The condition you have all described is known as
angioedema.
There are two types of angioedema, the
acquired type caused by hypersensitivity to certain substances and the
hereditary type triggered by emotional stress or physical trauma. From the descriptions you have all given, your symptoms have occurred after the ingestion of certain drugs and are therefore of the acquired variety.
Almost any part of the body may be affected, but the common sites are the eyes, lips, genitalia, hands and feet. Any of the affected sites may swell two to three times their normal size within hours. The swelling may subside that same day or over a period of days.
Itching may be minimal or absent. A skin rash may be present or absent. The condition may be serious and life-threatening if it affects the upper respiratory tract.
Such acute, life threatening attacks require aggressive intervention in hospital, so seek urgent medical help if any swelling of the lips or eyes is followed by swelling of the larynx and breathing difficulty.
The standard medical advice for anyone who experiences
itching, eruption of a skin rash or angioedema after taking any drug is to discontinue that drug and not take it (and any other drug in the same category) in future. In addition, you must inform your doctor whenever a treatment prescription is given to you. Do not forget also the pharmacist when you buy over-the-counter medications.
Dr Anthony Solomon
Consultant Physician, Tropical & Genitourinary Medicine
