Epinephrine is the treatment of choice for severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis. If there is a severe allergic reaction, use of an epinephrine autoinjector may be necessary to open up the airways and help circulation. Autoinjectors are one-time use devices that should be administered in the thigh muscle. Once it is used, 911 should be called immediately, and the person having the allergic reaction should receive further evaluation in the ER.
Cardiovascular Agent
Cardiovascular drugs control and treat various heart conditions.
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Dr. Julie Wang, MD , Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, answered on behalf of The Mount Sinai Health SystemSee All 3 Answers -
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Stacy Wiegman, PharmD , Pharmacy, answeredAcebutolol (Sectral) is frequently prescribed for those who have hypertension (high blood pressure) or arrhythmias of the heart ventricles (lower chambers of the heart). It is also sometimes prescribed for other conditions, including chest pain. Acebutolol should not be taken without first consulting a doctor. -
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Stacy Wiegman, PharmD , Pharmacy, answeredAcebutolol (Sectral) often works quickly, reducing heart rate and blood pressure within hours. Acebutolol can prevent heart arrhythmias within days. Acebutolol reaches peak blood levels in less than three hours.
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Multiple Sclerosis Foundation answeredFampridine SR, a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis-related gait disturbances, contains the same active ingredient as 4-aminopyridine (or 4AP), a medication that MS patients have been purchasing from compounding pharmacies for many years. Fampridine SR differs from 4-aminopyridine in how it is released in the body. Because Fampridine SR is a sustained-release product (hence the SR in the name) it has an increased duration of effect and does not have to be dosed as often as compounded 4-aminopyridine. -
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Multiple Sclerosis Foundation answeredIf you're taking Fampridine SR for multiple sclerosis (MS) and it causes severe confusion or agitation, you should notify your doctor. If you have a seizure while taking Fampridine SR, you should stop taking the medicine and also notify your doctor as soon as possible.
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Dr. Andrea Pennington, MD , Integrative Medicine, answeredBased on the DNA you inherited from your parents, you have a programmed weight range or set point for how much weight you should carry on your body. The part of the brain that controls this is called the lipostat. The root of the word, lipo, means fat. Stat is short for regulator. So like the thermostat in your home regulates therms, or units of heat (i.e., the temperature), your lipostat regulates the amount of fat you carry. At home, if you set your thermostat to 70 degrees, when it gets too hot the air conditioning comes on to blow the temp back to 70. If it gets too cold, the heat will turn on to bring the room temperature back to 70.
Normally, our lipostat will help regulate our weight by bringing us to the set point that nature intended. You may recall that while growing up or in our 20's it wasn't hard to lose the 5-10 pounds you gained after being on a holiday or from a decrease in activity. Your biological set point helped you out. -
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American Red Cross answeredEpinephrine is a form of adrenaline that works in the body to counteract an anaphylactic reaction. -
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American Red Cross answered
The instructions provided by the manufacturer and healthcare provider always should be followed when assisting someone with a prescribed epinephrine auto-injector.
An auto-injector contains a preloaded dose of 0.3 mg of epinephrine for adults or 0.15 mg of epinephrine for children weighing 33 to 66 pounds.
The injector has a spring-loaded plunger. When activated, it injects the epinephrine. The auto-injector is activated when it is forcefully pushed against the skin. It should be used on a muscular area, usually the person’s mid-outer thigh.
The injector needs to stay in place for 10 seconds. This allows the medication to fully empty. When the auto-injector is removed, handle it carefully and do not touch the needle if it is exposed.
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Dr. Tanya R. Altmann, MD , Pediatrics, answered
Epinephrine injectors like EpiPens will typically last for about a year, says Tanya Altmann, MD, pediatrician. However, in this video she explains that like all medications, you should check the expiration date to know when to replace it.