Join the 'Epinephrine' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works

Epinephrine Blog

Related terms: Epinephrine Topical, Epinephrine Ophthalmic

Blog (9)

Seniors Undertreated for Asthma, and Many Skip Inhalers: Study

Posted 1 May 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 1 – Asthma often is misdiagnosed and undertreated in older people, with only 53 percent of those with asthma using prescribed inhalers, a small new study suggests. The study included 77 people, including people both with and without asthma, who were over age 60. Of those with asthma, 89 percent also had allergies to mold, animals or dust mites. The asthma patients were more likely than those without asthma to have hay fever, arthritis, diabetes, higher levels of pain and poor general health than those without asthma. The study appears in the May issue of the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. "Those with asthma reported more infections, physician visits and impact on health, yet only half are regularly treating the disease," lead author and allergist Dr. Andrew Smith said in a journal news release. "Patients should regularly carry and take prescribed asthma ... Read more

Some Schools Don't Let Kids Carry Asthma Inhalers

Posted 27 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, April 27 – Although all 50 states have laws that allow children with asthma to carry inhalers at school and 48 states have laws that let youngsters carry epinephrine pens for serious allergies, experts say that some kids are still being denied access to these lifesaving medications during the school day. "Every school district handles this a little bit different, and for those who don't allow children to carry their medications, I think may be due to a lack of knowledge. School officials may not appreciate the risk that having epinephrine pens and inhalers in a locked office, instead of with the child, can pose," said Maureen George, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia. "Fewer than 200 children die each year from asthma in the U.S. That number is low, but those deaths are preventable. And it's a double tragedy when you lose ... Read more

Rapid Asthma Treatment in ER May Prevent Admission

Posted 6 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, April 6 – Rapid treatment with asthma medications seems to help reduce hospitalizations among children with asthma, a new study finds. Canadian researchers analyzed data from 406 children and found that those with moderate or severe asthma attacks who received systemic corticosteroids within 75 minutes of arriving at a hospital emergency department were 16 percent less likely to be admitted to the hospital. Corticosteroids reduce inflammation. The findings illustrate the importance of rapidly identifying and treating children with asthma when they arrive at an emergency department, the researchers said. The study was recently published online in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. "We knew that corticosteroids could help avoid hospital admissions and relapses. However, just how delays between emergency department admission and administration of the treatment impacted ... Read more

Adrenaline Therapy for Cardiac Arrest Linked to Worse Outcomes

Posted 20 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 20 – The decades-old practice of treating cardiac arrest patients with epinephrine – adrenaline – might do more harm than good in the long run, suggests a new analysis of hundreds of thousands of cases. Japanese researchers found that cardiac arrest patients given epinephrine were more likely to survive one month, compared with those who didn't get the treatment. But when the investigators adjusted their figures statistically so they wouldn't be thrown off by various factors, the patients who got epinephrine actually became less likely to survive a month. And among those given epinephrine who did survive, only one-quarter of them were in good shape neurologically a month later, the study authors noted. On the other hand, the patients who received the drug were more likely to have their pulses restored before they got to the hospital, according to the report published ... Read more

More People Need Training in Lifesaving Epinephrine Use, Advocates Say

Posted 9 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 9 – When Jane Able's 4-year-old daughter, Ellie, was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy, the New Albany, Ohio, mother got trained in using an epinephrine pen and never leaves home without it. The device contains an injectable dose of epinephrine, a hormone that can halt even life-threatening allergic reactions. But it's not only Able who needs to know how to use the device – so do teachers, babysitters, even the parents of Ellie's friends. "I carry a 'trainer pen' with me and have them practice using it before I'll leave her," Able said. "I take every precaution." For the parents of kids with food allergies, the news of the death of 7-year-old Ammaria Johnson – who died last month at her Chesterfield County, Va., elementary school after eating a peanut given to her by another child – came as a heartbreaking reminder of how vigilant they need to be to keep their ... Read more

Asthma Meds Likely Safe During Pregnancy: Study

Posted 20 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Jan. 20 – A new study found no statistically significant link between asthma medication use during pregnancy and common birth defects. However, the study did find a positive association between some rare birth defects and mothers with asthma, and potentially with their medication use. But, the researchers couldn't tease out whether the problem was a loss of oxygen from less than well-controlled asthma or an effect of medications. "Worsening asthma is a risk to the mom and the fetus. Hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) we know is a problem for a developing fetus. And, the potential risk they found here is very small. Even if it turns out to be a true increase, the risk is so small. This study raises more questions than it answers," said Dr. Natalie Meirowitz, chief of the division of maternal fetal medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. What's most ... Read more

Study Offers Clues to Why Some Don't Benefit From Asthma Drugs

Posted 6 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Jan. 6 – Almost half of patients with mild or moderate asthma may have a different type of disease than those with more severe symptoms, perhaps explaining why common treatments don't work well for them, new research suggests. "We are beginning to understand that different 'flavors' of asthma probably have different molecular mechanisms," said Dr. John Fahy, director of the Airway Clinical Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the senior author of the new study, published online Friday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Asthma is a chronic disease involving inflamed airways. As the airways become more swollen, the muscles around them can tighten when something triggers symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Current anti-inflammatory treatments target a condition called eosinophilic airway ... Read more

