Why Patients with Favism Should Not Self-Medicate

May 13, 2025 Source: Cainiu Health

Dr. Yang Ziqi

Introduction

Patients with favism should not take medication on their own in order to avoid potential problems such as hemolytic reactions, drug interactions, misdiagnosis or mistreatment, inappropriate drug dosing, and lack of professional guidance. Patients with favism lack glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in their bodies, which makes their red blood cells more fragile and susceptible to oxidative damage, leading to cell rupture and hemolysis.

Patients with G6PD deficiency (favism) should not take medications on their own, possibly to avoid problems such as inducing hemolytic reactions, drug interactions, misdiagnosis or mistreatment, inappropriate drug dosing, and lack of professional guidance. If there are any concerns, it is recommended to seek timely medical advice. Detailed explanations are as follows:

1. Induction of hemolytic reactions: Patients with favism lack glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in their bodies, leading to fragile red blood cells that are easily damaged by oxidants, causing cell rupture and hemolysis. When taking medications by themselves, if the drugs contain ingredients that could trigger hemolysis, it would directly threaten the patient's life safety.

2. Complex drug interactions: When patients with favism take medications, interactions between drugs must be considered. Some medications might worsen symptoms of favism or cause adverse reactions when combined with other drugs the patient is currently taking. Self-medication makes it difficult to accurately assess these risks.

3. Inaccurate disease assessment: The symptoms of favism are varied and may resemble those of other diseases. Self-diagnosis and self-medication may easily lead to misdiagnosis and improper treatment, delaying the optimal treatment window.

4. Difficulty in determining drug dosage: Due to their unique physical condition, patients with favism may require different drug dosages than the general population. When self-medicating, patients may struggle to accurately determine the appropriate dosage, potentially leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes or drug overdose and poisoning.

5. Lack of professional guidance: During self-medication, patients lack guidance and supervision from qualified physicians. If adverse reactions occur or the condition changes during the course of treatment, patients may fail to receive timely professional intervention and advice.

To ensure medication safety and treatment effectiveness, patients with favism should use medications rationally under the guidance of a doctor.

View All

What foods should patients with favism avoid eating?

Under normal circumstances, individuals with G6PD deficiency (favism) should avoid eating fresh broad beans, broad bean products, certain legumes, processed foods containing broad bean ingredients, and fruits with strong oxidizing properties, as these foods may trigger hemolytic reactions and affect health. In daily life, in addition to adjusting their diet to prevent hemolysis, patients with favism should also avoid contact with broad bean pollen to prevent adverse reactions caused by inhalation.

View Full Answer

Can patients with favism smell mint?

When individuals with favism (G6PD deficiency) themselves are not allergic to mint, and are only occasionally exposed to small amounts of mint odor—such as when passing by mint-growing areas or smelling faint mint scent from consumer products containing mint—the amount of mint odor entering the body through the respiratory tract is generally minimal. This level of exposure typically does not cause noticeable adverse effects or trigger symptoms associated with favism. Therefore, there is generally no need for excessive concern.