![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by betrayed on March 15, 2009, at 5:34:11
I have recently had a serious allergic drug reaction to Celexa and was sent to an allergist whom informed me there was no such thing has drug allergy testing. I did some research on the internet and found something called a RAST Test. Has anyone heard of this and if so where I can go to have it done. Need help! Thanks
Posted by mav27 on March 15, 2009, at 6:04:12
In reply to Are there any tests available for drug allergies?, posted by betrayed on March 15, 2009, at 5:34:11
What do you need tested? Don't you already know the answer, you are allergic to celexa.
> I have recently had a serious allergic drug reaction to Celexa and was sent to an allergist whom informed me there was no such thing has drug allergy testing. I did some research on the internet and found something called a RAST Test. Has anyone heard of this and if so where I can go to have it done. Need help! Thanks
Posted by Larry Hoover on March 15, 2009, at 6:27:35
In reply to Are there any tests available for drug allergies?, posted by betrayed on March 15, 2009, at 5:34:11
> I have recently had a serious allergic drug reaction to Celexa and was sent to an allergist whom informed me there was no such thing has drug allergy testing.
He's quite right. There isn't any such test. Even for common drug allergies such as to penicillin, the patients' experience is what guides the doctors' decision making. And that is avoidance. Avoiding exposure in the future.
Your reaction to Celexa may in fact be due to other substances in the pill, the so-called inerts or inactives, rather than to the citalopram itself. Celexa is available as an oral solution, without the other things in the pill form. So, if your allergist was willing, it would be possible to do an oral challenge in his office, to verify the sensitivity to citalopram.
> I did some research on the internet and found something called a RAST Test. Has anyone heard of this and if so where I can go to have it done. Need help! Thanks
RAST isn't going to help you. RAST determines the concentration of allergen-unique IgE antibodies in your blood, but it does so by incorporating common allergens in its test bed. No one will have a RAST panel for Celexa. This goes back to the "there is no test" part of what your allergist said.
It's probably a good idea for you to determine if your sensitivity is really due to citalopram, or instead, to the inactive components of the pill. If it's the latter, you could have future reactions to any number of medications, as those components are in many different products. True allergy to any of these components is very unlikely, but I never say never.
Lar
Posted by Phillipa on March 15, 2009, at 11:04:41
In reply to Re: Are there any tests available for drug allergies? » betrayed, posted by Larry Hoover on March 15, 2009, at 6:27:35
Example recently got the generic luvox apotex and found couldn't take it. Fought with insurance company and got the mylan that I've taken for years. All I know is something was different in that apotex not an allergic but the way I felt. It's like my Daughters could take pennacylline for years then developed allergies and rashes. So they are allergic to penacylline. Phillipa ps is or was the celexa working for you?
Posted by betrayed on March 15, 2009, at 12:44:47
In reply to Re: Are there any tests available for drug allergies?, posted by mav27 on March 15, 2009, at 6:04:12
I'm just really concerned because the more med's I take I keep getting sicker. Thanks for the info
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.