Completely off topic but... does anybody know if it's possible to be prescribed an epi-pen without knowing what you're allergic to?
I just had a severe allergic reaction (NO clue to what), and it's the third I've had this year, or in fact, my life, but it was the scariest yet.
Started with tingly then itchy palms, then flushed beet red all over, then hives all over, then (and this is the first time this has happened) my eyelids and lips swelled up. All this in less than 2 minutes.
I've got as far as the hives, once in April and once in June, and went to a walk-in clinic one of the times. The doctor prescribed me to take fexofenadine (Allegra) for 2 weeks even after the hives went away, and told me to take Benadryl for quicker relief if it happened again.
So I slammed down 2 Benadryls and took a cool shower, and the symptoms eventually passed (about 30 minutes to feel any better, and quite a bit better after an hour).
But I'm scared if it happens again, what if my throat DOES close up? The facial swelling had never happened before today, either.
And no, I've not eaten anything unusual or used any new products, nor did I eat anything that was the same as either of the previous 2 times I had the reaction. The doctor I saw the first time told me it would be very hard, if not impossible, to tell what I was allergic to even if I did have a scratch test.
So... anybody know what is the criteria for getting an epi-pen prescribed? Do you HAVE to know what you are allergic to?