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.
