There is a common misconception that if you have medication allergy, your doctor can easily do a test to find out what you are allergic to and what you can take. This is a myth!
If you have a medication allergy, these are some things that you should do:
- The first and most important is to write down the name of the medication! (Over the years, you will forget the name)
- Then record down what reaction occurred, when it occurred, and what was done to treat the reaction. (This will give a sense of the severity of reaction)
- Then record down what alternative medication was given to you. (This will give information of what class of medications you can tolerate)
- Sometimes, multiple medications could have been taken at the same time, so it is important to let your Allergist/Immunologist know when each medication was taken and which medication is new and which medication has been taken before. (This will give a time table sequence of events so that the most likely culprit is identified)
Doing all the things above will make things easier for your doctor to determine what medications you can or cannot take. Please also make an appointment to be seen by an Allergist/Immunologist to get your medication/drug allergy evaluated as soon as possible.
How Drug Allergy is evaluated
Another myth I would like to dispel is that drug allergy evaluation can be completed in a few minutes. Drug allergy evaluation takes time and cannot be done at the last minute! Click to learn about Drug allergy evaluation
