How to Deal With Severe Allergic Reaction

An allergic reaction can be bothersome, irritating, painful or even life-threatening, and when a person has a severe allergic reaction, time is of the essence. Here's what to do if you or someone with you experiences a severe allergic reaction.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with the word anaphylaxis, which is a medical term for the most severe form of allergic reaction and is always treated as a medical emergency. In an emergency, information isn't always clear and concise, so knowing these terms and being able to explain them will help.

2. Spot the signs of a severe allergic reaction. Initially the person may feel lightheaded or dizzy or become very pale. They may have difficulty breathing, they may be coughing, their tongue will swell and their throat will tighten causing them to have difficulty talking.

3. Search the person or their belongings for an epinephrine shot if they are unable to speak. A person with known allergies should always carry an epinephrine shot with them at all times in case of an emergency.

4. Inject the person with epinephrine before calling 911. Make a fist around the injection, bite off the cap and push the shot down hard into the person's outer mid-thigh. Hold the shot in place for 10 seconds before removing it slowly, then massage the injection site for another 10 seconds.

5. Call 911 and take immediate action if no epinephrine shot is available. Lay the person flat, lifting their legs. Make sure the person is able to breathe and ask them what position helps them breathe easier. If the person becomes unconscious begin CPR until the emergency response team arrives.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask someone else to call 911 while injecting the epinephrine shot. If no one else is available, give the shot first, massage the injection site and then call 911 as quickly as possible, explaining to the operator what has happened.
• Most common allergens are peanuts or other nuts, eggs, milk, shellfish, insect stings or bites, latex and certain medications. Peanut allergies are the largest cause of a severe allergic reaction and affect nearly one in 50 children and one in 200 adults.
• Once the throat begins tightening it can take only minutes for the person to suffocate. Eventually they will loose consciousness or collapse.
• The epinephrine shot is only a temporary medication to keep the person from suffocating and they still need medical treatment immediately.
• People with a peanut allergy don't need to consume a peanut to suffer. It takes only 0.0005 percent to cause anaphylaxis, which can be as simple as a peanut touching the food they are about to eat.

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