Comment on Is it risky for me to fly with a severe peanut allergy?
sanguinepar@lemmy.world 23 hours agoRe epi pens, and apologies if this is a stupid question - could people for whom they help after a reaction potentially use them as a preventative measure? ie use the pen before any reaction takes place, to try and stop one happening at all?
I’m sure the answer is no, or else that would be what people did, but it occurred to me.
Fermion@feddit.nl 23 hours ago
Taking an oral steroid like prednisone can help prevent asthma attacks for milder allergies, but that might not be sufficient for a severe peanut allergy.
Epinephren is not a gentle drug. You do not want to have to use an epi pen if you can avoid it. It causes the heart to race and result in lots of side effects that would make a flight extremely uncomfortable. I think it’s also metabolized quickly enough that a single dose is not going to last a whole flight.
I’m not an expert though, I just have multiple family members with moderate to severe allergies.
sanguinepar@lemmy.world 23 hours ago
Ah ok, thank you for that. Yeah, seems like sticking an epi pen in just before boarding might not be the best plan! Cheers 👍
mr_jawa@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
Epipens do not always stall or stop anaphylaxis as well. It’s standard practice to carry two and use both in a time frame following exposure. Epipens are more a “hope it helps until I can get somewhere with medical care” rather than a “this will solve my exposure”.
sanguinepar@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
Right, I see what you mean. Thanks 👍