Man’s face swells due to allergic reaction to painkiller

A man in Taguig City rushed to the hospital after experiencing an allergic reaction to a painkiller that left his face swollen and almost unrecognizable. 

In Kuya Kim’s report on “24 Oras” on Thursday, Jesse Pepino said the ordeal began on February 28. According to him, he initially experienced an unusually intense headache.

“Pagkauwi ko po, sobrang sakit po ng ulo ko. Yung tini-take ko po 'pag masakit 'yung ulo ko paracetamol po. Pero that time, the pain in my head was exceptionally painful. So I was like, ‘Okay, I'll try ibuprofen instead,’” he said.

“Noong nag-take po ako ng ibuprofen para mawala po yung sakit ng ulo, naramdaman ko po na parang kumakati po yung mata ko. Hindi ko po alam na allergic po ako sa ibuprofen,” he added.

Hoping the symptoms would subside, Jesse took antihistamine pills, medicines commonly used to relieve allergy symptoms. But instead of improving, his condition worsened.

“Akala ko po mawawala po siya agad. Biglang lumala po siya. Sobrang namamaga na po 'yung mata ko,” Jesse explained.

Alarmed by the rapid swelling, Jesse rushed to the hospital, where his case was classified an emergency. He was immediately given medication to reduce the swelling.

“Emergency na daw po siya. Tapos kailangan na po akong bigyan ng medication para po mawala po 'yung pamamaga. Luckily naman po after po ng isang oras, nawala naman po agad 'yung pamamaga.”

A doctor later informed him that he had an allergic reaction to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly known as NSAIDs.

One of the most common examples of these medications is Ibuprofen, which is widely used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and treat fever.

According to general physician Dr. Rafael Gabo-Chan Martires, allergic reactions to NSAIDs often involve swelling around the eyes and face, which can be dangerous if it spreads.

“Pinaka-common pagdating sa mga NSAIDs yung pamamaga ng paligid ng mata. Mas delikado ang allergic reaction 'pag sumulpot 'yung pamamaga sa paligid o malapit sa ulo, sa mukha, kasi kung umabot sa dila, umabot sa lalamunan, pwedeng magsara 'yung lalamunan at daluyan ng hangin,” he explained.

The doctor emphasized that allergic reactions do not necessarily mean the medication itself is harmful.

“Tandaan ang allergic reaction ay hindi ibig sabihin na may problema 'yung ininom mo 'yun ay overreaction ng immune system ng tao. Basically ang tao pwede ka maging allergic to anything,” Martires shared.

“Nagkataon lang na medyo mas madalas ang allergy sa mga NSAIDs pero hindi ibig sabihin na masama ang gamot. It's still best na magkonsulta muna tayo,” he added.

Following the incident, Jesse said he learned an important lesson about taking over-the-counter medication.

“‘Yung pinakauna ko pong learning is that one, not all over-the-counter medicine are something that you should take very lightly. You shouldn't just take it willy-nilly. You should be more aware of what medications your body would react to,” Jesse said.

“And then from my TikTok, a lot of people were commenting about the importance of taking allergy tests and ensuring that you're aware of what allergies you have,” he added.

—Jade Veronique Yap/CDC, GMA Integrated News