How to Check Medicine for Allergies or Reactions

People with food and drug allergies must be very careful when taking medication. Even if the medication does not include a drug that triggers your allergies, it may include a related drug that has similar negative effects. Although generic drugs may contain safe active ingredients, they can have different fillers and other inactive ingredients that trigger food allergies. You can avoid triggering medication or food allergies by checking ingredients, talking to your doctor and making sure your prescriptions are filled with brand-name drugs instead of generics.

Things You'll Need

• Drug fact sheets
• Doctor
• Internet access

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Instructions

• 1

  Inform your doctor about any food or drug allergies you have. When your doctor prescribes new medications, make sure they are not related to other drugs that trigger allergic reactions. (If you have a sulfa drug allergy, for example, you may also have a reaction to certain diuretics and diabetes medications.)

• 2

  Read the medication guides that come with prescription drugs, which provide information about the drug's side effects, drug interactions and ingredients. If you have lost your fact sheet or haven't filled your prescription yet, look up the drug's website or see the list of prescription drug fact sheets at the FDA website (link in the "Resource" section below).

• 3

  Remember that just because a prescription drug is safe for your allergies, that doesn't mean its generic version is safe, too. Generic versions of drugs contain the same active ingredients but can contain different inactive ingredients, including sulfites, lactose and artificial sweeteners, which may trigger your allergies. If you know that a certain brand-name drug is safe for you, ask your doctor to note on the prescription that a generic drug should not be substituted, and make sure the pharmacy fills the prescription correctly.

• 4

  If you have symptoms of an allergic reaction to your medication---which include, but are not limited to, rash or hives, trouble breathing, digestive complaints, nasal congestion and anaphylaxis---stop taking the medication and talk to your doctor about other options.