Medicine sensitivities

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history

Medicine sensitivities or drug intolerance/sensitivity refers to an inability to tolerate the medication including any side effects when given at therapeutic or subtherapeutic doses.

A drug allergy is a form of drug intolerance that involves an immune-mediated component, and may cause anaphylactic shock.

Drug intolerance should not to be confused with drug tolerance (drug resistance) which refers to a lack of adverse effects even at higher than average doses. Some instances of drug intolerance are known to result from genetic variations in drug metabolism.[citation needed]

New medication intolerance is a common problem for ME/CFS patients, with some patients developing allergic reactions.[1]

Symptom recognition[edit | edit source]

Many patients with ME/CFS are sensitive to medications. This is particularly true of any medication that acts on the central nervous system, such as sedating medications: therapeutic benefits can often be achieved at lower-than-standard doses. Patients with ME/CFS might tolerate or need only a fraction of the usual recommended doses for medications. After initial management with lower dosing, one or more gradual increases may be considered as necessary and as tolerated by the patient.[3]

Prevalence[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]