Anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shocks

Sulphite allergy - Deborah, Hampshire, UK

My daughter, Alice, had 2 bad anaphylactic shocks when she as about 6 months old. One was in response to eating eggs and the other to eating salmon. Both attacks were very frightening and resulted in the need for her to have an Epi-Pen. But, over the years she didn't have any repeated shocks as we made sure she avoided both foods. However, on the day before Christmas Eve she had a tickley cough and asked for some cough medicine. I gave her Veno's Honey and Lemon which she hadn't had before but there was no reason to believe it would affect her adversely. Within 15 minutes she was vomiting, struggling to breath and her heart was racing. At nearly 9 years old it had been almost 8 years since her last attack and because of this we no longer kept an Epi-Pen. I immediately rang NHS Direct who, having talked to both me and Alice at length, were not happy she was breathing properly and sent a Paramedic and an ambulance. We ended up in Basingstoke A&E and didn't get home until 1am on Christmas Eve. From the moment she'd had the Veno's until the hospital were satisfied she was well enough to go home, it had been 5 hours. She continued to vomit throughout the night and slept most of Christmas Eve. On the Patient Information Leaflet inside the cough medicine it states that on rare occasions patients can suffer an allergic reaction and breathing difficulties to E223, a sulphite in the medicine. What the hospital also said is that Alice's croup could be allergy induced. Looking back, every time she has any cough medicine her cough turns from a tickley one into a croup type cough and she sounds like a seal. I will be undertaking more research on this subject and posting information soon. (January 2009) Contact Deborah

Nut and fish allergies and anaphylaxis - Charlotte, UK

I have life threatening nut and fish allergies which I've been to a specialist at Nottingham for tests etc. which was sooooo helpful. My GP had told me specifically "you will grow out of it, keep trying to eat it to see if you have"!!! It turns out I've had anaphylactic reactions loads of times, just never knew the potentially serious and fatal nature of it! At school teachers used to make me eat fish when I said I was allergic to it, because they thought I was being fussy and silly. (April 2003)

For more information about Anaphylaxis visit www.anaphylaxis.org.uk

Last Reviewed: 24 October 2010
Next Review Date: 24 October 2012