Would you share your asthma inhaler?





Allergy & Asthma Network shared a story on their Facebook page about a student who was disciplined for sharing their inhaler with another student

What would you do?

If your student has an inhaler at school, and they see another friend having an asthma attack and struggling to breathe,  should they share their inhaler? 

I know that legally, prescriptions are NOT allowed to be shared.

But - would this be considered a "medical emergency"? 

Should they let someone use their inhaler?

The student who did so was suspended and sent to an "alternative school." 

I know the panic of having an asthma attack and not being able to get my inhaler.  
 
What about sharing an Epi Pen?
 
I really don't see the difference between sharing an inhaler and sharing an epi pen. Have you ever been on a flight where they asked if anyone had an Epi Pen? 
 
What would you do if someone needed your Epi autoinjector?
 
What are your thoughts on sharing asthma inhalers and Epi autoinjectors?

 


Comments

  1. I feel the student did the right thing not the legal way. I have an epi pen and if someone could not breathe because of an allergic reaction. You bet I would use it. I would not even think twice for legal reasons.

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    1. I agree with you! I have watched my son struggling to breathe in the hospital and almost "crashing". It happened so fast it even scared the doctors!

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  2. I discussed this with a friend who has severe asthma. She is allergic to tree nuts and soy and has an allergic reaction to albuterol inhalers. She is canadian, so I am wondering if their inhalers are different. She says she reacts to the suspension that contains vegtable oil. She carries an ultrasonic nebulizer with her everywhere because she reacts to a regular inhaler. She said she wouldn't do that because the other person might react to the inhaler. I disagree, she is a very rare case and most people would not react and asthma attacks can get much worse very quickly. An epi pen would be even trickier. People on beta blockers and MAOI anti depressants could have a fatal reaction to epinephrine and there is no telling if they are on those drugs. All the reason to wear a medical alert bracelet

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    Replies
    1. Agreed! I should blog about that again. I haven't talked about medic alert bracelets for a while...

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