Anaphylactic shock is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Symptoms of anaphylaxis range in severity from dizziness, loss of consciousness, labored breathing, swelling of the tongue, low blood pressure, blueness of the skin, and heart failure. Anaphylactic shock is an emergency situation, and requires immediate treatment.
Short-Term Treatment for Anaphylaxis
The main form of treatment for anaphylaxis is an autoinjector. Most people who know they're at risk for a reaction will carry autoinjectors with them at all times. An autoinjector is a device that has a syringe with a concealed needle that injects a single dose of epinephrine when pressed into the thigh.
Epinephrine works by activating receptors in the body for multiple different body systems, which is why it is perfect for treating anaphylaxis. It constricts the blood vessels to decrease swelling, increases blood pressure and heart rate, relaxes muscles around lungs to allow airways to open up, and it prevents the release of additional allergic chemicals to stop the reaction from progressing any further.
If you have an autoinjector, always make sure that the epinephrine is within its expiration date, because it may not work as quickly or effectively as it is designed to do. Make sure that you and the people closest to you know how to use the injector correctly—this could save your life. If you don’t have your own autoinjector and you go into anaphylactic shock, the medical personnel who are called in will probably administer an epinephrine injection once they arrive to treat your symptoms.
Long-Term Treatment for Anaphylaxis
There are some things you can do to try to prevent your body from reacting so severely to certain allergens. If you have anaphylactic reactions that are triggered by certain insect stings, it is possible to get a series of allergy shots in a treatment method called immunotherapy. This therapy works to reduce your body’s allergic response to the sting, which will hopefully prevent such a severe reaction in the future.
For other allergy triggers, it can be a little more difficult to treat the underlying condition of the immune system that leads to anaphylaxis. For most other cases, the most you can do is try to be as well-prepared as possible for a future attack. Be as knowledgeable as you can about your specific allergy triggers and avoid them as much as possible. Look into carrying your own self-administered dose of epinephrine so you are prepared to give yourself the medication if you feel an attack coming on. You can also take steroids such as prednisone or antihistamines daily in order to try to reduce the severity of potential attacks.
It might also be advisable to wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace, especially if you are severely allergic to certain medications. This is so medical personnel are able to identify your allergies immediately upon arriving on the scene of a emergency situation. This allows them to treat you as effectively as possible, especially if you are unconscious and unable to communicate this information verbally.
