab and Imdevimab
  • Caspofungin
  • Cefazolin
  • Cefepime
  • Cefiderocol
  • Ceftaroline
  • Ceftazidime
  • Ceftazidime-avibactam
  • Ceftolozane-Tazobactam
  • Ceftriaxone
  • Cefoxitin
  • Cephalexin
  • Ciprofloxacin
  • Clarithromycin
  • Clindamycin
  • Colistin (colistimethate)
  • Cycloserine
  • Dalbavancin
  • Daptomycin
  • Delafloxacin
  • Dicloxacillin
  • Doripenem
  • Doxycycline
  • Elbasvir/ grazoprevir
  • Eravacycline
  • Ertapenem
  • Erythromycin
  • Famciclovir
  • Fidaxomicin
  • Fluconazole
  • Flucytosine
  • Foscarnet
  • Fosfomycin
  • Ganciclovir
  • Gentamicin
  • Glecaprevir/ Pibrentasvir
  • Imipenem-cilastatin
  • Imipenem-cilastatin-relebactam
  • Isavuconazole
  • Itraconazole
  • Ivermectin
  • Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir
  • Lefamulin
  • Letermovir
  • Levofloxacin
  • Linezolid
  • Meropenem
  • Meropenem-vaborbactam
  • Metronidazole
  • Methenamine
  • Micafungin
  • Minocycline
  • Moxifloxacin
  • Nafcillin
  • Nitrofurantoin
  • Omadacycline
  • Oritavancin
  • Oseltamivir
  • Oxacillin
  • Penicillin
  • Penicillin Skin Test
  • Phenazopyridine
  • Piperacillin-tazobactam
  • Plazomicin
  • Polymyxin B
  • Posaconazole
  • Quinupristin-dalfopristin
  • Remdesivir
  • Ribavirin
  • Rifabutin
  • Rifampin
  • Secnidazole
  • Sofosbuvir/ velpatasvir/ voxilaprevir
  • Sulfadiazine
  • Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim (Bactrim)
  • Tedizolid
  • Telavancin
  • Tigecycline
  • Tobramycin
  • Tocilizumab
  • Valacyclovir
  • Valganciclovir
  • Vancomycin
  • Voriconazole
  • Zidovudine
  • Zoster vaccine recombinant, adjuvanted (Shingrix)

Recent

  • COVID-19 Vaccine Resources For Pharmacists
  • Five Things To Know About The Antifungal Drug Pipeline
  • IDstewardship Year End Review: 2020
  • Year In Review: Top Infectious Diseases Articles Of 2020
  • An Unofficial Pharmacy Playlist Of Drug Theme Songs

Search

Copyright 2016-2020 By Charlie Rose, LLC © · IDStewardship.com · Copyright · Privacy Policy · Terms · Contact