Medications That May Interfere With Your Allergy Test
Certain drugs can affect your skin-based allergy test. Even over-the-counter medications and some foods may affect your test. Some medications and foods may suppress the immune system response and cause a false negative. Others may cause a false positive. Keep reading to learn more about medications and foods you may need to avoid before getting an allergy test. If you are on prescription medication, always ask your doctor before stopping them.
Reflux Medications
Reflux medications are those that you take to reduce stomach acid. Examples include both prescription and over-the-counter heartburn and acid reflux medications. They have properties that can interfere with the test results. However, ask your doctor first as not all reflux medications cause problems.
Antihistamines
An antihistamine's main function is to suppress histamine reactions due to allergies. Therefore, it may interfere with a correct response to the test. You will likely get either no reaction or an inaccurate one.
Oral Steroids
High doses of steroids may contribute to false results. However, if you have been using a high amount of oral steroids over a long period, don't suddenly quit. You could have serious health complications if you stop your medications too quickly. Always talk to your doctor before modifying how much you take and how often.
Coffee and Chocolate
Believe it or not, caffeine can affect your allergy test. Caffeine is in a variety of food and medications. Coffee and chocolate are two common sources. Even decaffeinated coffee has some caffeine.
Some Oral Asthma Medications
In most cases, you should still be able to use your asthma inhaler up until the time of the test, especially in an emergency. Whether your inhaler has steroids or not doesn't matter. Only a few inhalers may cause problems, so ask your doctor if yours is one you can continue.
Some Antidepressants
Some popular tricyclic antidepressants and sleep aids may interfere with results. Fortunately, the number of these medications on that list is low. Tell your doctor about your medications well before you get an allergy test. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe a substitute medication that won't affect the test.
Generally, oral inhalers and nasal sprays do not affect a skin test. Some doctors may want you to stop them the night before the test. Tell your doctor about any medications, including over-the-counter medications and creams, before your allergy test. Your doctor can address your specific case. You may need to stop some medications sooner than others. If you have questions about preparing for your skin test, ask your allergist or primary care doctor.
Contact a company like Dino Peds for more information about skin allergy tests.
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