# Got Benadryl?--my 911 call



## Violet2 (Apr 26, 2007)

Just a PSA do you have Benadryl both pill and liquid on hand?

Tonight I had a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic and had to call 911. We didn't have Benadryl on hand and DH went out to get some during which time I started having problems breathing.

SO be sure you've got some. I had it on the grocery list but hadn't been to the store.

Also, if you have asthma use your bronchodilator to fight the allergic bronchospasm. Primatene Mist can also be stocked and used according to WebMD.

V


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## UltimateSerj (Apr 9, 2002)

i have also heard that liquid is faster acting then pills...even for adults, i do try to keep it in the house, for us all, but also my dh has a bee allergy but doesn't carry an epi-pen so i like to think this would at least get him to the hospital!
i am glad your ok!


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## tanyam926 (May 25, 2005)

Glad youre okay too!

I always keep it bc my ds2 has had weird reactions to things a few times. His face swells up and he gets welts when certain things touch his skin.


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## moondiapers (Apr 14, 2002)

we keep a bottle of liquid in the house, and a box of chewables in the car emergency kit.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Hmm, never thought about it honestly (and never needed it thankfully). I don't keep that many conventional medicines on hand, but I probably should pick some up just in case. Especially since at night the nearest open store is at least a 20 minute drive.


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## Violet2 (Apr 26, 2007)

I will tell you it certainly changed my perspective. I will never go without it again. Especially since you can develop an allergy to something that never used to bother you including bee stings and food.

I've taken this antibiotic once before with no problem. This time it almost put me in the hospital.

I can just now breathe freely for the first time in 5 hours.

V


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## LittleBlessings (May 26, 2008)

we have a bottle of liquid in the house always and I think I am going to start to keep it on hand for when we go out


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## yarngoddess (Dec 27, 2006)

Yep- I've had a bunch of wierd reactions, and had I not had the kids' benedryl in the house....it would have made for a VERY long car run. I'm allergic to Bananas, Raddishes, Ready made Cookie Dogh...wierd things.

UltimateSerj- you should REALLY look into getting an EpiPen in the house...a bee sting could kill someone with in as little as 3min. Benedryl takes as long as 20min...and that's only if you can swallow! Bee stings and severe allergies like shell fish and others the swelling can totally close off your airway VERY quickly! I REALLY wish you would get an EpiPen...I would hate to look back and say "If ONLY we'd had an epipen...."

OP- Glad you are ok now!


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## Michelle Renee (Dec 31, 2005)

FOr emergency allergies with airway you should ALWAYS use the dye free liquid - the less crap to react to -the better


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

Unfortunately, the dye-free children's Benadryl also has artificial sweeteners. :-/ They really don't quite get the concept of "less crap to react to."

I'm thinking about seeing if I can get a basic analgesic and a basic antihistamine compounded to keep on hand for my corn-allergic baby. He had a terrible night and a red ring around the anus from us eating his birthday cake with a couple corn traces in it (vanilla flavoring in the mix, and citric acid in the egg replacer... oh, yeah, he reacts to eggs too), so I don't want to think about how he'd do with directly ingesting something with larger amounts of corn ingredients. (He didn't really eat any of the cake. Too squishy.)


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## treehugginhippie (Nov 29, 2004)

If there's a natural alternative to Benadryl, I'd love to know about it.


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## Therese's Mommy (Jan 15, 2005)

Thanks for posting this. This is my personal PSA. I tell people all the time that *everyone* needs Benadryl in their house. When you need it there is no time to go and get it. Glad you are ok!


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## TCMoulton (Oct 30, 2003)

I only have seasonal allergies but I am always sure that I have some benadryl in my purse just in case. A bottle of 400 generic pills is just $3.12 at Costco - well worth every penny!!


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## UltimateSerj (Apr 9, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yarngoddess* 

UltimateSerj- you should REALLY look into getting an EpiPen in the house...a bee sting could kill someone with in as little as 3min. Benedryl takes as long as 20min...and that's only if you can swallow! Bee stings and severe allergies like shell fish and others the swelling can totally close off your airway VERY quickly! I REALLY wish you would get an EpiPen...I would hate to look back and say "If ONLY we'd had an epipen...."

