Allergy to Ephinephrine

[Cordelia]

I had some dental freezing recently and had a very annoying, nasty allergic reaction to the lidocaine the dentist injects into your mouth. Within an hour of the freezing coming out I was sneezing up a storm, congested like I had a major attack of hayfever, or suddenly got a terrible head cold. Anyone experience this?

Because of the reaction, my dentist instead gave me regular freezing instead of lidocaine and I had no problems. Thank God!!!

Would the above  reaction be considered serious what I had? I had no breathing problems other than a major stuffed up and runny nose at the same time, and the horrible constant sneezing but no chest problems.  My dentist told me I had a reaction to the ephineprhine found in the lidocaine they use to freeze. It contricts blood vessels.

I"m just wondering.......Should I be putting this drug down in my medication records as a "SEVERE ALLERGY" to or JUST a "SENSITIVITY"

[MooseMom]

I am assuming that you are asking because you are anticipating this question from your tx people?

I would say exactly what your dentist said, that you have a history of being reactive to epinephrine, resulting in nasal congestion and sneezing.  Whenever I have listed meds to which I am allergic, they ask me what happens when I take them, and I tell them "hives", and that qualifies as a true allergy.  If I take levaquin, by day 4, I'm feeling pretty sick, but that's not an allergy; still, I let them know.

[Cordelia]

Yes, MM, I was wondering if ephineprhine would ever be used in the event of being hospitalized for my transplant, I wondered about letting them know. What about my medic alert I wonder?

I've never heard of levaquin.........

[MooseMom]

I developed an allergy to Bactrim...massive, awesome hives..., so I was treated for a UTI with levaquin.  It is apparently used in the treatment of anthrax (!), and I believe it because it made me feel quite vomitous.

I really don't know if this is information that needs to be put on a medic alert.  I wear a bracelet that just says I have a fistula so please don't touch my left arm, but perhaps I should put something on there about allergies.  I don't know if hives is as desperate a situation as having your throat swollen shut...THAT's a lot serious than hives.  Hm...

I myself have played it safe in alerting my tx center of every single substance that I've ever had any kind of reaction to. 

[Cordelia]

Yes, the fistula I defintely need to get that put on my medic alert, for sure!

[Cordelia]

I guess I'm just allergic to the dentist!