Injection site reactions can occur due to medication, allergies, or sensitivities. They can be irritants or vesicants, with some being dangerous. Patients should report any skin changes to their doctor or nurse, and those with known sensitivities should inform their doctor before receiving an injection. Allergy tests may be recommended after a reaction.
An injection site reaction is the appearance of skin changes and irritation at the site of an injection. Such reactions can be especially common with some types of medications, and in other cases, they could be the result of allergies or sensitivities. Some can be dangerous. If a patient notices skin changes, it is important to contact a doctor or nurse to discuss them. In some settings, nurses might monitor patients immediately following an injection for signs of a reaction due to concerns about a specific drug.
These reactions are commonly divided into two basic categories: irritants and vesicants. When a patient has an injection site reaction to an irritant, the skin may become red and warm. It may redden, roughen, and develop raised hives or streaks. Some patients feel itchy around the site and may experience discomfort. Rarely, a drug causes severe pain and distress.
Blisters create blisters under the skin and can be dangerous. Many chemotherapy drugs have a vesicant action, requiring nurses to place intravenous lines very carefully for chemotherapy sessions to minimize leakage into the surrounding tissue. In a blistering reaction at the injection site, the skin inside the blister may die and the patient may develop an open wound as the dead skin and tissue slough off. This can expose patients to the risk of serious infections.
Some medications are notorious for causing injection site reactions. For example, many patients experience irritation after vaccinations. The site around the injection will light up again briefly before subsiding as the patient’s immune system kicks into gear. Chemotherapy drugs and some other aggressive drugs can also increase the risk of a reaction. Patients may have to wait a certain amount of time after receiving their injections for nurses to observe them, and patients are encouraged to speak up if they experience pain during an injection or infusion, or if they notice a skin problem afterwards.
Other patients may be more sensitive. The drugs may contain components such as gluten, aluminum, egg protein and so on, used as fillers and vehicles for compounds in the injection. Patients who have sensitivities and allergies to these ingredients are likely to experience an injection skin reaction. It is advisable for a patient to report any known sensitivities before receiving an injection. Your doctor may be able to select a different drug to reduce your risk of a problem.
Other times, a patient may not be aware of an allergy. The injection site reaction may be the first warning sign that an allergy has developed, even if the patient has already successfully taken the drug. After a reaction, a doctor might recommend some allergy tests to find out what the patient has been reacting to so it can be avoided in the future.
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