Drug allergies can cause a lot of problems for people with allergic sensitivities. This article will explain how to treat some of the most common drug allergies.
What is Drug Allergy?
A drug allergy occurs when you get an allergic reaction to medicine. This occurs because the body sees something in the medicine as harmful and tries to fight against it. The immune system is where this reaction takes place.
Symptoms of Drug Allergy Include
– Hives
– Rash
– Blisters
– Eczema
– Coughing
– Wheezing
– runny nose
– trouble breathing
– fever
What Medicines can cause Drug Allergies?
- Penicillin
- Sulfa medicines
- Barbiturates
- Insulin
- Vaccines
- Anticonvulsants
- Medicines for hyperthyroidism
How to Treat Drug Allergies
The first thing to do when treating a drug allergy is to find out whether the allergic reaction is serious or mild. A negative reaction in the body to medicine is not always allergy. This is why an examination by a physician is required in treating drug related conditions if the condition is serious. For mild reactions to drugs, you can use home remedies such as using cold compress on hives or taking anticongestants to treat stuffy nose.
Antihistamines can limit the severity of symptoms. They can be taken in short term for drug related allergic reactions. Long term use of antihistamines is never recommended because they have side effects and cause the body to become used to them making their use redundant.
Another way to use drugs you are allergic is to desensitize the immune system to the drug by using only small amounts of it first and gradually increase the amount of the drug.
You should always try to find out whether there is an alternative drug you can take that does not cause an allergic reaction. Often just changing the drug is enough to get rid of allergy symptoms.
