# Epipen and scorpionvenom



## ChupaChup (Oct 19, 2004)

I've bought a pet owners manual over scorpions written by Manny Rubio.

The following lines are from his book :

An allergist can prescribe a specially designed kit ( EpiPen) to counteract the early stages of anaphylactic schock.An EpiPen is a small , personal , easy to carry, auto injecting apparatus for administring 0.3 mg of epinephrine. Epinephrine is a drug that induces the body to secrete adrenaline wich combats extreme allergic reactions. It is highly effective against ant , bee ,wasp,ans scorpion stings.  (page 23 , Scorpions,a pet owner's manual)

So I looked on the web for info on this EpiPen and anaphylactic schock and this is what I found on EpiPen.com 

Defenition : Anaphylaxis, or anaphylactic shock, is an allergic reaction that can be fatal within minutes, either through swelling that shuts off airways or through a dramatic drop in blood pressure.

Anaphylactic symptoms are :

Itching and hives 
Swelling of the throat or tongue 
Difficulty breathing 
Dizziness 
Severe headache 
Stomach cramps 
Diarrhea 
Nausea 
A sharp drop in blood pressure 
Loss of consciousness 

Wel who has information of this Epipen regarding to scorpions ? Because if a scorpion can indeed cause a anaphylactic shock , it would mean it could be lethal within minutes.   

And wich scorpions are capable to get you in to anaphylactic shock ? :? 

And in the Nederlands , I saw that the only way to get one is trough a docter , you can't just buy one, I also didn't find any links to scorpionstings on dutch EpiPen sites. So is there information available that could be shown to a docter , so he would subscribe one ?

greez Ronald


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## JeffG (Oct 19, 2004)

Any scorpion can cause you to have an allergic reaction. Alot of the time its a result of repeated exposure which causes a hypersensitivity. You can also just be very unlucky and go into a crazy anaphylactic reaction right off the bat with a first time exposure.


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## Tityus (Oct 19, 2004)

Leiurus quinquestriatus give on the most people a anaphylactic shock his second name is Death Stalker and I think that name say enough about the danger of this scorpion.


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## Steven (Oct 19, 2004)

Androctonus said:
			
		

> Leiurus quinquestriatus give on the most people a anaphylactic shock his second name is Death Stalker and I think that name say enough about the danger of this scorpion.


i never understood the common name of L.quinquestriatus  :? 
cause "stalker" means "he who follows",or something like that.. if i'm not mistaken.

so shouldn"t "death-stabber" wouldn't be a more apropriate common name ?


just something i've been thinking about for quite some time


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## azztigma (Oct 19, 2004)

Steven said:
			
		

> i never understood the common name of L.quinquestriatus  :?
> cause "stalker" means "he who follows",or something like that.. if i'm not mistaken.
> 
> so shouldn"t "death-stabber" wouldn't be a more apropriate common name ?
> ...


Ya so basically its kinda like "he who follows death" and LQ can cause death so it kinda makes sense...but death-stabber is a weird one lol, he stabs death? lol   

I dunno but not all common names make sense anyway lol

or maybe it means "he who follows death" as in he follows death and he's always around when there is death, but he's actually the one causing it...so...lol I dunno


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## Steven (Oct 19, 2004)

> or maybe it means "he who follows death" as in he follows death and he's always around when there is death, but he's actually the one causing it...so...lol I dunno


yep,... that's what made me confused all the time  :?  :? 

i don't like common names  ,.. 
but they are amusing sometimes


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## errit (Oct 20, 2004)

Can't we just give him a simple name like: the bad ass scorpion?


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## Pokie1 (Oct 20, 2004)

*Epipen*

I live with severe allergies and have had some experience with the treatment of  anaphylaxis.  It might seem odd, but you will need to have an allergic reaction before you get the epinepherine.  Of course, anytime one is exposed to an allergen, no matter if it is an arachnid venom, hymenoptera venom or a peanut, there is risk of anaphylaxis.  Unless you know you are allergic to the venom, you won't have the Epipen available anyway.  And most people I've talked to don't know they have a severe allergy until they find out the hard way.  In either case, once the symptoms are recognised, like "tightness" in the chest, dizziness, nasea, cramps, low BP etc.,you need to seek emergency care immediately.  

Whenever I know I am going to be around known allergens/in contact with venomous critters (especially in the field) I take a prophylactic dose of stimulant, antihistamine and albuteral about an hour before contact.  Since I know I will likely have an allergic reaction if stung, bitten etc, it seems wise.  The epinepherine is amazing at opening my airway, but it is really not a lot of fun-like running a race while sitting still. So I try to avoid it at all costs. You also should think about the fact that some venoms can take you down even if you aren't allergic and plan accordingly.  This is just what I do; and I am not an MD, so you should talk to your Dr. too. 

I hope this helps.

Pokie1


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