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lady_express_44 · 03-06-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedPenguins

Interesting point, Cherie - but then I think - lots of drugs have side effects - and sometimes the benefit of the med is worth the side effect. Sometimes it isn't. It's an individual choice.

Also - interesting choice of words - about our bodies fighting the drug - right now, my body is fighting itself....or that is the current belief - MS is an auto-immune disease. My body is already at war...and is not even agreeing with itself! How can I expect it to agree with anything?

Most drugs have side effects. For instance, anti-depressants cause dry mouth in some people or affect sex drive. Some people need iron supplements - but side effect is constipation, etc. There's a slew of examples, but I can't think of any at moment...

darn holes in brain!

Anyhow....a drug/medication is a chemical we are putting into our bodies.... that in itself isn't natural. Some people react and have side effects, some don't. But either way - the med is doing something to our systems.

A drug allergy is not a "side-effect", it is an adverse event.

The first recommended course of action, in the event of an allergic reaction, is to AVOID the allergen.

If the allergic reaction is not serious, and exposure is absolutely necessary, then we can work on de-sensitizing ourselves by being exposed to minute amounts of the allergen to work our way up to a therapeutic level/tolerable response. This is the standard approach to managing allergic reaction, at least as I've been taught.

I have never heard it recommended that we just immediately mask any/all allergic responses by pre-medicating everyone with antihistimines, not for any other drug, ever. I feel this approach defies logic.

I hope it does not prove to have a snowball effect, leading to other health problems in the longer run.

JMHO.

Cherie