- anaesthetic awareness
- birth injury
- brain haemorrhage
- cancer misdiagnosis
- cauda equina syndrome
- cerebral palsy
- cosmetic surgery
- dental negligence
- gynaecology errors
- laparoscopy surgery
- medical negligence solicitors
- neonatal conditions
- obstetric cholestasis
- surgery negligence
- gastric band surgery
- prescription errors
Drug Allergies - Medical Negligence Claims
Thousands of clinical compensation claims are initiated every year in the United Kingdom by medical negligence solicitors on behalf of people from all walks of life. A multitude of operations and procedures are executed successfully however a small percentage do go wrong, laying the grounds for medical negligence solicitors to take legal action in order to claim compensation. Both legal aid and the no win no fee scheme are available to pursue medical negligence compensation claims.
Please contact us for help pursuing your claim.
Medical Negligence Compensation Claim Solicitors Helpline 0844 332 0095
Drug allergies encompass a number of different symptoms that are related to a person's inability to tolerate a drug due to an allergy to a drug. Drugs can cause all sorts of adverse reactions and allergic reactions are just some of them. Reactions due to drug allergies can be mild and annoying or can be life threatening. Drug allergies involve a series of chemical reactions in the body that relate to the immune system and sometimes immune cells.
Allergic reactions can develop in a couple of ways. You can take a medication and have no reaction to it the first time. Your body, however, makes an antibody known as IgE to the drug. The next time you take the drug, the IgE becomes hyperactive and causes other cells to make histamine. Histamine causes allergic symptoms of a rash and sometimes more serious symptoms. You can also have a drug allergy from the first time you take a medication. IgE is not produced in this setting and the mechanism of how this works isn't completely clear. There is a type of reaction called a serum sickness reaction that is delayed and occurs at least a week or more after taking the medication. Vaccines can cause allergic reactions as well.
Common drugs that cause allergic reactions include those of the penicillin class, sulfa medications, insulin made from animal sources, anticonvulsant medications and IV drugs containing iodine, such as IV contrast materials. In truth, just about any medication can cause an allergic reaction in a susceptible individual.
A reaction to a medication does not need to be allergic in nature. There can, for example, be non-allergenic hives or asthma symptoms when taking aspirin. There can be reactions to medications that are idiosyncratic and unrelated to anything in particular. Fortunately, such side effects of medications are usually mild and do not cause a life threatening illness.
The symptoms of a regular allergic reaction to a medication include hives, which are itchy spots or splotches on the skin, eyes or skin itching, another type of drug related rash, lip, tongue or face swelling and wheezing from lung involvement.
Anaphylaxis is the most severe systemic reaction that can occur during a drug reaction. The reaction occurs minutes to hours after taking the drug and results in symptoms of confusion, abdominal pain, cramps, dizziness, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, lightheadedness or fainting, hives, vomiting, nausea and a rapid pulse. People can feel palpitations of their heart and also feel very short of breath.
Doctors can diagnose allergic reactions to drugs by the clinical presentation of rash, shortness of breath and other allergic symptoms. Blood pressure reduction, wheezing and swelling of the face can mean that an anaphylactic reaction is occurring. Doctors can do skin testing to see if a person is allergic to penicillin or sulfa drugs before giving the drug to the person or if there is a suspicion of a drug allergy. Unfortunately, skin testing for other drugs just do not exist and it is hard to know if a person is allergic to a drug or medication unless you actually try the medication.
The treatment of drug allergies involves, first and foremost, stopping the drug. Doctors can use antihistamines to relieve the itching and hives reaction. Bronchodilator medications, such as albuterol, are used to open up the airways and ease breathing. Corticosteroids can be given by IV, intramuscular injection, orally or topically to decrease the inflammatory response. Injectable epinephrine helps reduce symptoms of anaphylaxis. Always document a drug allergy so that the medication or its relatives are not given again. In rare cases, a person can be desensitized against the medication using increasing doses of the medication but, if other medications are available, it is not recommended to do this.
Complications of drug allergies include death from anaphylaxis, subsequent asthma, and angioedema, which is life threatening swelling of the lungs, throat or tongue. See a doctor if you have signs or symptoms of a drug allergy as the complications can be severe.