Originally Posted by
Morpheus
Yeah, a real tragedy. I can understand the mother's anger but can also see things from the pharmacists stand point.
Adrenaline (which is what is in an epipen) is an extremely potent and dangerous medication. It's life-saving in an anaphylatic shock (life threathening allergic reaction), but equally can be used to kill someone with underlying heart disease or severe high blood pressure.
Pharmacists have very strict rules governing them and can have their licence revoked if found to flount these regulations.
From the article and from what I've heard on the news, it sounds like the mother rushed into the pharmacy without her daughter and asked for the epipen. The pharmacist might have taken a different stance if the girl had been right in front of him/he and gasping for breath. And even if they hadn't given her the epipen they may have called an ambulance. Ambulance paramedics are licenced to administer adrenaline on site (as far as I know).
It is a terrible tragedy and my condolences go out to the family. But if you have life threathening food allergies you need to be very careful eating out. Especially when it was clearly listed on the restaurants menu that the sauce contained nuts!! Also anyone with a prescibed epipen should take with them whenever they are out espcially when eating out.
I do think there should be some change in legislation to allow pharmacisit to adminster an epipen in a life threathening situation (without a prescrition). But until then I can't fault the pharmacist for not giving it out, even though this has been an avoidable tragedy.
Anyway there is an official garda investigation into the case now. Also there is bound to be a coroners report and recommendations.
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