Epinephrine and Auto-Injectors
What is Epinephrine?
Epinephrine is the clear, colourless drug form of adrenaline, a natural hormone found in our bodies. It reverses the symptoms of anaphylaxis by increasing the heart rate, increasing blood pressure, opening airways and reducing swelling.Epinephrine is the first line of treatment in an anaphylactic emergency followed by antihistamines and asthma medications. Epinephrine can also used to reverse the symptoms of a severe asthma attack.
Epinephrine Auto-Injectors (EpiPen® and Twinject®)
An epinephrine auto-injector is a combined syringe and needle that releases a single dose of epinephrine once injected. The Twinject® auto-injector has a second dose of epinephrine that can be manually injected.Use
Epinephrine auto-injectors are prescribed by a physician for people with severe allergies and/or anaphylaxis. The person having an anaphylactic reaction can administer the auto-injector for him/herself, or the injection can be administered by someone else.Symptom Recurrence
Symptoms can recur within 8 hours of an initial epinephrine auto-injection.Once an epinephrine auto-injection is given, the person having the anaphylactic reaction must be transported to a hospital immediately.
Be sure to tell Emergency Medical Services or emergency room staff that an epinephrine auto-injector was given and the time that it was given.