Use of Asthma Controller Meds on the Rise Among U.S. Kids

Posted 13 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 13 – The percentage of children with asthma in the United States who use a prescription "controller" medicine has nearly doubled since the late 1990s, a new federal government report finds. The analysis of data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey showed that the use of controller drugs by these children increased from 29 percent in 1997-1998 to 58 percent in 2007-2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Asthma controller drugs include: corticosteroids, which control inflammation and reduce the risk of airway spasms; beta-2-agonists, which make breathing easier; and leukotrienes, which help prevent asthma symptoms from occurring. Use of inhaled corticosteroids among American children with asthma increased from 15.5 percent to 40 percent, use of leukotrienes rose from 3 percent to 34 percent, and use of ... Read more

Accidental Medication Poisonings in Kids on the Rise

Posted 16 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 16 – Despite ongoing prevention efforts, a growing number of young children are being accidentally poisoned with medications, according to new research. The study, which was based on data reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers between 2001 and 2008, found that medication poisoning among children aged 5 and under increased by 22 percent, although the number of children in the United States in this age group rose by only 8 percent during the study period. "The problem of pediatric poisoning in the U.S. is getting worse, not better," Dr. Randall Bond, of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said in a hospital news release. In conducting the study, which is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Pediatrics, the researchers reviewed information on over 544,000 children who landed in the emergency department due to medication poisoning ... Read more

Related support groups: Suboxone, Xanax, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Klonopin, Lortab, Lisinopril, Subutex

Excessive Heat Can Harm Medications, Expert Says

Posted 22 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Aug. 20 – Medications can be harmed by high temperatures, say pharmacists. Although just a handful of drugs have been tested at temperatures above 86F, all medications could be altered by extreme heat, they warn. According to Dr. Amy Peak, clinical pharmacist and director of Drug Information Services at Butler University, several medications have been tested at high temperatures. She outlined some of the changes the researchers found: Albuterol inhalers: The container could burst at temperatures above 120F. Moreover, when stored at high temperatures, there may be a decrease in the amount of medication inhaled. Concentrated epinephrine: Cyclical heating could reduce 64 percent of the medication's potency. Diazepam: Concentration of this drug dropped 25 percent when stored at 98.6F. Formoterol (capsules that are placed in inhalers): Following four hours of exposure to 158F ... Read more

Children With Food Allergies Often Face Skepticism

Posted 19 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Aug. 19 – When Bela Mehta's toddler son was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy, she carefully explained to her parents and in-laws that ingesting even the tiniest amount of peanut could cause a life-threatening reaction. Yet when the grandparents came over to babysit, Mehta would come home to find that they'd brought over desserts that contained peanuts, or that they were continuing to make dishes containing peanuts using her blender. "I said, 'If it was labeled poison, or cyanide, would you still bring it here?" said Mehta, a mother of two who lives in Chicago. "That's how dangerous it is to him." Despite having a close-knit, involved and loving family, Mehta has struggled to make sure relatives understand just how seriously they need to take her son's food allergy. Her experiences are far from uncommon, according to a new study. British researchers found that families ... Read more

New Guidelines for Spotting, Treating COPD Released

Posted 1 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Aug. 1 – Four of the world's leading pulmonary associations have issued new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the world's leading killers. While the recommendations are based on more recent studies of the disorder, they differ little from previous guidelines and are meant largely to emphasize how critical it is to manage the disease to reduce hospitalizations, exacerbations and deaths, said lead author Dr. Amir Qaseem, director of clinical policy in the medical education division of the American College of Physicians, one of the four sponsoring organizations. "We're repeating the message. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the third leading cause of death and . . . the number keeps going up. In 2007, it was the fifth leading cause of death," said Qaseem. "Many patients are still not getting the appropriate care." ... Read more

Treat Snakebites With Adrenaline, Study Says

Posted 12 May 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 12 – Giving adrenalin to people with snakebites helps prevent severe allergic reactions to antivenom treatment, new research finds. There's a high rate of acute adverse reactions to antivenom, according to the study. But giving low-dose adrenaline to patients who have been bitten by a poisonous snake before administering antivenom reduces the risk of severe allergic reactions. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka, involved more than 1,000 people hospitalized for snakebites. Patients were given low-dose adrenaline, promethazine, hydrocortisone or placebo immediately before treatment with antivenom. The treatments were administered alone and in all possible combinations. The study found that adrenaline reduced severe reactions to the antivenom by 43 percent at one hour and by 38 percent over 48 hours. Patients given hydrocortisone ... Read more

Ask a Question

Further Information

Related Condition Support Groups

Shock, Asystole, Asthma -- Acute, Allergic Reactions, Adams-Stokes Syndrome, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Acute, AV Heart Block, Electromechanical Dissociation, Oral Allergy Syndrome

Related Drug Support Groups

Primatene Mist, EpiPen, Adrenalin, EpiPen 2-Pak, EpiPen Jr, Primatene Mist Inhaler, Adrenalin Chloride, Ana-Guard, Asthmahaler, view more... Bronchial Mist with Pump, Bronitin, Bronkaid Mist, Epi EZ Pen, EpiPen Auto-Injector, EpiPen JR 2-Pak, EpiPen JR Auto-Injector, Medihaler-Epi, S2 Inhalant, Sus-Phrine Injection, Twinject, Twinject Auto-Injector, Adrenaclick