YKW, I have an almost opposite problem.  I react very badly to any narcotic pain reliever.  I'm not allergic, it's just I get a severe case of side effects (horrible stomach upset for about 12 hours, extreme fatigue--basically it feels like I have the stomach flu).  Plus, they never help with the pain.  I've been told, "oh, your pain would havegotten worse if you didn't have it," but it has happened so many times, without any relief, that I know it just does work for me. But doctors keep insisting on giving it.  So obviously they are not worried about me seeking something stronger.

When I had a minor surgery a few years back, I told the doctor about it, and she said she did not feel comfortable saying no narcotics, so she said she would write the order in such a way that I would have to ask for it.  Well, the stupid nurse in the recovery room gave me 2 doses of morphine, IV, without ebven telling me what she was doing.  OMG I was soooo sick.  And the kicker is I had no real pain before she gave it--it hurt just enough that I would maybe consider taking a motrin (which I tolerate without any problem and is my go-to pain med). 

Funny you mention taking photos of your reactions ykw.  I've been seriously thinking about asking my fiancee to video some of my really bad asthma attacks to have in case I need them for my disability case.  But I think that he would probably have a really hard time whipping the camera out when I'm not breathing. 

I understand questions being asked and I understand how some unpleasant side effects could be considered to be allergic related by some individuals.

But my main beef with the questions being asked regarding pain medication is disbelief that I am truly allergic to all of those drugs.  I am not asking for Oxycontin here folks, Tylenol 3's at best when Tylenol itself doesn't cut it.  I am kinda peeved that I didn't take pictures during my reaction to Ibuprofen - "Staypufft Marshmallow Man" would be the best description. 

I had a lady tell me the other day she couldn't take the new generic Lipitor because she was allergic.  I told her it just came out two days ago, so she couldn't possibly know that.  She informed me that she is allergic to all generic drugs.  Whatever! 

Physicians don't want people to unnecessarily whittle down the list of available (or more benign meds) because, um...the list of what people can use at home, and with regularity isn't near as big as the conspiracists believe. Pharmacy often calls me if the "type of reaction" in the allergy annotation of the computer charting isn't filled out in entirety. There are "cousin" drugs that are quite effective and often used even if a related drug is listed as an "allergy", especially to the -cillins, depending on the type of "allergic" reaction listed. A lot of the other antibiotics require ID approval (in part due to antibiotic resistance) frequent monitoring and diagnositc testing, and are $$$. We save them as a last resort.

I often have to resist rolling my eyes when people tell me what their "allergic" response to a med actually is. You're going to get questions, that isn't going to change. <shrug> And with good reason.

GP, it's definitly possible to be allergic to a component of one of the many drops we use.  It's just not likely to be allergic to all eye drops, like some folks claim.

I do have patients allergic to some of the drops I use.  We work around it.

I asked the doctor this exact question.  They said that some people consider an upset stomach to be an allergic reaction to the medication, so medical staff is trying to weed out unnecessarily ruling out classes of medication.  Every time I say that I've gotten hives from penicillin and sulfa medicines, they nod and write me down as allergic to them.

My son is def allergic to the eye drops used at his eye exam some years ago.  Two days worth of eye swelling/redness/itchiness.  The eye dr insisted it was not the eye drops and it could not have been an allergic reaction. 

I changed to a different eye dr.  NOT dealing with someone like that who thinks he knows it all.  My son DEF had a reaction, and who better to recognize a reaction than a mom/parent who has two very allergic children??  Why dispute that?   

New dr does not use eye drops.  I've told him not to; not going through that again.

I have a few drug allergies and a few intolerances.  Whenever I've gone to the doctor, I always write down my intolerances (doxycycline and zithromax) in the allergy section, but specify that they are GI intolerances.  My doctor has chosen just to keep them in the allergies list, since they are bad enough that I pretty much refuse to take either of them - the one time I took doxycycline, a months worth for lyme disease, I threw up almost every time that I took it.  Zithromax will have me living on the toilet.  Since I tolerate other antibiotics, it just isn't worth it.

