Drug Testing and Desensitization

The Asthma Center physicians perform Drug (Medication) Desensitization and/or Special Challenges when a person is allergic to a specific medication which is required to treat a serious medical problem and that person has an unique need for this specific medication because there is no safe alternative available for treatment.

For example, a person has a history of a severe allergic reaction to penicillin and has a severe life threatening bacterial infection which is only sensitive to penicillin. In this instance, the culture and sensitivity to the bacteria indicate that there is no alternative effective therapy. The person's complete history and need for desensitization is comprehensively evaluated and the physician will confirm or reject the need for desensitization based on the facts of the case, alternative approaches, risk assessment and review of the medcal literature on approaches for similar situations.

Allergy testing for most medications is not accurate since the medication itself is composed of very small molecules (and have a very low molecular weight) and is unable on its own to cause a reaction during traditional allergy testing. Yet these same medications can become powerful allergens in a sensitive individual once the medications are ingested or injected because they join with other circulating body proteins or substances to form a larger complex which can become a real allergen. At other times, the medication needs to be broken down or chemically altered by the body and the join with other circulating proteins to form a potent allergen.

In order to desensitize an individual, The Asthma Center physicians can take the medication needed for treatment and dilute the medication to dilutions as low as 1:1,000,000 the normal treatment concentration. The desensitization process is done by very slowly administering the medication at an extremely low dose which usually does not cause a reaction. Following each stage of administration, the individual's vital signs and general status are reviewed. If all is well then the next dose is administered. The desensitization process begins early in the morning and often takes a whole day to complete.

The Asthma Center is very well equipped to handle reactions to this process which may occasionally occur.