OP- Glad you are ok now!


While i do agree with you, its been at least 20 year since he has been stung and had a reaction so no one will write him a script for one. But, now that we live back in his home town, maybe he can check with his allergist since he has known/seen him since childhood... one of those things that gets put off. Liquid benedryl can make a difference, and is much faster then tablets, i do feel comfortable with having at least that around.


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## henny penny (Mar 26, 2008)

We keep Children's Benadryl in the house for any allergic emergency (not needed yet, thank goodness) with a note on it saying "NEVER give to ds except with doctor consent" and the pediatrician's number right there on the note. I keep the tablets in my travel emergency kit but never thought of my car kit! Thanks!!
About the epipen....can you get one without any prior reaction/allergy? We live about 30 minutes from an emergency room and a friend once had a BAD respiratory reaction to our horses. Benadryl worked that time but I thought, just in case, you know an epi could be needed.
Will my family doctor prescribe an epi?


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## mrs*kewpie*pie (Mar 1, 2009)

yep....one thing thats always in my medecine cabinet....usually have it in meltables too and make sure my mom has it as well


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## jenaniah (Nov 23, 2003)

Yup...I have tons of allergies and react to bizarre things (like benefiber drinks and Walgreens stores







) and I ALWAYS have the fast melts in my purse. I do the fast melts b/c they are almost as fast as the liquid and not messy to carry. I also have an Epi-Pen because I have a life threatening peanut allergy, but so far I have been able to avoid using it although I have had reactions where I SHOULD have used it (I HATE the way it makes me feel though...very shakey and anxious)


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## FreeRangeMama (Nov 22, 2001)

Quote:

I'm thinking about seeing if I can get a basic analgesic and a basic antihistamine compounded to keep on hand for my corn-allergic baby.
I have a corn-allergic 8 year old and he is allergic to some of the ingredients of benadryl. It seems as though there are few options for the corn allergic. We are on strict avoidance of anything and everything and we head to the ER at the first sign of trouble.

I wonder if there is a corn safe alternative? Or a natural alternative as we don't typically do allopathic meds (except for the inhaler, I would prefer a breathing child over my ideals any day!).


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## Britishmum (Dec 25, 2001)

I also keep benadryl individual doses in my purse, which I have with me at all times. And some in the car, and some at home. I like the individual doses as they come on these little plastic spoons and are very easy for the kids to take in a hurry. No measuring it out, and no lugging a big bottle of medicine. Dd had to take one when we were in the UK and she had a strange reaction to something, and I was very glad to have it with me.

Ds has very serious allergies, and I"ve learned to be very careful about having medications on me at all times. That's why I keep the individual dose in my purse. If he got stung in the middle of the park, I wouldn't want to be making a run for the car to get the medicine.

I wear an epipen on a belt at all times too. To the point that MIL sent me a new purse for Christmas, to replace the tattered one she sees me wearing in all photos. I then had to tell her that what she thought was an ugly purse is actually a medicine belt, and that I can't do without it, however ugly and unfashionable it might be.


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## Britishmum (Dec 25, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *henny penny* 
We keep Children's Benadryl in the house for any allergic emergency (not needed yet, thank goodness) with a note on it saying "NEVER give to ds except with doctor consent" and the pediatrician's number right there on the note. I keep the tablets in my travel emergency kit but never thought of my car kit! Thanks!!
About the epipen....can you get one without any prior reaction/allergy? We live about 30 minutes from an emergency room and a friend once had a BAD respiratory reaction to our horses. Benadryl worked that time but I thought, just in case, you know an epi could be needed.
Will my family doctor prescribe an epi?

My dd developed a strange reaction to horses last year, after having been around them all her life. I thought I'd have to use ds's epipen, but thankfully Benadryl did the trick.

The allergist then prescribed her an epipen too, although we've never had to use it. Xyrtex works for the horse allergy, as long as she takes it before we go to a barn.

Your friend could get a prescription for an epipen for whenever she's likely to be around horses. It might be worth her getting tested too for other animals -when we had dd tested it turned out she was allergic to guinea pigs too, although we had no idea. So she kept an epipen at preschool too, as they had guinea pigs there, just in case suddenly she had a serious reaction.

