*Weird* Patient Allergies

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What are some of the weird allergies/reactions that patients have told you they have? I can't remember so many that made me go "hmmmmm.." but not long ago, I came across these two (on the same person!):

Caffeine: causes tachycardia (really?)

Cocaine: anaphylaxis (perhaps you took too much??)

Yes, my grandmother was violenly allergic to most seafood. So much so that she ended up in the hospital just from washing dishes that had contained crab salad! What a great excuse for not having to wash dishes.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care, OB/GYN, Peds,.

The strangest allery I have is to Benadryl and it is a true proven allergy with hives, angioneurotic edema, etc. We discovered this allergy when they gave it to me when I had a reaction to Lidocaine. My newest allergy is to the two types of TB tests. Really. I have about 13 or 14 drugs that I am allergic to so I never take them lightly. One of our young nurses died recently from an allergice reaction to an antibiotic on the day before her wedding. I realize that ther are people that think they are allergic because of expected side effects. All of our sickle cellers are allergic to Fentanyl and Morphine and are learning to be allergic to Dilaudid. That leaves the big D for their pain. Usually we find people allergic to codeine in Hospice because it upsets their stomach. There is so much teaching to be done.:typing

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Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.

I have dozens of weird allergies. I truly believe a lot of them were brought on because of my exposure to latex proteins and my latex allergy.

Anyway, some people just do not understand the seriousness of allergies. Maybe it is lack of education and/or from encountering so many people that state they have allergies when they really only have a sensitivity to things.

In the past, one thing that use to bother me was when medical staff asked, "Do you have any allergies?" So, I would start listing them and then they would all snooty and huffy and say, "Any allergies to medications?". Yikes....sorry! Maybe they should have asked me that specifically in the first place. You ask any allergies. Now when asked, I ask them if they specifically mean only med allergies.

Where I work, we do ask for any allergies. It doesn't matter what it is. We want it listed.

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I list 5 as allergies, but 2 are true, and the other 3 I just don't want due to very unpleasant side effects. Toradol put me into anaphylactic shock, morphine makes me break out in hives. Phenergan burned my hand veins, reglan messes up my bowels (I have IBS) and NSAIDs upset my stomach way too much ...

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I] am an OB nurse and I think I have heard the "best" allergy of them all.... One day I went in to a patients room to do a lady partsl check to see if she was in labor. I put on my sterile glove and then put K-Y on to help ease the check, and as I am ready to check her she "STOP" and I just looked at her thinking she was nervous and needed a min before the check... She then said to me, "You can't use K-Y on me, I allergic to it"... Needless to say I almost died... I said I will be right back, took the glove off, walked out of the the room, shut the door behind me and then DIED LAUGHING...The nurses still get a kick out of that one, and this happened a couple of years ago... Makes ya wonder.....:lol2:

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Specializes in PICU.
I list 5 as allergies, but 2 are true, and the other 3 I just don't want due to very unpleasant side effects. Toradol put me into anaphylactic shock, morphine makes me break out in hives. Phenergan burned my hand veins, reglan messes up my bowels (I have IBS) and NSAIDs upset my stomach way too much ...

Sorry, but the mom in me can't help but remind you that if you have an anaphylactic allergy to Toradol, you shouldn't be taking oral NSAIDs either. Same for aspirin and be very cautious with anti-diarrhea meds. There is an aspirin-like compound in Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol and others, so if you're allergic to one, you need to steer clear of all. HTH! :)

Mom to a daughter with anaphylactic reaction to Kaopectate.

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a friend of mine is allergic to.......christmas trees!!!! :lol2:

fakes ones are fine but if he even goes near a real one....look out!

my mother was always sick around christmas time, until i was diagnosed with asthma and the allergist recommended no real pine products in the house. lo and behold, mom didn't get sick anymore! when she finally got tested herself, it turned out that she's allergic to a mold that grows in the bark of some pine species.

edit: guess i should have read all the way to the end...someone already posted the mold thing. sigh. anyway, it's nice to have mom not sneezing her brains out every december.

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I have a friend who is allergic to benadryl. That's right, benadryl. Funny sounding as many of the "allergies" may be, the fact is that whether it's a naturally occuring or man made substance - you can certainly have a reaction and/or be truly "allergic" to it.

Her benadryl allergy gives her hives and breathing difficulties. Strange but true.

I heard about a weird allergy using Benadryl. In our CICU we gave a patient po Benadryl pre-op to the Cath Lab, but he broke out in hives. Gave epi and IV Benadryl and he was fine. Next day, same thing--po Benadryl pre-op and again he broke out in hives, but no reaction to the IV Benadryl. Turns out he was allergic to the red dye used to make the Benadryl capsules!

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if a patient comes in for an overdose of cocaine or heroin... what is the therapeutic dosage???

i have a new diagnosis, although extremely common, is not yet in the drg listings: cerebral pneumonosis

another name is: air-head disease but it is not an -itis cause it doesn't bother you, just others.

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When parents register thier kids for school we ask for allergies and we get some real doozies. Some of my favs from this year are: cinnamon oil (I looked it up online and can only find ingredients for candles), exotic fruits (when called mom didn't know which ones so she and I came up with a list), 1% milk, oreos (asked if it was the wheat or chocolate, mom said no he just ate a bunch once and threw up), and my very favorite caffeine because it makes her heart race :bugeyes:

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Specializes in CTICU, Interventional Cardiology, CCU.

I had a pt. allregic to horse, cheese, apples, tape, latex, eggs banannas, garahm crackers and chololate. WHAT A LIST OF ALLERGIES!!!

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Specializes in LTC, Homecare Peds/Adult, Psych, Detox.

to the one who is allergic to chicken & latex, i'll never hand you a rubber chicken!!!!!!:no::lol2:

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