Common drug effects

If you react to a certain drug, it is advisable to avoid the entire class it belongs to, not just that particular drug. COURTESY PHOTO

What you need to know:

Depending on one’s body, one may react to certain medicines, producing persistent and undesirable effects, writes Joan Salmon.

While pregnant, Denise developed a black patch around her neck. It eventually disappeared in subsequent weeks after delivery. However, something else set in; swollen eyes and lips every morning. She dismissed it as an allergic reaction to cold. A doctor also recommended that she buy cetrizine, an anti-allergy medication.

However, before long, the areas that experienced the swelling started to develop black patches that were painful and ugly. These would start off as multiple small reddish pimples on the mouth before turning into black patches that looked like aftermaths of a burn that would peel and the cycle would repeat itself. Though strange, she hoped that they would go away. However, that was not to be as they persisted.

Without an explanation of what was going on, everyone gave her an opinion. Some said she might have cancer, while others speculated it was lack of Vitamin C. Several tests were done but nothing came up to explain this occurrence.
Later, Denise was advised to see a dermatologist who gave a diagnosis of a fixed drug eruption. While much of the explanation made little sense to her, she took the advice to heart. That included avoiding foods rich in sulphur such as eggs, cakes and others foods in that category. There was also a list of pills she was to avoid such as those containing sulphur.

According to Paul Kutyabami, a pharmacist at Mediline Pharmacy, a fixed drug eruption is an adverse drug reaction on the skin.

Dr. Fouzia Ashfaq of Victoria hospital adds that adverse drug reactions may be the inevitable price we pay for the benefits of modern drug therapy.
The body reacts as a way of rejecting the medicine and reactions are at the point of entry such as the mouth or where one is injected. Thereafter, it could spread to the whole body. However, the genitalia and face are the sites mostly affected in majority of cases.

These allergic reactions are localized oval or circular patches that start out red and swollen and later become purple or black. Although the redness resolves in days or weeks, the patches persist, sometimes for longer periods.
The common drugs that most people react to include sulphur containing drugs such as septrin, fancida, penicillins (very common antibiotics). Others include Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Tetracyclines, Hyoscine Butylbromide, Barbiturates, Dapsone, Quinine, and Benzodiazipine. However, one can react to any drug.

Apart from the fixed drug eruption, Kutyabami says there are other reactions to medicines and these include; stomachaches, which usually happen on taking drugs mainly pain killers. However, any oral medicine can potentially cause a stomach upset. That is why it is advisable to take medicine after eating. Besides that, drinking water while taking medicine helps the kidneys and liver to deal with the drugs.

Another reaction is hypersensitivity. Here, one may suffer irritation on their skin and eyes. One can also experience insomnia or drowsiness on taking such drugs.
When you discover that a particular drug causes such reactions, it is advisable to stop using them. Except in cases such as the sleep inducing drugs where it is advised to stay away from strenuous work. Kutyabami also adds that alcohol aggravates the effects of sleep causing drugs.

Kutyabami brings to our attention the fact that the more one uses drugs that have one effect or another on them, the worse the reaction gets. In adverse cases, it could cause one to lose their skin, something that Dr. Malik Ssempereza of Unity Skin Clinic refers to as generalized drug eruption.

Drug eruption occurs because upon taking these drugs the first time and the body reacts to them; it forms antibodies to protect itself. These will fight the drugs the next time you partake of them. Therefore, the reaction gets worse with every subsequent intake of the drugs that the body has rejected. Re-occurrence always happens in the same site or sites each time a particular drug is taken; with each exposure however, the number of affected places may increase.
While fixed drug eruptions are not deadly, localized to a particular area and treatable, Dr. Malik says that generalized drug eruption affects the whole body and can sometimes lead to death.

If you react to a certain drug, it is advisable to avoid the entire class it belongs to, not just that particular drug. That is in order to avoid cross reaction.
Kutyabami advises that it would also be advisable to avoid some foods that contain the same make up like the drugs that one reacts to. For example, if you react to sulphur, avoiding foods such as eggs is advisable as eggs contain sulphur and the body has already formed antibodies to fight anytime sulphur is sensed within the system.
Dr. Ssempereza also adds that if the reaction is in exposed areas, it is advisable to keep away from direct sun rays and apply sunscreen lip gloss if the lips are affected.

Kutyabami advises that the moment one notices a reaction similar to that caused by a drug reaction, the first aid would be to take anti-allergy tablets. These are available in tablet and injection form and one’s need depends on the severity of the reaction.

However, some of these anti-allergy tablets have got steroids; these are potent in nature. Therefore it is advisable not to take them regularly unless warranted.
Mild anti-allergy tablets such as citricin contain no steroids and are more tolerated by the body. However, they can not deal with severe reactions. Therefore, if one has got a severe reaction, they could take the potent medicines to control it then switch to the mild tablets.

That is because steroids have adverse effects on one’s system when taken regularly. These effects include; reduced immunity, reduced bone strength, damaged kidney and liver, thinning skin hence sun burns, wounds that take long to heal leading to skin cancer. They also arouse other diseases such as diabetes.

How it occurs
Drug eruption occurs when upon taking drugs for the first time, the body reacts to them and forms antibodies to protect itself. These will fight the drugs the next time you partake of them. Therefore, the reaction gets worse with every intake of the drugs. With each exposure, there is re-occurrence of the effects in the same site; however, the number of affected places may increase.
While fixed drug eruptions are not deadly if localised to a particular area, Dr. Malik says that generalised drug eruption affects the whole body and can sometimes lead to death.

However, some anti-allergy tablets have got steroids, which are potent in nature. Therefore it is advisable not to take them regularly unless warranted.”