Every drug generally has side effects, one of which is triggering an allergic reaction. In people who have drug allergies, allergy symptoms can appear quickly within hours or slowly within a few days of taking the drug.
Allergy symptoms that appear can vary. In mild drug allergic reactions, symptoms may include rash and itching of the skin, swelling of the lips and face, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
However, allergic drug reactions that occur can sometimes be severe and cause severe symptoms such as shortness of breath, weakness, and loss of consciousness or fainting. This condition is called anaphylactic shock. In certain cases, an allergic reaction to drugs can also cause a condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Some Ways to Overcome Drug Allergies
There are several ways you can do to deal with an allergic drug reaction that appears, including:
1. Recognizing allergy-triggering drugs
This is one of the important steps to overcome the drug allergy you are experiencing and prevent you from allergic reactions that may reappear in the future.
Basically, almost all drugs are at risk of causing an allergic reaction. However, there are several types of drugs that tend to trigger allergic reactions more often, including:
- Antibiotics, such as penicillin and sulfa
- Anticonvulsant or anticonvulsant drugs
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, and metamizole
- Antimalarial drugs, such as chloroquine
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Anesthesia or anesthesia
- Allopurinol gout drug
2. Stop using allergy-triggering drugs
Once the drug that triggers the allergy is known, stop using the drug immediately and avoid using it again in the future.
If you're not sure what medication is triggering a drug allergy, try to remember and record all medications and supplements, including herbal remedies, that you've taken in the last 24-48 hours.
After that, you should consult a doctor and take the note with you so that the doctor can help identify which drug is triggering the allergic reaction in your body.
3. Doing home care
If the symptoms that appear are mild, you can take various ways to deal with drug allergies, including taking cold showers, giving cold compresses or applying calamine lotion to the skin or body areas that feel itchy and a rash appears, and take antihistamine drugs.
4. Taking allergy relievers
Mild allergic reactions usually subside on their own within a few hours or days. This condition can also usually be treated with home remedies.
However, the symptoms of drug allergy that appear can sometimes be severe or never go away. If you experience such drug allergies, you need to immediately see a doctor for treatment.
To treat a severe allergic drug reaction, your doctor may prescribe the following medicines:
- Antihistamines
When you have an allergic reaction, your body produces a substance that triggers an allergic reaction called histamine. This substance can appear when you are exposed to substances that trigger allergies, including food, dust, to drugs.
To overcome the allergic reaction, the doctor may prescribe antihistamine drugs. This drug is often used to treat mild to moderate allergies or allergies that cause severe itching and skin rashes.
- Corticosteroid drugs
Drug allergies can trigger inflammation and swelling in the body. This can cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and shortness of breath. In addition, swelling can also occur in other parts of the body, such as the face, lips, and eye membranes, causing red and watery eyes.
To relieve inflammation that occurs due to drug allergies, doctors may prescribe corticosteroid medications. Corticosteroid drugs are available in the form of oral medications, topical medications, eye drops, to inhalers or inhalers.
- Bronchodilator drugs
Allergic reactions to drugs can cause shortness of breath. In people with asthma, allergic reactions can trigger asthma symptoms to recur. To treat these conditions, doctors can prescribe bronchodilator drugs.
This medicine will help widen the airways so that breathing will be easier. Bronchodilators are available in liquid and powder form for use in inhalers or nebulizers.
- Epinephrine injection
Epinephrine injections are commonly used to treat severe allergic drug reactions (anaphylaxis). Anaphylaxis is characterized by symptoms of weakness, tingling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and fainting.
This condition needs to be treated immediately because of the risk of causing severe complications and even death.
5. Desensitization therapy
This therapy may also be carried out if you have allergies to certain drugs that need to be taken in the long term. This therapy aims to reduce the risk of allergic symptoms recurring in the future.
Desensitization therapy is carried out by giving a small amount of drug or allergy-triggering substance into the body, then gradually increasing the dose until the patient's body can recognize and tolerate the drug.
If you have a history of drug allergies, don't forget to record the type of drug that caused the allergic reaction. The goal is that you can tell your doctor or health care provider about your history of drug allergies before undergoing any medical treatment.
If you do not know what medicines can trigger an allergic reaction, you can consult a doctor for an examination. To determine what triggers your allergies, your doctor may recommend that you undergo allergy testing.
When you have an allergic reaction to a drug, try not to panic and stop taking all the medicines you are taking immediately. If the symptoms that appear do not improve, immediately see a doctor so that treatment can be done quickly and appropriately.
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