Medical History for Drug Allergies

Topic Overview

Your doctor will ask questions about your past health, your symptoms, and the medicines you take or have taken recently. This is important for finding out whether you have a drug allergy and finding which medicine is causing the allergic reaction .

Your doctor will ask about:

• All medicines you have recently taken, including over-the-counter medicines. How much did you take and for how long?
• The type of allergic reaction you had. If you had a skin rash, what did it look like? What other symptoms did you have?
• When the allergic reaction happened.
• How long it took for the reaction to stop.
• Current or recent viral infections, such as having a cold or the flu.
• A previous reaction to a medicine.
• A family history of drug allergies or other harmful (adverse) drug reactions, such as side effects.
• Any long-lasting diseases you may have, such as asthma or diabetes .