My actual drug allergies are toradol, and likely mepivicaine.  I don't know what it is with dentists, YKW, but but I've had a few argue with me over the mepivicaine allergy as well.  I really don't care what they think - after explaining my reaction to three different allergists, none of them were comfortable with even testing me more mepivicaine.  We just did tests for other drugs in the same family so I can keep a list of safe options.  I know that lidocaine is a little bit more complicated for the dentist, but it does not run the risk of killing me.

QuoteI work in a pharmacy.  When we ask this question, I would say based on the response, about 90% of them are NOT allergic.    A good chunk of them say they are allergic to every single generic drug because they only want brand names.

ditto for my practice.  Dh for years said he was allergic to erythromycin.  I finally asked him what happens.  "I get a stomach ache."  Well, duh, that is a common side effect, NOT an allergy.

A not small number of patients will say they are allergic to "eye drops" in an effort to not be dilated.

I work in a pharmacy.  When we ask this question, I would say based on the response, about 90% of them are NOT allergic.    A good chunk of them say they are allergic to every single generic drug because they only want brand names.

We have never had anyone question my son's drug allergies.  And I always make them check for dairy or egg as an ingredient in any drug that they do prescribe him

The high risk pregnancy office (which is also the ultrasound lab for this area) is the most recent place to not have latex-free options.  They did have gloves, but they had to search for them. 

And yeah, I know that Type IV reactions are more common in the medical field.  But I always remember this and I state up front that I have anaphylactic reactions to natural rubber latex, so I think that they can surmise that it's not Type IV.  I actually react both ways (Type I and Type IV), but type IV is just an afterthought given the immediate situation with the other.

Don't even get me started on labs which store the latex-free tourniquets in a baggie/drawer with the latex ones.

Come to think of it, I am not exactly free of the list of odd issues with drugs in my family.

Benadryl and many anti-nausea meds give me the feeling and need to constantly urinate - odd side effect but it is listed way down under the freak category.  I have wet myself thinking I could not possibly have to go again - apparently I could 

Was on one anti-depressant to cause my eyesight to fail, apparently one of the much lesser known side-effects that my opthmalogist figured out as opposed to the pyschiatrist who gave me an anti-pyschotic when I mentioned that one.  The antipyschotic was possibly giving me muscle tremors (another great side effect that meant you were supposed to discontinue med because they could become permanent) - his answer was to add a downer. 

NQ: I swear that man just wanted me to kill myself and stop bothering him (despite having strong suicidal urges and a plan he told me to go home and think about it, refused to give his approval to checking into the pyschiatric center, sigh).

See I understand the allergic/intolerant issue.

Dh thought the office chair was going to eat him and was pretty convinced he fell into the potty and was flushed on codeine.  Trippy reactions are not fun and generally make him feel much more miserable than the pain/cough he had to begin with.

DS2 vomits on codeine and DS1 gets migraines.  To me, those are more general side effects.  And I never say allergy to them, just that they have odd reactions to them that are not necessarily allergic in nature and list the reactions. 

DS2 has odd reactions to a lot of meds - like the .0001% of the reported reactions.  He is violent on Zyrtec, violent and crazy, eats until he vomits and begs for more food after on prednisolone (like the usual side effects multiplied by about 1000%) and Sudafed was a disaster years ago.  I think it was part of the reason his body went haywire when vax'ing - we have a strong family history of strong reactions and allergies to so many meds.

I think doctor's question my reactions to Sulpha (which my dad is ana to) and ibuprofen in such a way that I fear they will prescribe them.  I try to only see my physician when I need pain meds because she gets that I am not drug seeking.  When I mention my allergies to pain meds you can see the hint of an eyeroll with other doctors and then more often than not, questions about drug abuse.  Really?  Not fun when you spend time on and off in a hospital during pregnancy and post.