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Content: Sulfa drugs are more appropriately labeled sulfonamides and are derivatives of para-amino benzoic acid. The sulfonamide drugs were the first antimicrobial drugs (antibiotics). The table below lists common medications that contain a sulfonamide component. Sulfonamide drug classes/individual drugs that may cause allergic reactions
Sulfonamide Antibiotics
sulfadiazine
sulfamethoxazole
sulfasalazine
sulfisoxazole
sulfacetamide
sulfanilamide
sulfathiazole
sulfabenzamide
Thiazide Diuretics
hydrochlorothiazide
chlorthiazide
metolazone
chlorthalidone
indapamide
methyclothiazide
Loop Diuretics
furosemide
Sulfonylureas
chlorpropamide
tolbutamide
tolazamide
glipizide
glyburide
Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors
acetazolamide
The sulfa drugs are usually not allergenic by themselves, but when a sulfonamide molecule is metabolized in the body, it is capable of attaching to proteins, thus forming a larger molecule that could serve as an allergen. Thus, the allergy is not to the original drug, but to a drug-protein complex. The sulfur atom is not the allergenic agent and being allergic to sulfa drugs does not imply having a propensity to allergy to other sulfur compounds. Rather, it is a unique property of this kind of compound, namely that it can form proteins that are allergenic in some individuals. Sulfites (also Sulfur Dioxide)
Sulfites (or sulfiting agents) refer to a group of chemicals that include sulfur dioxide and sulfite salts. They are produced naturally in some foods, mainly those undergoing fermentation, and are thus found in red wine. Sulfites are metabolized to sulfur dioxide under certain conditions;