You cannot be too careful with these allergies. A mild reaction can be followed by a far more serious one, and you need to treat the first reaction as a warning and get prepared. Plus, once you are prepared, it's easier to relax and not worry about it so much.


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## lucyem (Apr 30, 2005)

We keep benadryl liquid with us always. I was told that a person having an allergic reaction may not have enough spit to melt a melt away or to chew/swallow a pill. They have these little one dose packets for kids. Very handy and they do not spill in my purse







My DS has food allergies and that benadryl is our first line of defense if a problem occurs. Then of course we have the epi-pen.

Speaking of epi-pens - I have a friend who lives a good half hour from a hospital and she was told to always have 2 epi-pens on hand. Her DD has a severe peanut allergy. The doctor is concerned if the child has a bad reaction they might need a second epi pen while en route to the hospital.

Having an epi pen on hand as a "just in case" for someone who does not have a diagnosed allergy seems a bit extreme. They are not cheap and last only about a year. I actually have to go buy 3 this afternoon. Our new school requires 2 and I need one kept with DS.


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## FernG (Feb 14, 2008)

By corn-allergic sibling has special Benadryl-like, dye-free, flavoring-free syrup made by a compounding pharmacy. It is possibly to get an acceptable corn-free replacement, but it is difficult to find a pharmacist to do it.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treehugginhippie* 
If there's a natural alternative to Benadryl, I'd love to know about it.

The only one I know of is high doses of Vitamin C. (Which, again, is usually derived from corn... but at least you *can* find it corn-free.)

ETA: it's not a replacement for Benadryl, though. It doesn't act nearly as quickly or as strongly. But for milder reactions, it can help clear up symptoms faster than usual.


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## hillacademy (May 24, 2005)

I believe that a bee allergy is significant and also that you never know how severe rx can be. I've recently reacted badly(swelling at site over the course of days) to warrant an epi pen(which we have all over the house/car/purse due to dd's multutude of allergies.

Kudos to benedryl.......oldie but goodie always carry it


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## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

*FYI: EPI Pens*- Do *NOT* keep them in the car. I just picked up my son's epi pens tonight and the pharmacist stressed the importance of not leaving it in the car.


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## Momily (Feb 15, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *henny penny* 
We keep Children's Benadryl in the house for any allergic emergency (not needed yet, thank goodness) with a note on it saying "NEVER give to ds except with doctor consent" and the pediatrician's number right there on the note. I keep the tablets in my travel emergency kit but never thought of my car kit! Thanks!!
About the epipen....can you get one without any prior reaction/allergy? We live about 30 minutes from an emergency room and a friend once had a BAD respiratory reaction to our horses. Benadryl worked that time but I thought, just in case, you know an epi could be needed.
Will my family doctor prescribe an epi?

How fast can you get hold of your doctor? In a real allergic emergency, you have moments to respond. I know with my Dr. I need to call (the answering service if it's at night) and then wait for a call back. I guess if it was daytime, and not lunch break, I could explain it's an emergency but it would still be 10 minutes while I wait through the phone cue, explain the situation, have them hunt down the doctor.

Given that, I wonder if the note is a good idea.


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## dulce de leche (Mar 13, 2005)

We carry the pre-measured doses of Benedryl everywhere, too, along with our Twinject. I love the Twinject because it is just like an Epipen but with a second dose available for back up, if needed. I didn't realize that Benedryl had corn, though, and ds is allergic to corn. Yikes. I need to talk to the allergist about that.


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## jocelyndale (Aug 28, 2006)

I have Benadryl liquid for DS and DH, but I'm allergic to the active ingredient (







). I also carry epi-jr (DS), epi-pens (myself), and my husband has his own epis. I carry an epi inhaler (primatene mist), my husband has his various asthma inhalers, and I have chlorpheniramine tablets (for hives, not for life-threatening reactions).

I hope you're feeling better now, Violet.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dulce de leche* 
We carry the pre-measured doses of Benedryl everywhere, too, along with our Twinject. I love the Twinject because it is just like an Epipen but with a second dose available for back up, if needed. I didn't realize that Benedryl had corn, though, and ds is allergic to corn. Yikes. I need to talk to the allergist about that.

Most medicines have corn. Cornstarch and derivatives from it are good binders.


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