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When it might be a severe allergic reaction
For people in the United States who have a serious allergy to a food, a sting, a medicine or latex; for the mother, father, husband, wife, friend, teacher or coworker beside them; and for anyone who may one day be standing next to a person whose throat is closing. A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis): the signs, and what to do. Helping someone else. After the epinephrine. What anaphylaxis is. Carrying epinephrine, and a written plan. Food and labels. Stings, medicines and latex. Babies, children and school. Paying for epinephrine. Work. Finding help. And the words to say when you call or write. No quiz and no score. One thing at a time.
Right now
- A severe allergic reaction (trouble breathing, a tight throat, a swollen tongue or lips, hives all over, feeling faint, after a food, a sting or a medicine): if the person has epinephrine, use it now, and call 911. MedlinePlus says: if someone is having a serious allergic reaction, call 911. If an auto-injector is available, give the person the injection right away.
- Do not wait to see. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology says: don’t take an antihistamine or wait to see if symptoms get better.
- Go to the emergency room even if it gets better. Food Allergy Research & Education says to go for further treatment, even if symptoms appear to resolve with the epinephrine.
- Thinking about ending your life, or about hurting yourself? Call or text 988, at any hour.
More help
- Asthma too? When it’s hard to breathe. Chest pain or pressure? When it might be a heart attack.
- A drooping face, a weak arm, strange speech? When it might be a stroke. A seizure? When someone has a seizure.
- Pills, drink or drugs involved? If someone may have overdosed.
- Afraid all the time? When the worry won’t switch off and When panic hits.
- Can’t afford care? When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- Looking after someone? When you’re caring for someone and Help at school for your child.
- Seeing a doctor soon? Get ready for your appointment.
- Changes at work? Ask for what helps you work.
- All our free tools and Get help now.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). The facts come from pages read on October 2, 2026: MedlinePlus, from the U.S. National Library of Medicine (Anaphylaxis; Food Allergy; Allergies; and Insect Bites and Stings: the summaries); the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Food Allergies; Food Allergies: What You Need to Know; and Have Food Allergies? Read the Label); the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Food Allergies in Schools; and one sentence of Possible Side Effects from Vaccines); the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Food Allergy; Causes and Prevention of Food Allergy; Characterizing Food Allergy & Addressing Related Disorders; and the index page of its guidelines); Food Allergy Research & Education (Recognizing and Treating Reaction Symptoms; Anaphylaxis; its Emergency Care Plan page; Know Your Rights; and its contact page); the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (Anaphylaxis); the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (Anaphylaxis); the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (Severe Allergic Reaction: Anaphylaxis; Anaphylaxis Action Plan; Drug Assistance Programs; and its contact page) and its division Kids with Food Allergies (Helping Students Manage Food Allergies at School); the American Academy of Pediatrics (Anaphylaxis in Infants & Children, on HealthyChildren.org); and the Job Accommodation Network (Allergies; Food Allergy; and its contact page). The description of Crisis Text Line is from its own front page, read the same day. Food Allergy Research & Education, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the two allergy societies, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Crisis Text Line are private organisations describing themselves; we have no connection with any of them. We did not call or text any line, contact any provider, program or group, or search any directory. We did not read any clinical guideline, any drug or device label, any device’s instructions, any first aid manual, any law or regulation, any state’s school or epinephrine rules, what any insurance plan pays for, or the research behind any statement; where the page touches one of these, it says so. We did not use the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia’s page on anaphylaxis: it is licensed from a private company whose notice forbids copying or reworking it. Where two sources word the same thing differently, the page reports both. The page has no questionnaire and gives no score, on purpose: a list is not an assessment. It names epinephrine, because every source does, and names no brand of it, no other medicine and no dose. It quotes no named person, and gives no figures for how common allergies are; the sources have them, with their context. Lines marked “Ours” are our own suggestions. English only for now. This page saves nothing: no account, no cookies, nothing you tick is stored or sent, and no analytics (privacy). Scarlet Beast is not a clinic or a government agency, and takes no money from anyone named here. Found a mistake? Email [email protected].