Drug allergy occurs when you have a physical reaction to certain drug that you have taken. Most allergic reactions to drugs are immediate, it can manifest right after ingestion, injection, or contact with the skin. Anyone can develop a hypersensitivity to certain medications; you may also develop allergic reaction to medication that you have taken with not reaction in the past.

Anaphylactic reaction may occur in about one in 10,000 persons, while serum sickness (allergic reaction to an antiserum or antibiotics derived from an animal source) occurs occasionally, and contact dermatitis is common after handling drug or following topical application.

Symptoms of Drug Allergies:

• The most common symptoms are itching and rashes spread in most part of the body which appears soon after taking the drug.
• Difficulty breathing
• Severely low blood pressure

Persons with severe drug allergies can experience a potentially deadly condition called anaphylaxis. Anaphylactic reaction to drugs may occur within an hour after taking the drug but may also occur several hours later

Causes of Drug Allergies:

• Many drugs have been linked with such allergies this includes; analgesics, sulfonamides, barbiturates, and even some antihistamines, but allergic reactions to these drugs are rare.

• Penicillin is the greatest single cause of drug hypersensitivity.
• Hereditary, people with a family history of drug allergies are more prone to have drug allergies.

Prevention and Treatment for Drug Allergies:

• As soon as you feel that you had a reaction to the medicine you have taken call your doctor immediately to ask if the reaction is normal. The reaction will usually stop as soon as the medication is out of your system.
• Anaphylactic shock is treated with an injection of epinephrine, a hormone that stimulates the heart and relaxes the airways.
• If you are aware that you have drug allergies, wear a Medic Alert bracelet so the medical staff are aware of your condition incase you need emergency treatment.