Effective treatment for allergies to antibiotics

The advent of antibiotic drugs is a revolutionary medical discovery of the last century. These drugs have saved millions of lives and helped to defeat many diseases that previously seemed incurable. Another thing is that every medal, as you know, has two sides. And in this case it is an allergy to antibiotics.

In recent years, this problem has become more and more urgent. Thousands of patients are faced with a difficult choice: to refuse effective treatment or to get a lot of side effects. And if you find yourself in a similar situation, this article will help you find the right solution.

When the cure becomes the disease

Like any other allergy, an allergic reaction to antibiotics is the immune system's response to a potentially harmful intrusion.

The problem is that this time the counterattack is directed at the allies. And the results of such civil strife can be very deplorable.

Causes of the reaction

The potential causes of this are very diverse: from individual intolerance to nervous strain. However, researchers identify several categories of factors that increase the likelihood of allergies after antibiotics:

• Medicine overdose. One of the most common causes of an allergic reaction is a violation of the dosage or duration of the course of treatment;
• Having an allergy to any substance. It can be dust , citrus or plant pollen .
• genetic predisposition. The presence of any allergy in one or both parents also greatly increases the likelihood of a reaction;
• Presence of comorbidities. First of all, HIV and oncological diseases. The risk groups also include patients with gout, cyclomegalovirus infection and a number of other serious diseases.

In addition, a combination of antibiotics and certain drugs can provoke an allergic reaction. In particular, beta-blockers used in certain heart diseases.

Symptoms of the disease

In most cases, the allergic reaction is limited to skin symptoms , which include:

• Skin rash;
• Hives;
• sunburn;
• Quincke's edema.

According to statistics, most often these symptoms occur in women. But an allergy to antibiotics in a child or an elderly person is considered quite rare.

In addition, in severe cases, the following symptoms may appear:

• Anaphylactic shock . It is characterized by a sharp drop in blood pressure, heart failure and laryngeal edema with an asthma attack. It appears rapidly, within half an hour after taking the allergenic drug;
• drug fever. The main symptom is an increase in temperature, almost up to 40 ° C. At the same time, a strong heartbeat, usual for fever, is absent. The symptom occurs within a week after taking the allergen and disappears 2-3 days after the drug is discontinued;
• Serum-like syndrome. According to its characteristics, it resembles serum sickness (high temperature, swelling of the lymph nodes, rash and pain in the joints). It appears within 10-20 days after taking the medicine;
•  Stevens-Jones Syndrome. Symptoms include blisters on the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat and in the genital area. The process is accompanied by massive death of skin cells and high temperature;
• Lyell's syndrome. One of the rarest symptoms of an allergy to antibiotics. It is characterized by the appearance of flat blisters on the skin, hiding areas of skin erosion underneath. In this case, damage to the liver, kidneys and heart is observed.

Most of these symptoms require immediate medical attention, and if not properly treated, they can lead to the death of the patient.

First aid for anaphylactic shock

In terms of time, the most dangerous symptom is anaphylactic shock. It develops at lightning speed, and the wrong actions of others can cost the patient his life.

At the first sign of anaphylactic shock, you must:

1.  Call an ambulance;
2.   Lay the patient in such a way that the legs are higher than the rest of the body. Turn your head to the side;
3.   Give an antihistamine;
4.   Every 2-3 minutes, monitor the pulse and blood pressure;
5.  If there is adrenaline in the medicine cabinet, inject intramuscularly at a dosage of 0.01 ml / kg. The maximum dose is 0.5 ml;
6.  Upon arrival of the doctors, try to give the most detailed picture of the disease, specifying the time and the alleged cause of the reaction.

Diagnosis of the disease

Diagnosis of allergy to antibiotics is carried out by an allergist-immunologist. The following methods are used for this:

• Blood test for immunoglobulin E. Most effective if a single drug is taken;
•  Skin tests . They are used when it is impossible to unambiguously identify the “suspect”. In this case, allergen samples are applied to the patient's skin, and the skin itself is scratched to organize contact with the sample;
•  provocation method. A very effective, but extremely unsafe method. In this case, allergen samples are injected directly into the body and the reaction to it is monitored.

Treatment

The main method of overcoming allergies is to avoid the use of a harmful antibiotic. As a rule, it is enough to replace it with a similar agent with other active substances. But in some cases, a decision may be made to continue treatment with drugs of the same type, but in a different dosage, using antihistamines.

To eliminate the consequences of an allergy to antibiotics, in most cases a combination of antiallergic agents and enterosorbents is used to help cleanse the body of antibiotic residues. Activated carbon is most often used as a sorbent, at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight. But you can use more modern means, such as Polysorb or Enterosgel. In severe cases, your doctor may prescribe hormonal or steroid medications.

If there is a need for the complete eradication of allergies, the patient may be offered desensitizing therapy. Its essence is to overcome hypersensitivity by introducing small doses of the allergen into the body, with a gradual increase in dosages. Despite the duration of such treatment, its effectiveness is more than 80%.

Diet

The last but rather important element is a hypoallergenic diet. The most important point here is a careful study of the diet. Allergy to antibiotics, as a rule, develops against or shortly after the end of a serious illness, when the body is weakened and needs quality nutrition. And depriving him of that can lead to relapse or other problems.

A good solution would be to include fruits (but not citrus fruits) in the diet, as well as kefir and fermented milk products that help cleanse the body. But therapeutic starvation can only be used as directed by a dietitian.

Otherwise, be calm. After all, the best way to avoid such an allergy is to monitor your health. And all diseases, as they say, from the nerves.