Reaction?

Im an 18 year old male who has severe allergies to both ASA and NSAIDS, which results in anaphylactic shock if I have a reaction. This past week, I have been infected with strep throat, so my doctor prescribed me Amoxicillin.

The other day, I was really scared about taking the medication, because I didnt want to have a reaction to the Amoxicillin. My doctor said that as far as he knows, Im only allergic to ASA and NSAIDs. The way he said it kinda made me uneasy about taking it. But I ended up taking the Amoxicillin anyway, even though I was really scared about having a reaction. Within 4 minutes of taking the antibiotic, my heart started racing. I was breathing rapidly. Pacing around. I felt like I was going to die, like, I honestly felt like I was choking or something. After about 10 minutes of this, I ended up calling 911. I really was in fear, I really feared for my life. The paramedics came and brought me to the hospital. By the time I was actually in a bed in the hospital, I felt fine. I actually felt quite embarassed about it all, because at that point the doctor was like "Well, I dont think you had an allergic reaction...your symptoms went away pretty quickly." I then described the symptoms and how I felt, and he told me to talk to my doctor about my heart rate suddenly increasing when I become nervous or in a fearful situation.

Could someone please explain to me what this could be if it wasnt a reaction to the amoxicillin?

[National Jewish Health]

Based on the information that you have provided, I agree that you had acute anxiety leading to a panic attack, not an allergic reaction.  The intensity and vividness of the symptoms you experienced is typical of panic attacks.  Both anxiety and the panic attacks that accompany it can readily be prevented or significantly reduced by medicines that can be prescribed by your personal doctor or by a behavioral health specialist.

You may also want to ask your doctor about desensitization to aspirin, following which maintenance therapy with aspirin 300 mg daily has been shown to provide good protection as noted in the abstract below.  Also, premedication with one of a class of medicines called leukotriene antagonists has been shown to reduce the risk of aspirin desensitization.
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Authors
Full Name Rozsasi, A. Polzehl, D. Deutschle, T. Smith, E. Wiesmiller, K.
Riechelmann, H. Keck, T.
Title Long-term treatment with aspirin desensitization: a prospective clinical
trial comparing 100 and 300 mg aspirin daily.
Source Allergy. 63(9):1228-34, 2008 Sep.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The daily dose of aspirin in desensitization in aspirin-sensitive asthmatics with nasal polyps is still a matter of debate. Aims of the study: To compare two doses of aspirin during the first year of desensitization and to evaluate long-term effects on nasal/pulmonary symptoms.
METHODS: Patients with positive aspirin provocation test were treated with either 100 or 300 mg aspirin daily.
RESULTS: In all patients taking 100 mg aspirin (n = 7) recurrent nasal polyps were observed. No patient experienced reduction of asthma medication or improvement of pulmonary function. In the 300 mg group no recurrent nasal polyps were seen. Asthma medication could be reduced in three patients, pulmonary function was improved in five patients. Thirty-nine consecutively desensitized patients, taking 300 mg aspirin, showed significant improvement of olfaction and polyp-free nasal passages during the first year of therapy. After a median follow-up of 27 months no sinus revision surgery was necessary.
CONCLUSIONS: Aspirin desensitization followed by 300 mg aspirin daily is efficacious and results in polyp-free nasal airways, improvement of sense of smell, and reduction of the need for sinus revision surgery for recurrent nasal polyps. Aspirin in a dose of 100 mg daily is not sufficient to effectively reduce nasal and bronchial or pulmonary symptoms and to prevent recurrent nasal polyps by at least the first 12 months of treatment.
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