epi-pens

[jenk1]

at what stage do i need to start thinking about epi-pens? dd 16months old is allergic to dairy,wheat,citrus fruits,tomatos cant think of the others at the moment. Yesterday dietician advised us to give her vitamin drops, chemist said only ones he knew were abidec but got them today and they contain PEANUT OIL,she wont drink nutramigen or neocate, she still has 2 breastfeeds a day but dietician says she,s not getting enough nutrients. Yesterday she warned me that if dd comes into contact with any of the things she,s allergic to the reaction will be servere as she,s not had any of these allergic foods for a long time, i started thinking about epi-pens, but dont know how to get one or go about getting a prescription for one,can anyone help-feeling desperate now, everytime i think ive found something for her thats ok its not,does anyone know of what vitamin drops are safe for an allergic baby also?,sorry about long mesage

My ds (anaphylactic to milk & eggs) was prescribed junior epipen at under 6 months. The lower weight limit for the dose is 8kg. After all, as the instructions say, administering adrenalin carries risks... but a bad reaction can carry more ie. directly life-threatening.

If not allergic to soya, can you try soya formula?

she,s also allergic to soya milk and products hence why i am still breastfeeding her myself, when she is with us she is only given stuff that we know is safe for her, im just concerned as she grows older that she could be given anything that may set off a reaction-or she could grow out of it-hopefully

jenk1 Since my gp also tried to feed me the line about epipens having risks to avoid prescribing one let me say it again. Our consultant - a professor at a university teaching hospital and probably the leading paediatric allergy specialist in the country - says there has never been a child harmed by an epipen. He was quite annoyed with our gp for suggesting it might be harmful. There have been children who have been harmed by withholding one and even deaths in those who did not have epipens. His instructions to us were quite clear - if we had any doubt about whether our child was having a reaction we should use the epipen. If they were having breathing difficulties it was a medical emergency and we should not wait. Our child could die before emergency services could reach us.

Let me quote from the epipen guidance leaflet "There is no known reason why anyone should not use epipen during an allergic emergency".

It is extremely difficult to avoid a cross contamination risk, especially with children who do not wash their hands well before eating. Unless you are not only going to be with your child constantly but are also going to supervise every minute of the day you can't avoid reactions, only reduce the frequency. With a young child there is also always the risk they will react to some new food.

I really hope your child does grow out of their allergies - have I mentioned probiotics to help in that process? Until she does she really should have that epipen.