{"id":116,"date":"2017-01-16T11:25:40","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T11:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mcns.scot.nhs.uk\/cyans\/?page_id=116"},"modified":"2026-07-08T17:07:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:07:20","slug":"allergic-reactions-medication","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/families\/allergic-reactions-medication\/","title":{"rendered":"Allergic Reactions &amp; Medication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Allergic reactions can affect different parts of the body and not everybody with the same allergen has the same reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cThe last reaction wasn\u2019t too bad, will it be the same next time?\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually people know they are having a reaction because it is similar to an episode they have had before. However, a reaction can have different symptoms each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cWhat\u2019s the chances of a future reaction being severe, even life threatening?\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately, it is very hard to predict how severe a reaction in the future may be.&nbsp; It is not true that allergic reactions get worse over time. How bad a reaction is, depends on a range of different factors, including the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How much of the thing you are allergic to you ate \/ swallowed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your age<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What you are allergic to<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether you also have asthma, and how well controlled your asthma is<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether you were unwell at the time with a cough or a cold<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether you had slept well the night before<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is best to ask your allergy specialist whether they see your child as someone at higher risk or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cI\u2019m concerned what might happen\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The worry of having an allergic reaction is a daily struggle for many families. This is particularly true when you don\u2019t exactly know what you are allergic to, either because you haven\u2019t yet had testing or because\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/about-allergy\/allergy-tests\/\">testing<\/a>\u00a0has not given a definite answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Receiving good allergy advice is important.\u00a0 You should ask to be referred to an allergy clinic if you still have questions after seeing your GP, dietician or other professional. They should give you a written allergy plan. This should include how and when to use your medicine, when to seek help and when to phone an ambulance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is very important to get into good\u00a0<strong><u>food safety habits<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0as described in this link <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/about-allergy\/general-food-allergies\/safe-food-habits\/\">https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/about-allergy\/general-food-allergies\/safe-food-habits\/<\/a>.\u00a0Having good safety habits can help reduce the risk of a reaction and reduce your anxiety about one happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, you should always carry an antihistamine with you for use in the event of an unexpected reaction. This should always be with you wherever your child goes. Some people may also need to carry an inhaler  and \/ or an\u00a0<strong><u>adrenaline autoinjector<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/allergic-reactions-medication\/what-to-do\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/allergic-reactions-medication\/what-to-do\/\">What to do?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/anaphylaxis\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/anaphylaxis\/\">Anaphylaxis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/allergy-medicines\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/allergy-medicines\/\">Allergy Medicines<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/allergy-medicines\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/families\/allergy-medicines\/\">Oral Allergy Syndrome<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"nhsuk-card__description\">Allergic reactions can affect different parts of the body.  People who are allergic to the same thing can have quite different reactions!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":98,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"subpage-promo-blocks-with-sidebar.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-116","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116"}],"version-history":[{"count":86,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6763,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/116\/revisions\/6763"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}