What is a drug allergy? This article will answer this question and let you know what the most common symptoms of drug allergies are.
Drug allergy is the body’s immune system’s response to some ingredient in a medicine that causes allergic symptoms. Sometimes you can build up a tolerance to a drug allergy but in most cases you will continue to have symptoms the rest of your life.
It is possible to have a reaction to a drug that is not allergy. It is only if the condition persists if the drug is used that you have an allergy to the drug.
Symptoms of Drug Allergies
Some drug allergies are mild and some can be serious. The following are the most common reaction that can occur in the body when you are allergic to drugs.
– Hives
– Rash
– Blisters
– Eczema
Other symptoms that are less common include:
– Couching
– Runny nose
– Breathing problems
– Wheezing
– Fever
– Toxic epidermal necrolysis which makes your skin blister and peel
– Anaphylaxis
Symptoms of dug allergies often occur within one hour of taking the drug. Medicines that commonly cause allergic reactions are penicillin, sulfa medicines, barbiturates, insulin, vaccines, anticonvulsants and hyperthyroid medicines. If you are allergic to one of these, it is likely that you also have an allergy to another one. People with AIDS or lupus are often allergic to more than one medicine.
People with asthma have often harmful reactions to drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen. Even though these can be serious reactions they are not allergies because they do not affect the immune system.
Diagnosis of Drug Allergy
This can be done by a doctor, by taking a careful history of your medicine use and by allergy testing. This will clarify any doubts about your drug allergies and let you know what drugs you need to stay away from, in order to avoid harmful drug allergy symptoms.
