Definition
Emergency medications for self-treatment are drugs that are administered in a medical emergency by patients themselves, their relatives, or other instructed persons. They allow rapid and adequate drug therapy of severe to life-threatening conditions without the need for a health care professional to be present. As a rule, the patient should seek medical treatment after administration. It is important that the persons administering the medication know exactly how to use it and may have already practiced (e.g. ready-to-use syringes). The expiration date of the medication should be checked regularly. Adequate storage is also important. Many of the medicines mentioned require a prescription. Some are also available without a doctor’s prescription.
Examples
- Epinephrine premedications are injected when a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) is expected after exposure to an allergen, for example, insect venom allergy.
- Glucagon raises blood glucose levels and is injected to treat acute hypoglycemia. Also approved is a glucagon nasal spray. Hypoglycemia can occur in diabetics treated with insulins. Glucose is also used for the same purpose.
- Nitroglycerin capsules and sprays are given to treat attacks of angina. Nitroglycerin dilates the blood vessels.
- An allergy emergency kit usually consists of two tablets of an antihistamine and two tablets of a glucocorticoid. The four tablets are taken when a severe allergic reaction is expected (adults).
- Naloxone is available in as an auto-injector and naloxone nasal spray for the treatment of opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist, which cancels the effects of opioids.
- Simeticon is an antidote and defoaming agent that can be administered to children who have swallowed soaps (e.g., laundry detergent, liquid soap).
- Activated charcoal is a universal oral antidote. It binds toxins in the digestive tract to itself and leads them through the stool for excretion.
- Salbutamol dilates the bronchi and is inhaled during an acute asthma attack.
- Methoxyflurane (Penthrox) is an anesthetic that is inhaled by patients themselves under professional guidance. In Australia and New Zealand, the drug has been used for decades.
- Potassium iodide tablets are used after a serious nuclear power plant accident with leakage of radioactive substances. They prevent radioactive iodine from accumulating in the thyroid gland and causing thyroid cancer and other thyroid diseases.
- The ComboPen pre-filled syringe is an auto-injector used for self-treatment by soldiers in the event of a C-weapons attack and signs of poisoning.
- Diazepam is used in the form of an enema for febrile convulsions and other convulsive conditions (e.g., epilepsy). A midazolam nasal spray is also available for the treatment of convulsions.
- Glucocorticoids such as betamethasone are administered to treat pseudocroup in children.
- Antimalarials are carried by people traveling to high-risk areas. They provide acute treatment for malaria. Some travelers also take antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin on the trip, mainly for the treatment of diarrhea.
