if it turns out im allergic to my rose hair tarantula will an epi pen do?

[insane247]

or do i need to go to the hospital?

 

[KoriTamashii]

If you're not sure whether or not you're allergic... DO NOT HANDLE your tarantula.

Then you'll likely not have to find out.

 

[Musicwolf]

You're not allergic to your T. The urticating hairs may make you itch, but you'll recover fine. If you get bitten by a G. rosea, you shouldn't need to go to the hospital, just take some over the counter pain pills and apologize to your T for threatening it the way you did.

 

[curiousme]

Click here

You can follow the links in there to a lengthy thread on the subject of humans ability to be allergic to Ts. It isn't likely/ arguably never that you will need the epi, but read the thread to understand it a bit better.

 

[Musicwolf]

Click here

You can follow the links in there to a lengthy thread on the subject of humans ability to be allergic to Ts. It isn't likely/ arguably never that you will need the epi, but read the thread to understand it a bit better.

+1 Thanks curiousme - - I was looking for that thread to post the link.

 

[Dangergirl]

Yes indeed the OP needs to be clear about what he fears he/she will be allergic to ... The urticating hairs OR the potential bite.

 

[robd]

I've never heard of anyone who is allergic to bees that keeps T's, but I've heard it's not a good combination, regardless of whether you have a rosie or a pokie, as far as the bite is concerned. I think I'd honestly rather get bit (by a NW T) than to get tagged bad by hairs. Just the thought of it makes my skin itch. Looking at my A geniculata makes my skin itch.

There definitely are some people who are more affected by hairs than others. I'm one for sure but it's not a surprise to me as I'm allergic to other things such as ragweed, mold, cat and dog dander, dust, certain grasses, etc etc

When I think epi-pen though, I think problems breathing and that definitely doesn't coincide with urticating hairs.

 

[curiousme]

I've never heard of anyone who is allergic to bees that keeps T's, but I've heard it's not a good combination, regardless of whether you have a rosie or a pokie, as far as the bite is concerned......

It is a question that pops up every now and again, but how did you hear it wasn't a good combination, if you haven't read threads by T keepers asking that question? :?

.....When I think epi-pen though, I think problems breathing and that definitely doesn't coincide with urticating hairs.

The OP did not say hairs, or bite in his one line question.

 

[robd]

It is a question that pops up every now and again, but how did you hear it wasn't a good combination, if you haven't read threads by T keepers asking that question? :?

The OP did not say hairs, or bite in his one line question.

Oh, no. I just heard people talking about it, not really anything concrete. I myself would not be surprised if being allergic to bees made one pretty likely to be allergic to T venom but I don't really know anything about that I was just speculating.

And I noticed they didn't specify either. Eh, whatever

 

[bobusboy]

When I think epi-pen though, I think problems breathing and that definitely doesn't coincide with urticating hairs.

Hairs or the bite it doesn't matter; what you're worried about is Anaphylaxis.

Specifically anaphylactic shock; This is where you can't breath (bronchoconstriction) and your blood presure goes through the floor.

Epipens administer epinephrine, which is a vaso-constrictor (think I spelt that wrong) amongst other things and this is how it works to combat the main effect of a severe allergic reaction.

It doesnt matter what the cause of the reaction is, the basic treatment is the same. If you have a reaction strong enough to warrant an epipen you must go to the hospital as the effects of the epipen only last 15-30 minutes per hit and only certain formulas of epipens allow for consecutive shots.

This means that when the epi wears off, you maystill suffer from the allergic reaction. Take the used pen with you (as the needle retracts when you stop pressing it against your body) when you go to the hospital.

Do not use an epipen intravenously this could kill you, always shoot into a large muscle group ie thigh or bicep (preferably thigh)

 

[curiousme]

Oh, no. I just heard people talking about it, not really anything concrete. I myself would not be surprised if being allergic to bees made one pretty likely to be allergic to T venom but I don't really know anything about that I was just speculating.

And I noticed they didn't specify either. Eh, whatever

From everything that I have read, the protein makeup of tarantula venom and a bee sting are very different and not really equatable, or comparable. That thread that I linked to goes into great detail, if you care to read it.

 

[Wachusaynoob]

You would think if you were allergic to a T you would be allergic to ALL spiders. I mean, arent they made out of the same "material" or what have you?

 

[Dangergirl]

I've never heard of anyone who is allergic to bees that keeps T's, but I've heard it's not a good combination, regardless of whether you have a rosie or a pokie, as far as the bite is concerned..

Erm ... I am allergic to bees and keep 25 T's :?:wall:

 

[Stan Schultz]

or do i need to go to the hospital?

Perhaps 75% to 90% of tarantula enthusiasts are allergic to the urticating bristles of Chilean rose tarantulas (Grammostola rosea. There is no such thing as a "rose hair" tarantula. See http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/roses.html).

The allergic reaction, usually a red, itchy rash, is treated with either or both of steroid cremes, and antihistamines either orally or topically. If the reaction is severe (there is skin/tissue degradation or bleeding) or lasts more than 36 to 48 hours, go to a doctor for help. An epipen would be waaaaay overkill!

