Drug allergy 101 - What You Absolutely Need to
Know
By: Anju bala
Introduction Due to increase in the population that is having impaired
immunity and also as there is an increasing pool of aged population because
of the ever-lowering death rates, the incidence of allergies is on rise.
Definition Drug allergy is an immunologically mediated reaction to a
drug, which is quite different from its pharmacodynamic profile. It is
entirely unrelated to its dosage. It is sometimes also called drug
hypersensitivity.
Types There are many different types of drug
allergies but broadly there are two different types: a) Humoral It is
further subdivided into type I, type II and type III based on the type of
cells involved. b) Cellular
Diagnosis Most commonly the signs
and symptoms are redness, itching, rashes, swelling and runny nose. These
symptoms occur from within few minutes to few hours. Whatever the symptoms,
it is best to consult your doctor as soon as possible because these may be
signs of a severe and even fatal reaction. One of the severe reactions is
anaphylaxis. It is not necessary that if a person did not get allergy from a
drug previously, he wont get it this time. Usually drugs from same group
should not be taken if a reaction has occurred from a drug. The drugs most
commonly implicated in drug allergies are penicillin, cephalosporins, sulfa
drugs , anti convulsants, aspirin and insulin.
Management
a)Treatment The first and foremost thing is to consult your doctor and if
possible allergy specialist for he would be able to determine two things:
first, the allergen and secondly the cause of the allergy. Finally when
there has already been a reaction, then to treat this, there are certain
medicines such as Elidel, Zyrtec, Flonase and Allegra. Elidel helps in
itching and rashes. It is a new and safe drug, which comes in a cream form.
Zyrtec is another safe drug. Because of its less likelihood of drowsiness as
compared to the other members of its group, it has received good patient
compliance. Besides being used for seasonal rhinitis it is also used for
runny nose in drug allergy. Flonase is another drug which although being
steroidal is non-habit forming. It relieves the patients of stuffy nose
because of congestion. It can also be used in children. Allegra has
similar use as zyrtec although it is even less sedating. b)Prevention
It is best said that to manage in the best way any drug allergy is to stay
away from the allergen that is the drug.
Further research There
are certain drugs such as xolair, which are still in their incipient stage,
and not much of data is available
