Bit of a wierd one... but Adrenaline

[jason holland]

was thinking about what would happen if you were bitten by a tarantula etc... now i know you couldnt die from the actual venom, unless you were alergic, or if you went into shock etc,

but do any of you keep things such as epipens, to give you an adrenaline shot if you are bitten and it causes you to go into anaphylactic shock, or if you were alergic etc...

just wondering... never really thought about it till just now.

[Andrew Ferguson]

Have a word with Lousie. She was bitten on the eye earlier this year.

http://www.thebts.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3555&highlight=bitten

[Louise~Nichols]

I'm right here!

The *eye bite* wasn't pleasant for sure, but as far as reactions went...ie, anaphylaxia...it just wasn't happening. For the most part, the essentials I keep to hand are antihistamines, usually a variety which can be taken several times a day rather than the *one-a-day* types such as cetirizine hydrochloride or Loratidine. I use acrivastine which can be taken 4 times a day...the reason behind this being that you can maintain a level of symptom relief far better by repeat doses than from one dose.
In some cases people do take repeat doses of the one-a-day antihistamines, but with Loratidine particularly this can lead to palpitations, breathlessness etc...which would confuse the issue a bit if you weren't sure that it was the bite or the antihistamine causing the problem!

Actual symptoms...well, on the allergy front, I think it would be unlikely that an adverse reaction would cause anything more than localised skin/tissue problems, whilst the actual bite side-effects may continue to produce an array of symptoms through the body (such as vomiting and cramping with Hysterocrates cases), a true allergic reaction from the bite would be more likely at the site of the wound, irritation from debris on the fangs etc....this may lead to the development of cellulitis due to the skin reacting if the person was immunodeficient, or the lesion remained open and weeping for a prolonged period.

I think it maybe more fair to say, that individual tolerances of symptoms, ie how we each cope with pain, nausea etc maybe nearer to the mark in judging how severe a bite seems. What may seem like a mild sting to some, could be agony for others. So this maybe more down to susceptibilities/sensitivities rather than a true allergy in the anaphylaxia context. Some people may recover quicker, whilst others may be laid low...so this doesn't quantify as allergy, just a sensitivity to the particular action of the individual species bitey juices.
Think of it as a marmite issue...your body either likes it or loathes it!!

[Nicola Dolby]

To be honest if I went into shock or had a really bad reaction I'd just head for the nearest hospital. When someone is in such a position they make mistakes and having a calm, professional medic around is always the safe option. Having said that anti-hystamines and Neurofen usually work, so I believe.