Anaphylaxis
Prednisone Side Effects: Deal With The Devil?
Prednisone can be a life saving drug. It saved my sanity when I developed sudden hearing loss in one ear. That was a really scary experience for someone who depends on hearing to be able to do live ra…
Wasp Sting Was Nearly Fatal
Most people are not allergic to wasp or yellow jacket stings. Sure, they hurt like heck, but they do not result in life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. People who are allergic to such a sting are …
Lisinopril Side Effects Can Be Life Threatening:…
Keeping blood pressure under control is extremely important, since hypertension (high blood pressure) is a risk factor for both stroke and heart disease. Finding the correct blood pressure medication …
Will New Epinephrine Shot Be More Affordable?
A few years ago, there was quite a fuss about high prices and shortages affecting EpiPen emergency allergy injections. This epinephrine shot is used to avert anaphylactic shock that can be life threat…
Are You Highly Allergic? What To Do About EpiPen…
With warm weather, bees, wasps and other stinging creatures are on the move. That means people who are highly allergic to stings need to keep epinephrine available at all times. This injectable medica…
High Drug Prices Shielded by Soaring Lobbying Bu…
Wonder what's behind high drug prices? Have you ever heard the crude expression: "Money talks and bulls**t walks." We apologize for the obscenity. But nowhere is that crude phrase clearer than on Capi…
How Can Orphan Drugs Be So Outrageously Expensiv…
Everybody knows what an orphan is. But what are "orphan drugs" and why should you care? How did pharmaceutical manufacturers take what was supposed to be a charitable concept and corrupt it to make bi…
EpiPen Price Increase Outrages Americans
People who are allergic to bee or wasp stings, peanuts, shrimp or other foods rely on an auto-injector containing epinephrine (adrenaline) to open their airways and keep them breathing until emergency…
Could a Yellow Jacket Sting Be Lethal?
Q. I got stung by yellow jackets last week and reacted terribly. I swelled up and broke out in hives all over my body. It was so unbearable I had to go to the emergency room for treatment. I never rea…
Life-Threatening Allergy to Meat Is Triggered by…
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night with itchy hives all over your body. You might also find you were having trouble breathing. A trip to the ER could safe your life, but the cause of your my…
Sting Shots Could Save a Life
Q. You responded recently to a woman who almost died after a yellow jacket sting. Your advice to get an EpiPen was good, but it should have gone further. After I lived more than 25 years with severe i…
Bee-Ware Yellow Jacket Allergy
Q. I was a nanny last summer, and one day we were in the kids' back yard. Their dog knocked a yellow jacket down, but it was still alive. Unaware of this, I walked on the deck where the yellow jacket …
Mango Skin Allergy Mimics Poison Ivy
What plants do you need to avoid? Most people are pretty savvy about staying away from poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac if they have ever developed a nasty rash associated with one of these. But…
EpiPen Is Lifesaver for Allergic Reaction
Q. Someone wrote to you about a bad reaction to wasps. The same thing happened to me after I was stung by yellow jackets. Please warn this person (or anyone who is allergic to stings) to consult a phy…
Stinging Insects Hold Reader Hostage
Q. I have a deadly allergy to bee, hornet and wasp stings. I am 52 years old and have no medical insurance so I cannot get the shots needed to desensitize myself from this allergy. I am a virtual pris…