A 70 years old man was administered penicillin i.v. Within 5 minutes, he developed generalized urticaria, swelling of lips, hypotension and bronchospasm. The first choice is to administer:: (A) Chlorpheniramine inj, (B) Epinephrine inj., (C) High dose hydrocortisone tablet, (D) Nebulized salbutamol
Answer is B. Ans. (B) Epinephrine inj (Ref: KDT 8th/e p149)Epinephrine (adrenaline) is the drug of choice for anaphylactic shock. It is given by s.c. or i.m. route in a concentration of 1:1000. Intravenous route is rarely used but at much lower (1:10,000) concentration.