Allergic reaction what should i take

But severe reactions can be life-threatening and need immediate medical care. If your child has a severe allergy or has had a severe reaction, be sure the injectable epinephrine is on-hand at all times including at school.

You, your child if old enough , and anyone who cares for your child know how to use it. Reviewed by: Kate M. The problem is likely to get worse without medical care. Based on your answers, you need emergency care. Call or other emergency services now. If you have an epinephrine shot, use it while you wait for help to arrive. Follow the directions on the label about how to give the shot. Sometimes people don't want to call They may think that their symptoms aren't serious or that they can just get someone else to drive them.

But based on your answers, the safest and quickest way for you to get the care you need is to call for medical transport to the hospital. You can use home treatment to relieve symptoms of:. Try a non-prescription medicine for the relief of itching, redness, and swelling. Be sure to follow the non-prescription medicine precautions. For tips on how to treat dry and irritated skin, see the topic Dry Skin and Itching.

For information on how to treat an insect bite or sting, see the topic Insect Bites and Stings and Spider Bites. Call your doctor if any of the following occur during home treatment:. To prevent problems with severe allergic reactions:. To prevent seasonal or year-round allergy reactions:. You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:.

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British Columbia Specific Information Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction Anaphylaxis can start within minutes of eating or exposure to an allergen a substance capable of causing an allergic reaction. Topic Overview Allergies are an overreaction of the body's natural defence system that helps fight infections immune system. Types of allergies There are many types of allergies.

Some of the more common ones include: Food allergies, which are more common in children than adults. Food allergies are most common in people who have an inherited tendency to develop allergic conditions. These people are more likely to have asthma and other allergies.

For more information, see the topic Food Allergies. Medicine allergies. Many prescription and non-prescription medicines can cause an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions are common and unpredictable. The seriousness of the allergic reaction caused by a certain medicine will vary. Allergies to insect venom. When you are stung by an insect, poisons and other toxins in the insect's venom enter your skin.

It is normal to have some swelling, redness, pain, and itching at the site of a sting. An allergic reaction to the sting occurs when your body's immune system overreacts to the venom of stinging insects. For more information, see the topic Allergies to Insect Stings.

Allergies to animals , which are more likely to cause breathing problems than skin problems. You may be allergic to your pet's dead skin dander , urine, dried saliva, or hair. Allergies to natural rubber latex. Some people develop allergic reactions after repeated contact with latex, especially latex gloves. Allergies that develop from exposure to a particular inhaled substance in the workplace.

These are called occupational asthma. Allergies to cosmetics, such as artificial nails, hair extensions, and henna tattoos. Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.

Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems. Actionsets are designed to help people take an active role in managing a health condition.

Check Your Symptoms Are you concerned about an allergic reaction? How old are you? Less than 12 years. Are you male or female? Why do we ask this question? The medical assessment of symptoms is based on the body parts you have. If you are transgender or non-binary, choose the sex that matches the body parts such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina you now have in the area where you are having symptoms.

If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice once as "male" and once as "female".

This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you. Could you be having a severe allergic reaction? This is more likely if you have had a bad reaction to something in the past. Do you have symptoms of shock? The symptoms in an adult or older child are different than the symptoms in a young child.

Have you ever had a severe allergic reaction? A severe allergic reaction affects the whole body. Your doctor may have called it anaphylaxis. Have you been exposed to the same thing or something similar to it that caused a severe reaction in the past? For example, this could be an insect, a certain food, or a type of medicine or drug. Not sure. If your bite or sting happened in the last 2 days, are you having any symptoms of an allergic reaction now, even mild ones?

Are you having trouble breathing more than a stuffy nose? Is there any new swelling? Are the lips, tongue, mouth, or throat swollen? Did the lips, tongue, mouth, or throat swell quickly? Does swelling involve the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, or the area from one large joint to another, such as from the ankle to the knee? Swelling is across two joints, on soles of feet, or on palms of hands.

Is the swelling getting worse over hours or days? Did you get an epinephrine shot to treat the reaction? Is most of your body covered in hives? Hives are raised, red, itchy patches of skin. They usually have red borders and pale centres. They may seem to move from place to place on the skin. Did the hives appear within the past 3 hours? Are there any symptoms of infection? Do you think you may have a fever? Are there red streaks leading away from the area or pus draining from it?

Do you have diabetes, a weakened immune system , peripheral arterial disease, or any surgical hardware in the area? Diabetes, immune problems, peripheral arterial disease, or surgical hardware in affected area. Does your skin itch? Is the itching severe?

Severe means that you are scratching so hard that your skin is cut or bleeding. Has the itching interfered with sleeping or normal activities for more than 2 days? Itching has disrupted sleep or normal activities for more than 2 days. Could you be having an allergic reaction to a medicine or a vaccine? Almost any medicine can cause an allergic reaction. The reasons for this are not understood, but 1 of the main theories is it's the result of living in a cleaner, germ-free environment, which reduces the number of germs our immune system has to deal with.

It's thought this may cause it to overreact when it comes into contact with harmless substances. A reaction produced by the body's immune system when exposed to a normally harmless substance.

The exaggeration of the normal effects of a substance. For example, the caffeine in a cup of coffee may cause extreme symptoms, such as palpitations and trembling. Where a substance causes unpleasant symptoms, such as diarrhoea, but does not involve the immune system.

People with an intolerance to certain foods can typically eat a small amount without having any problems. Page last reviewed: 22 November Next review due: 22 November Severe reactions can occasionally occur, but these are uncommon. Common allergies Substances that cause allergic reactions are called allergens.

The more common allergens include: grass and tree pollen — an allergy to these is known as hay fever allergic rhinitis dust mites animal dander, tiny flakes of skin or hair food — particularly nuts, fruit, shellfish, eggs and cows' milk insect bites and stings medicines — including ibuprofen , aspirin and certain antibiotics latex — used to make some gloves and condoms mould — these can release small particles into the air that you can breathe in household chemicals — including those in detergents and hair dyes Most of these allergens are generally harmless to people who are not allergic to them.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction Allergic reactions usually happen quickly within a few minutes of exposure to an allergen. They can cause: sneezing a runny or blocked nose red, itchy, watery eyes wheezing and coughing a red, itchy rash worsening of asthma or eczema symptoms Most allergic reactions are mild, but occasionally a severe reaction called anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock can occur. This is a medical emergency and needs urgent treatment.

Getting help for allergies See a GP if you think you or your child might have had an allergic reaction to something.