Crazy, overly paranoid question about EpiPen

[Terra]

Both of my children [so far] have never been stung by anything so I don't know if they are allergic or not.

But I do know that some children and adults can have severe reactions that require an epipen to be carried with them. But it needs prescribed.

So if a person IS severely allergic and goes into anaph. shock and only has a matter of minutes, but you don't know, what can you do?

I always thought it might be good to just carry one for the "first" sting if ever it happens "just in case"...

What are your thoughts on this whole allergic reaction thing?

[fish3737]

So it wouldn't be the first time there was an exposure. Allergies are a reaction to something you have been exposed to first. That is why if your kid has a minor reaction to something you need to be really aware because that could just be the precursor to something major.

That said - I always keep (for myself) Benedryl tablets. My friend who is an ER nurse told me if you ever have a bad allergic reaction chew up a couple tablets - it will get into your system really fast.

I am kind of allergy phobic. My sister fed my DS peanut butter the first couple times because I was afraid.

I have had a couple allergic reactions to things and still deal with PTSD from the experiences. I hope my kids don't have the same issues - allergy or mental health.

[babygirlsmom1005]

Originally Posted by fish3737 So it wouldn't be the first time there was an exposure. Allergies are a reaction to something you have been exposed to first. That is why if your kid has a minor reaction to something you need to be really aware because that could just be the precursor to something major. That said - I always keep (for myself) Benedryl tablets. My friend who is an ER nurse told me if you ever have a bad allergic reaction chew up a couple tablets - it will get into your system really fast. I am kind of allergy phobic. My sister fed my DS peanut butter the first couple times because I was afraid. I have had a couple allergic reactions to things and still deal with PTSD from the experiences. I hope my kids don't have the same issues - allergy or mental health.

My daughter has one for her food allergies that we have to carry around.

[Terra]

Originally Posted by fish3737 So it wouldn't be the first time there was an exposure. Allergies are a reaction to something you have been exposed to first. That is why if your kid has a minor reaction to something you need to be really aware because that could just be the precursor to something major. That said - I always keep (for myself) Benedryl tablets. My friend who is an ER nurse told me if you ever have a bad allergic reaction chew up a couple tablets - it will get into your system really fast. I am kind of allergy phobic. My sister fed my DS peanut butter the first couple times because I was afraid. I have had a couple allergic reactions to things and still deal with PTSD from the experiences. I hope my kids don't have the same issues - allergy or mental health.

Ah okay! I kept thinking well how on earth would I know if they were going to have a fatal reaction...lol...I didn't realize that the first reaction tends to be mild but the precursor.

I'll do the benadryl tablets for sure. Thanks!!!

I'm kind of a phobic about this too just because bad allergies run in the family!

[Danielle0407]

call 911, ambulances carry epi pens. and usually will be there before 10 min.

[MommaRhi]

yes, typically they have a reaction to something 1st. My son has a nut allergy and once he got tested to confirm after throwing up and other fun things, then we were prescribed an Epi Pen Jr. We were told to give him Benadryl and then use the Epi Pen and call 911.

[Terra]

Great input, thanks mamas! I always like to be prepared when possible!

[ttachuk]

Neither of my kids (or DH or me) are anaphylactic to anything- that we know of. But I carry an Epi-pen with me when we are away from the city...like at the lake. The point of having one is that the quicker you administer it the better if someone is going into anaphylactic shock. We live 15 minutes from the closest town, which I think is too long to wait for ambulance to come. And our lake is even further from a town (1 hour).

My physician is in agreement with my rationale, and prescribed one for my daughter. We do have extended family members (my mom and BIL) with anaphylacitic allergies, so I feel that having one in my house is important.

We also always have benadryl on hand at home and a big stock pile at the lake.

ETA: I am a pharmacist so maybe that's why my doctor was open to prescribing one for my kids.

[TestifyToLove]

You take liquid Benadryl at the first sign of a reaction and call an ambulance if you see any breathing complications.

I have honestly never carried an epi-pen just in case. I'm amazed a doctor would do that.

I have Epi-pens scattered around my house, in my van and in my purse. In the kitchen and the van is liquid benadryl. In my purse is the quick disolve strips benadryl.

After I became allergic to tree nuts, I used to wonder how I would know if I needed to use the epi-pen. Turns out, when you can't breathe the sight of that huge, nasty needle becomes irrelevant.

You absolutely can react on a first exposure but that reaction is rarely severe enough to kill you. Each exposure will increase the reaction once you start reacting.

[vsolly]

We had one major reaxion to an Earth's best babyfood over ayaer ago. It caused hot red lightly swollen hives on DS's face and immediate vomiting and swelling. We tested for all ingredients and called the manufacturer and no results. It literally happened after 4 bites. They told us to always to benedryl (we carry the single dose liquid packs everywhere) and were presecribed an epipen jr. We don't always carry it anymore though and I think it expired.

Reminds me to look into that again, but since we have no idea what caused it????????

For mild hives to things like perfume, benedryl single dose liquid has always worked really quickly for DS. And you can give a second dose if ambulance is taking too long and symptoms start coming back. You have to call 911 if you ever use the epi anyway....