How can I find out if I have a drug intolerance?
It is often difficult to find out which drug caused the allergic reaction, as several drugs are usually taken at the same time. It is also possible that a rash is caused by a virus instead of a drug if it occurs during a cold. There are a number of tests available to clarify possible drug intolerances; however, the prick test or blood tests are the most common.
The prick test, also known as skin prick test (abbreviated SPT), is the most commonly used method for all allergy tests. In this test, individual drops of an allergen-containing solution are applied to the patient’s forearm or back and inserted into the skin with a fine needle about 1 mm deep. An immediate reaction can be read off after only 15 minutes.
In addition to this method, there are a number of other tests that are also applied superficially to the skin. Blood tests are also a suitable means of diagnosing a drug allergy. These tests measure the total number of an allergy-related subgroup of antibodies, the IgE antibodies.
It is also possible to search for IgE-antibodies which are specifically directed against an allergen. However, it is problematic that IgE can also be elevated in parasitic or some hematological diseases and thus falsify the measurement results. Nevertheless, tests such as the prick test cannot be used reliably to predict drug intolerances. In some cases, severe immune reactions to drugs have been observed even after negative tests.
All articles in this series:
