Prevention

The best way to prevent anaphylaxis is to stay away from substances that cause this severe reaction. Also:

• Wear a medical alert necklace or bracelet to indicate you have an allergy to specific drugs or other substances.
• Keep an emergency kit with prescribed medications available at all times. Your provider can advise you on the contents. If you have an epinephrine autoinjector, check the expiration date and be sure to refill the prescription before it expires.
• Be sure to alert all your providers to medication reactions you've had.
• If you're allergic to stinging insects, use caution around them. Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants; don't walk barefoot on grass; don't wear bright colors; don't wear perfumes, colognes or scented lotions; and don't drink from open soda cans outdoors. Stay calm when near a stinging insect. Move away slowly and don't slap at the insect.

• If you have food allergies, carefully read the labels of all the foods you buy and eat. Manufacturing processes can change, so it's important to periodically recheck the labels of foods you commonly eat.

  When eating out, ask how each dish is prepared, and find out what ingredients it contains. Even small amounts of food you're allergic to can cause a serious reaction.

Be prepared

Even if you're careful, at some point you'll likely be exposed to what you're allergic to. Fortunately, you can respond quickly and effectively to an allergy emergency by knowing the signs and symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction and having a plan to quickly treat those symptoms.