Challenges for Food and Drug Allergies

Challenges for Food and Drug Allergies

Food and drug challenges are specialised medical procedures used to diagnose or confirm allergic reactions safely. They are often recommended when the diagnosis is uncertain, when testing results are inconclusive, or when it is important to determine whether a previous allergy label is still valid.

Food Challenges

Oral food challenges are the gold standard for diagnosing food allergies. Under strict medical supervision, the patient is given gradually increasing amounts of the suspected allergenic food in a controlled setting. This allows the allergy specialist to observe for any signs of an allergic reaction and accurately determine whether the food can be safely consumed. Challenges are particularly helpful for children who have outgrown allergies, for cases where skin or blood tests are unclear, or when considering oral food immunotherapy.

Drug Challenges

Drug challenges, including penicillin, other antibiotic or drugs, are used to confirm or rule out suspected drug allergies. Patients may undergo graded doses of the medication in a controlled clinical environment to ensure safety. This is important because many people carry unverified drug allergy labels, which can limit treatment options and lead to the use of broader, less effective medications.

Challenges are conducted in our specialised clinics with trained staff and emergency support available. Patients are carefully selected based on their history, risk profile, and prior reactions. These procedures provide definitive answers, guide safe medication or food use, and help prevent unnecessary avoidance.

By using food and drug challenges, we as allergy specialists can deliver personalised, evidence-based care, improve quality of life, and reduce the impact of unnecessary allergy labels on patients’ daily living.

Questions? We got you.

How do I book an appointment?

The first step in booking an appointment is to obtain a referral from your GP or another specialist. While a referral is not required, having one enables you to claim applicable Medicare rebates and helps our team appropriately triage your condition for review. Once you have your referral, you can schedule an appointment by booking online or contacting our practice directly and uploading your referral – our team will be in touch to schedule an appointment

Please bring a valid referral letter, Medicare card, and any recent investigation results, previous skin prick or patch testing reports, and relevant medical correspondence. For children, bringing their red book with recent growth measurements is also helpful.

Avoid antihistamines for 3–5 days before your appointment, as they can affect skin testing. You may continue nose sprays, asthma medications, antibiotics, and steroid creams. Do not apply moisturisers or topical steroids on areas likely to be tested (for example forearms, legs, back).

If you are suffering from a condition that you need to take oral anti histamines or steroids to control to manage your symptoms, continue to take those medications. Our doctors can arrange other forms of testing if required after the consultation.

Initial appointments approximately take around an hour, which may include skin prick testing if required. Follow-up appointments are typically shorter.

We prefer face-to-face appointments but we also offer telehealth consultations for selected patients or circumstances.

Harmony Allergy & Immunology Clinic is conveniently accessible by public transport, including Translink bus services. The Sunnybank clinic offers free onsite parking and street parking is also available around the Sunnybank hospital.

Skin prick testing applies a small amount of allergen (commercial extract or fresh food) to the skin which is then gently pricked to check for a reaction. The test takes 1–2 minutes, with results read after 15–20 minutes. Your doctor will determine if it’s appropriate for you.

Allergy testing is done by trained staff in a fully equipped medical setting. Reactions are rare, usually limited to mild itchiness at the test site, and can be promptly treated if needed.

Ensure you are well and avoid antihistamines 3–5 days before the test. Bring entertainment (toys, books, iPad, laptops) and for children, their favourite foods. You may need to bring the food or drug being tested which the staff will advise. We do not recommend bringing siblings; if necessary, bring an extra support person.

Ensure you are well before your appointment. You will be monitored by a health practitioner for at least 30 minutes after your immunotherapy dose. If taking your medication or vaccine home, please bring a small cooler with ice pack.

Are you ready to request an appointment?

Schedule a consultation with our experts to discuss your allergy needs.