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 A drug allergy is an adverse reaction to a drug or medication or an unexpected effect of a drug being taken by a patient. Drug reactions are quite common, however a true drug allergy is not encountered as often.
As reactions to drugs can occur quite commonly, determining whether a person has a drug allergy can be difficult. A negative reaction to a drug can be caused by the following reasons;
Drug Toxicity
Toxicity of a drug can be caused when too much of a drug is taken or used by a patient.
Drug Side Effects
Side effects can sometimes be unavoidable with certain drugs, and are usually clearly described on packaging by the drug provider.
Drug Intolerance
Drug intolerance can be experienced by certain patients where known side effects appear more severe than normal. A drug intolerance is usually so severe that the patient has to change drugs and take an alternative brand or different type of drug altogether.
Drug Interactions
Drug interactions occur when two or more different drugs are taken at the same time, with one interfering with the action of another.
Drug Allergies
A drug allergy is a specific adverse reaction to a drug or a component of a drug.
An allergic response to antibitoics is the most common drug allergy, with drugs in the penicillin family, such as amoxicillin, causing the most problems. If a person has an allergic reaction to a drug in the penicillin family they should avoid any of the related drugs;
- Penicillin
- Amoxicillin
- Ampicillin
- Piperacillin
- Pondocillin
- Cloxacillin
Other drugs can cause allergic reactions such as Cephalosporins, another form of antibiotic. Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) can also cause allergic reactions, with the treatment being to change to a different type of drug or NSAID. Anaesthetics can cause adverse reactions, however the majority of the symptoms are not allergic in nature. Vaccinations, or immunisations, can cause allergic reactions, however the benefits or taking a vaccine normally outweighs the symptoms caused by the reaction.
Drug Allergy Desensitization
Apart from avoiding a drug which causes an allergic reaction, or changing to a different drug, a programme of drug desensitization can be followed.
A very small amount of a suspect drug is administered to a patient, and the dosage is slowly increased every 20 minutes until the patient can tolerate the full dose. Typically the process takes a few hours, but in some cases the process can be carried out over a number of days.
Desensitization is carried out in a hospital and needs to be repeated each time a drug is administered - whether it is the same drug or a different drug.
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