Doxycycline is an antibiotic that may contain soy as an inactive ingredient. If you have been diagnosed with a soy allergy, you need to talk to your doctor before using this drug or any other medication. Doxycycline is a common antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. An allergic reaction may be caused by an allergy to the drug itself or to the soy it contains.
Soy Allergy
Some brands of doxycycline use soy as an inactive ingredient. If you're allergic to soy, your immune system has a hypersensitivity to the proteins found in soy, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Shortly after you ingest soy proteins, your immune system reacts to them as if they were a dangerous substance. The body creates a defense system that includes histamine and immunoglobulin E, or IgE antibodies. These chemicals attempt to fight off the allergen and result in causing inflammation, irritation and swelling in soft tissues throughout the body.
Symptoms
If you develop common allergy symptoms after taking doxycycline, call your doctor. Drugs.com warns that allergic reaction symptoms to this drug include hives, facial, lips or tongue swelling, shortness of breathe, dizziness, blurred vision, severe headaches, pale skin, weakness, fast heart rate, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramping and nasal congestion. MayoClinic.com states that you may also develop skin rashes, including hives and eczema. These rashes may develop anywhere on the body, but commonly develop on the face. If you cannot breathe, feel lightheaded or appear flush in your skin, call for emergency medical care.
Doxcyline Allergy Consideration
Not all allergic reactions to doxycyline are related to a soy allergy. If you develop common allergy symptoms, talk with your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. In order to determine the exact cause of the allergic reaction, your doctor may recommend allergy tests that may include skin prick tests or blood tests, according to MayoClinic.com. These tests will use samples of your blood to determine if IgE antibodies are produced by the drug or by the soy proteins.
Treatment
If you're allergic to doxycycline, your doctor will prescribe a different antibiotic and keep a close watch on your reactions. If you're allergic to soy proteins, your doctor may prescribe the same medication made by a different manufacturer that doesn't use soy as an inactive ingredient.
