Any prescription or nonprescription medicine can cause an
allergic reaction. Allergic reactions are common and
unpredictable. The seriousness of the allergic reaction caused by a certain
medicine will vary.
Symptoms of a medicine allergy can
include:
- A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
-
Skin reactions
, such as
hives, rashes, itching, or reddening of the skin.
- Trouble
breathing, such as wheezing and severe shortness of
breath.
- Digestive problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or
abdominal cramps.
Medicines that most commonly cause an allergic reaction
include:
- ACE inhibitors, such as captopril or
enalapril.
- Antibiotics, such as penicillin, cephalosporins,
sulfonamides, or vancomycin.
- Seizure medicines, such as
carbamazepine, phenytoin, or valproate.
- Barbiturates, such as
phenobarbital or pentobarbital.
- Beta-blockers, such as propranolol,
timolol, or metoprolol.
- Blood and blood
products.
- Complementary and alternative medicines, such as
echinacea.
- Contrast dyes used in X-ray
studies.
- Enzymes, such as trypsin and
streptokinase.
- Medicines used to treat cancer
(chemotherapy).
-
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
, such as ibuprofen (Advil, for example), naproxen (Aleve, for
example), and aspirin.
- COX-2 inhibitors, such as celecoxib (Celebrex). COX-2
inhibitors may cause allergic reactions in people who are also allergic to
sulfonamides.
- Vaccines, antiviral medicines, and
immunoglobulins.
Having a medicine allergy will affect your ability to take
that medicine in the future and often means that you cannot take that medicine
or other medicines that have a similar chemical makeup. This can occur with
many antibiotics and local anesthetics, as well as other families of
medicines.
Some rashes from medicines are so typical that your
doctor may be able to decide from a telephone conversation whether the rash is
caused by a medicine reaction. But your doctor may need to see a rash in
order to diagnose it as an allergic reaction or a side effect of a medicine.
