It’s estimated that drug allergy affects up to 20% of the world’s population. The most common drugs that cause allergy are:
Painkillers: Also known as analgesics, they include: morphine, ibuprofen, aspirin, indomethacin, and codeine.
Antibiotics: They include sulfa drugs, tetracycline and penicillin
Anti-seizure medications: They are carbamazepine and phyenytoin
According to professionals, you are at more risk of developing allergy if you are in frequent exposure to drugs, you take large doses of the medications, you are given the drugs in terms of injections instead of pill and if you come from a family that has the tendency of developing allergies and asthma.
Types of drug allergies
There are four types of drug reactions that you can have. They include:
Type 1: Most allergists recognize it as the classic allergy. It’s caused by immunoglobulin E (Ig-E). The reaction comes about when the molecules in the drug are mistaken for antigens. When the molecule binds to Ig-E molecule that is attached to mast cells, it crosses the arms of the Ig-E molecules. When the Ig-E molecule cross link, the mast cells release histamine that triggers a number of body responses such as runny nose. If histamine levels are high you might undergo anaphylaxis. This reaction is dangerous as it occurs within minutes after exposure to the allergen.
Cytotoxic allergy: Here immunoglobulin-G binds to a drug molecule (that is mistaken for an antigen). The immune system thinks that the molecule is a foreign entity and sends CD8+ T cells to attack the foreign material. This type of allergy often takes time to develop and one of its clear symptoms is hemolytic anemia.
Type III: Occurs when the body produces plenty of antibodies ig-G and immunoglobulin-M that bind to antigens forming clumps of the immune cells that line on the wall of blood vessels. When plenty of the immune cells line up the walls they trigger inflammation.
Type IV: It has a delayed onset of 2-3 days and is created by T cells that are produced in the thymus gland. Common symptoms of this reaction include: Papules on the skin and maculopapular rash.
What to do when you develop a drug reaction
If you develop nausea, skin rashes, inflammation or any other symptoms that scream that you are having a drug reaction you should contact your allergy doctor as soon as possible. Remember that mild symptoms can escalate and become severe and deadly if not addressed early enough.