If you are talking about an allergic reaction to the venom in case of a bite... If you go into anaphylaxis, you should have someone get hold of Mr. Ripley! (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripley's_Believe_It_or_Not!.) Allergic reactions to spider bites are so rare as to be almost unheard of. You'd make medical history.

And, there have been a number of reports of enthusiasts who were allergic to bee stings who were bitten by their pet tarantula of whatever species, and no reports of any important consequences that I remember.

Relax. You're overreacting. Enjoy your little 8-legged buddy!

 

[jebbewocky]

I was actually going to point out the same thing--the reaction to the bristles is an allergic reaction, lol.

Also, Stan--I'd love to buy an e-book form the TKG for my Nook.
I currently have the 3rd Edition, but I don't have a problem buying a second copy. I don't know how much of a problem it is to release it in that format though. Anyway, cheers.

---

Easiest way to avoid this: don't handle it. The one time I intentionally handled my G.rosea, I broke out in hives every time his feet touched my arm--he wasn't even kicking. No handling for me after that, except for my B.vagans that always seems excited to get out of his vial.

 

[Stan Schultz]

... Also, Stan--I'd love to buy an e-book form the TKG for my Nook.
I currently have the 3rd Edition, but I don't have a problem buying a second copy. I don't know how much of a problem it is to release it in that format though. ...

You are not the first person to ask that question. Unfortunately, I have little to do with it. Barron's is the publisher and they would be the ones to issue such a version of the book.

Publishing companies have historically been very reluctant to adopt new technologies unless forced to. Thus, authors still must supply a printed, paper copy of a manuscript even if the work is also supplied on disk in seven different formats. (We submitted TKG3 in MS Word, Corel WordPerfect - my preference, PDF, and raw text formats.)

This is probably due to the fact that publishers operate on a rather small profit margin, hoping or planning to make up for it with a huge volume of sales. Hence, Michael Crichton, Steven King, Iris Johansen, and John Grisham books are winners. Stan & Marguerite Schultz are marginal. And, there are a whole bunch of losers!

And, the publishers don't like taking chances with marginal titles.

One major problem is that in this day and age, just about anyone with a computer can copy a CD and even a lot of DVDs. Thus, the probability of knockoffs is high. By comparison, trying to photocopy even a reasonable portion of the printed book becomes economically infeasible.

Still, if enough of you let Barron's know that you want an e-book in whatever format, who knows? They may eventually listen to you!

[N.B. Our contract with Barron's contains a clause at our insistence that addresses the issue of publishing the book in some sort of electronic format. So, the groundwork is present.]

 

[cacoseraph]

i'm allergic to just about everything under the sun, but i am utterly immune to poison ok... and can tank mygalomorph bites from not hot species like a champ. it's pretty dumb to assume because you are allergic to one thing you will be to another... unless there is established precedence for it



also, if you are not going into anaphylaxis or anaphylactoid shock but you ARE suffering neurological effects from the venom you could make things worse, possibly much worse, if you use an epi-pen. hell, just sticking it in the wrong part of you when nothing else is wrong with you can give you brain bubbles.

i've written a decent amount that i researched and sometimes even link to factual stuff about epi-pens. short answer is that if you are asking on a forum about an epi-pen you almost certainly not in need of one

 

[cacoseraph]

I was actually going to point out the same thing--the reaction to the bristles is an allergic reaction, lol.

Also, Stan--I'd love to buy an e-book form the TKG for my Nook.
I currently have the 3rd Edition, but I don't have a problem buying a second copy. I don't know how much of a problem it is to release it in that format though. Anyway, cheers.

---

Easiest way to avoid this: don't handle it. The one time I intentionally handled my G.rosea, I broke out in hives every time his feet touched my arm--he wasn't even kicking. No handling for me after that, except for my B.vagans that always seems excited to get out of his vial.

are you sure you weren't just getting a bit of reaction from the claws? when i do a day of bug events my hands and arms are covered in almost microscopic lacerations from the toe claws of the tarantulas. those claws are sharp! and i get the same type of deal when i handle OW for more than a second or two

 

[Stan Schultz]

are you sure you weren't just getting a bit of reaction from the claws? when i do a day of bug events my hands and arms are covered in almost microscopic lacerations from the toe claws of the tarantulas. those claws are sharp! and i get the same type of deal when i handle OW for more than a second or two

Wow! You know, I never thought of that. Well, I've learned my fact for the day!

I guess my skin is too thick or I'm too insensitive because I've never suffered little marks or cuts from tarantula claws.

On the other hand, I've reacted to having one of the giant centipedes crawling over my arms and neck. It was Scolopendra heros castaneiceps from west Texas (click the thumbnail for a larger version):



(Uploaded with ImageShack.us)

You could tell exactly where the critter had run by the tracks of little red, itchy marks on my skin. They disappeared within 24 hours.

See as well http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=40941.

 

[jebbewocky]

are you sure you weren't just getting a bit of reaction from the claws? when i do a day of bug events my hands and arms are covered in almost microscopic lacerations from the toe claws of the tarantulas. those claws are sharp! and i get the same type of deal when i handle OW for more than a second or two

It was years ago, so, I'm not sure, could very well be the claws.

Stan: Good points. I'll see if I can find a way to let them now. Good of you to include a framework for that already.