Steri Strip Allergy?

DId you of you have an allergic reaction to the steri strips?  If so, what did you do about it?  Mine are not supposed to come off for another 4 days and are very itchy and red under and around them.  It is not an infection - no drainage, no fever, not painful, and not swelling.  I am calling my doctor this morning, and hope that he doesn't say I have to drive to Atlanta!  I also have an itchy rash all over my sides, stomach, and a little on my back.  My doctor just put me on Benadryl for that and said it may be an allergic reaction to the Roxicet.  That sounds odd to me.  I have never heard of an allergy to a pain medication and I haven't taken it in days. 

So, has anyone else had any experience with this?

If the steri strips come off, thats ok..just make sure you keep them clean.  Put a loose fitting bandaid on them.  You can still take a shower, even if they haven't completely healed.  The air will make them scab up. If you have redness around where the strips were, then it is a reaction to them and it is common.  Just take the Benedryl.

Now here is the symptoms of the Roxicet

be as descriptive with your doctors office, they could just change up your pain meds if you need to

Common Side Effects of Roxicet

Roxicet is an older medication, approved before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required manufacturers to include detailed information about side effects in the prescribing information for medications. Therefore, only vague information is available about the possible side effects of Roxicet; no specific percentages for the individual side effects are provided.   Based on this information, common side effects of Roxicet include:  

• Nausea, with or without vomiting
• Constipation (see Roxicet and Constipation)
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Drowsiness
• An unexplained, pleasant feeling (euphoria) or unpleasant feeling (dysphoria)
• Itching.  

People also often assume that itching indicates an allergic reaction. However, itching is not always a sign of an allergy to Roxicet, especially if no other allergy symptoms occur. Opiates (such as the one in Roxicet) cause a release of histamine, which often causes itching unrelated to any allergy.   Many people consider themselves "allergic" to Roxicet if they experience nausea and vomiting while taking it. However, this is a common side effect and does not indicate a true allergy. In many cases, this side effect goes away as a person continues to use Roxicet. Taking this medication with food may help reduce the risk of nausea and vomiting.

Thank you!  A wealth of information and so fast!

I had the same reaction to the strips and was put on benadryl--which worked fine for me.

I had a reaction to the steri-strips...I developed a nice-sized blister underneath them. It was itching quite a bit but I didn't know what was causing it until I took them off and saw the blister.

Now, mine weren't on primarily from the surgery. They were put on after, to stop one of the incisions from leaking after the glue came off...but all the same, they still itched.

d

Oh yes I did!! Very bad.  My whole belly ended up being like a huge blob of redness and swelling.  You could see exactly where the steri-strips were.  I used Benadryl ointment on them and ice packs to help with the itching as well.  Good luck,it is very painful and uncomfortable. I hope you can get some relief.  This was my second time with a reaction to steri-strips, so I'm pretty sure it is them. 

I had the same reaction to a prior surgery.  When I went for my RNY consult, I was told that it's not an allergy to the strips,but to the adhesive spray they use before affixing the strips, either Benzoin or Mastisil (sp?).  so when I had my RNY, he used the strips minus the spray and I was fine.  A little late for you, I know, but it was helpful for me to know about the spray.  Feel better!

These strips cause minor skin irritations to a good percentage of pateints. You can remove the strips to avoid the skin rashes, but keep the area clean and avoid any heavy lifting. The strips normally only stay on about 7-10 days, and the some of the strips fall off by themselves on most patients. You don't need your doctor to remove the strips. I've yet to hear of rashes on areas not directly next to the strips themselves, so that may be another issue. DAVE

yeah look at this all steri strip related:


that was only the beginning




there are others that are even worse in my profle photos...

Thanks Nessa, I just ate egg salad...  lol