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of Consumer Guide, the Editors. "How to Cope with Medication Side Effects." 02 March 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/how-to-cope-with-medication-side-effects.htm> 17 May 2008.
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Skin Side Effects
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Skin Side Effects
Skin reactions include itching, swelling, redness, rash, and sweating. Itching, swelling, redness, and rash frequently indicate a drug allergy. You should not continue to take a medication if you develop an allergy to it, but you need to contact your doctor before stopping the drug.
Some drugs increase sweating; others decrease it. Drugs that decrease sweating may cause problems during exercise or hot weather when your body needs to sweat to reduce body temperature.
If you have a minor skin reaction not diagnosed as an allergy, ask your pharmacist for advice on how best to manage the problem.
Another type of skin reaction is photosensitivity (also called phototoxicity or sun toxicity) -- that is, unusual sensitivity to sunlight. Tetracycline antibiotics can cause photosensitivity. If, while taking such a medication, you are exposed to the sun for even a brief period (10 or 15 minutes), you may get a severe sunburn. This doesn't mean you have to stay indoors while taking these drugs, but you should be fully clothed while outside and not remain in the sun too long. You should also use sunscreen on all exposed skin while in the sun -- ask your pharmacist to help you choose one -- and wear some type of head covering. Since medications may remain in your bloodstream after you stop taking them, you should continue to follow these precautions for several days after ending treatment with drugs that lead to photosensitivity.
We've covered all the major areas of the human body that are typically affected by obvious side effects. Now let's move on to the subtle side effects of medication in the next section.
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Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:
of Consumer Guide, the Editors. "How to Cope with Medication Side Effects." 02 March 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/how-to-cope-with-medication-side-effects.htm> 17 May 2008.
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