Anaphylaxis: Using your EpiPen
Injector
Sudden onset and/or rapid progression of:
o Laboured breathing or wheezing
o Closing of the airway – feeling a
lump in the back of the throat?
o Swelling of the skin on the face
(angioedema)
o Feeling faint or dizzy
o in addition to feeling of doom?
EPIPEN TREATMENT REQUIRED
Inject yourself with your EpiPen injector as per
the diagram below.
ASSESS
YOUR
SYMPTOMS
Mild onset of:
o Hives
o Feeling flush on the skin
o Onset of a rash
And you are certain that you have no difficulty
breathing or feel faint…
If symptoms are
NOT relieved or
worsen…
Treat with
CHLORPHENAMINE
(Piriton) and assess
your symptoms in 15
minutes.
If your symptoms
are relieved, then
continue as you
were but monitor
your condition
3. Rub the area for 10 seconds
4. Lie flat on the floor with your legs elevated to
keep your blood flowing.
5. Seek help immediately after using your autoinjector. Call 999 if you are alone or ask
someone to call them for you if you are not
alone.
6. State the word ‘anaphylaxis’ or ‘severebreathing difficulties’ to get an ambulance to you
as quickly as possible.
7. Do not get up until you are absolutely certain
you are able to without dizziness or difficulty
breathing. Lie back down if this is the case.
If there are no improvement in symptoms or
worsening of symptoms after 5-15 minutes of
initial treatment with EpiPen, use a second
EpiPen in the other thigh or partway from the
initial infection site.
Anaphylaxis has been successfully
treated.
If you are feeling better and no longer have
symptoms of anaphylaxis, wait for the
ambulance team to arrive and access your
condition before assuming successful
treatment.
Should treatment with 2 Epi’s not help, you
may be admitted to hospital for monitoring and
treated with steroids, antihistamines and/or
salbutamol if you are asthmatic.
After treatment with an EpiPen you should:
o Hand your used pens to the ambulance team who will discard these for you.
o Ask the doctor within the hospital for replacement EpiPen’s for the one you have used, or a prescription
for new ones.
o Check these pens every month and ensure that they are within date and have not discoloured. If they
have, discard these and ask the GP for new EpiPen’s.
Ensure you always have 2 EpiPen’s, antihistamines and your salbutamol inhaler (if you are asthmatic) with you
at all times.
Mahesh Mamman
20th October 2020