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Subtitle for one of the pages of Surviving Asthma.  Asthma Shots/ Adrenaline and Kenaloge Side Effects.

Adrenaline and Kenalog Side Efects

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When suffering from asthma, the chances of ending up in the doctor's clinic or the emergency room of a hospital are so great that it is difficult to fathom. As everything else, there are various types of medication you can be given. One of them is a shot of adrenaline the other one is Kenalog. If you are given an adrenaline shot and you are over forty years old, be very careful as it places your heart under more stress than when you were younger. As a matter of fact, it makes you shake very visibly and uncontrollably for about an hour and it raises your heart beat to about 140 - 150 beats per minute.

To an observer, who may not know what you are going through, it will appear as if you are having seizures, and the older you get, the more stress your organs will be put under with adrenaline. Avoid it as much as you can. There are other options.

The Epi-Pen is wonderful. When suffering from an asthma attack, you can give yourself an Epi-Pen (Epinepherine) shot and will make your breathing easier until you can get medical attention. Nevertheless, remember it contains adrenaline.  It releases adrenaline but in a smaller quantity than the shot you may get in a hospital or your doctor's office.  The Epi-Pen is a lifesaver.  This drug will also save your life if you have major allergic reactions to eggs, milk, bee stings and other allergens.

After visiting my third or fourth doctor about my asthma, and after receiving the adrenaline shots more than once a day for a long period of time, I visited my general physician and told him about the shots I was receiving. He was outraged. His solution, besides telling me to change my diet, clean my environment, and do very mild exercises, was to switch me to a drug called Kenalog.

Kenalog did not make my heart beat so fast that I could feel it in my ears, and did not make me shake uncontrollably. I did not have any visible reaction to it except that 45 minutes to an hour after the shot you go to sleep and you wake up feeling like you were hit by an 18 wheeler. You need to be aware that Kenalog is a steroid, and of course, as any other steroid, it will have side effects. Nonetheless, it helps you breath without too much effort on the part of your organs, the heart in particular.

Kenalog is a triamcinolone and the brand can be Aristocort, Aristopak or Kenalog-10. The serious reactions it can have are difficulty breathing, the closing of your throat, the swelling of your face, tongue or lips, and you can have hives. It can increase your blood pressure, give you headaches and blurred vision.  It will also  make you gain weight, an incredible amount of weight. The weight gain aside, if you suffer from any of the above reactions, seek immediate medical attention and ensure that your physician knows about it, so he/she can take the appropriate action.

There are other side effects that come with Kenalog. Some of these are nausea, vomiting, stomach problems, increased hunger or thirst, fatigue or dizziness, problems with diabetes control if you are a diabetic, muscle weakness and joint pain.  You will bruise easily and if you get a cut it will take longer to heal. Let your physician know immediately if you suffer from one or more of these side effects.  With the consumption of any steroid, your chances to develop Diabetes type 2 increase tremendously.

Even though you take good care of your skin, as a result of the Kenalog you may start having acne, increased hair growth (if it was only on your head it will be fine, but you may start thinking of shaving that wonderful mustache or side burns that have suddenly appeared), changes of behavior, and thinning of the skin. Your face will become round. You will develop cataracts, osteoporosis and glaucoma. Your family should know the side effects of any drug you are taking as much as you do because they will notice the behavior change and may not understand the reason for the changes and therefore may not be able to help you.  

As usual, consult your physician on regular basis and inform yourself as much as you can. Your life depends on how much you know about the drugs you are taking and on the drugs you are given. Kenalog will interact with other drugs and it is of the utmost importance that you know the interaction of Kenalog with any other drug.  Also let your physician know the names of all the drugs you take.

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