Introduction
A drug/medication challenge is an in-office procedure in which a medication is administered under close medical supervision to find out whether there is a true allergy. In some cases, skin and/or blood allergy tests cannot conclusively determine whether there will be symptoms with medication exposure. The medication challenge is a more definitive test because it will show whether a person will react or not when exposed to the medication. In some cases, especially with antibiotics, a negative in-office drug challenge will be followed by a short outpatient course to definitively rule out the possibility of any reaction. An in-office medication challenge is often negative and allows patients to use that particular medication moving forwarded if needed.
Benefits
There are multiple benefits provided by a medication challenge regardless of whether the challenge is positive or negative. If the challenge is negative, the medication can be used when needed, avoiding alternatives that might be more costly, and/or have more side effects. In the rare event that the medication challenge is positive, the patient and family will learn more about individual symptoms and treatment of such reactions.
Preparation for a Drug/Medication Challenge
There are several things that you’ll need to do to be prepared for your medication challenge. You should be off most antihistamines for at least a week. Other medications, including asthma medications, can be continued. In most cases, your allergist will prescribe the medication to your pharmacy for you to pick up and bring with you to the challenge. Your allergist will ensure that control of any comorbid conditions such as asthma and atopic dermatitis has been optimized. It would also be helpful to bring in some type of entertainment, such as toys, books, electronics etc. The challenge may last for 1-3 hours.
