General Information About Drug Allergy
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is the body's defense mechanism (the immune system) perceiving a medication—taken orally or injected to treat an illness—as a foreign threat (a microbe) and launching a severe attack (histamine release) against it.
Experiencing nausea, dizziness, or diarrhea after taking a medication is a side effect (toxicity) of the drug, not an allergy. A true drug allergy is directly related to the immune system; it causes itching on the skin, shortness of breath, or swelling in the face.
The best known and most common agent is Penicillin group antibiotics. Aside from that, Aspirin, rheumatism/painkiller drugs (NSAIDs), epilepsy medications, chemotherapy agents, and the (contrast agents) used in CT scans are the groups that most frequently cause allergies.
It is the fatal stage of a drug allergy. Minutes after the drug is administered (especially after an intravenous/intramuscular injection), the patient's throat swells and closes, they cannot breathe, their blood pressure drops suddenly, and they lose consciousness. If an Adrenaline (Epinephrine) injection is not administered within seconds, it results in death.
To detect the allergy, specific IgE in the blood is checked, and Skin Tests, where small doses of the drug are dripped onto the skin, are performed. For a definitive diagnosis, very small doses of the drug are given to the patient orally under supervision (Drug Provocation Test). If the patient must use that drug for life-saving reasons (cancer, etc.), Allergy specialists administer the drug in incrementally increasing micro-doses to accustom the immune system to it (Desensitization).
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
