Severe Allergic Reaction To Cyclizine

After reading all these posts about Cyclizine, I feel I should add my own traumatic experience from 7 years ago:

(I now know that I am severely allergic to Cyclizine).

Back in the ward after breast cancer surgery with two visitors at my bedside, I suddenly began to feel nauseous.  Unable to move my head at the time, I asked a number of times if I could have a 'sick bowl' handy as I felt I was going to be sick.  No-one seemed to hear my plea, even though there were lots of medical staff and visitors around in this busy ward.  I felt I was speaking loudly but my request still went unanswered.  I summoned up the strength to really shout out Please, I need a sick bowl - I think I'm going to be sick.  Next thing I saw the nurse half way down the bed putting a needle into the back of my right hand.  I asked her what it was for and she replied "Just something to stop you feeling sick".  Within seconds of that a strong wave of something went through my head and through every part of me.  I started to feel as though my whole body was like jelly and (just as one other poster has described) felt as though I was drowning, couldn't breathe and literally felt as though the life was rapidly draining out of me.

Although I couldn't move my head (or any part of my body), I could see just in front of me and was aware that the woman in the bed opposite me was sitting up and staring at me, as was her visitor.  I wanted to shout out Stop Staring at Me, What are you looking at .... but the words wouldn't come out.  

There was a rush of panic all around my bed, with doctors having been called and nurses running around but at this stage I couldn't see what was going on - only hear.   I heard to my left what I recognised to be the Sister's voice (from having spoken with her earlier) - shouting angrily "Who turned this off?"  She was obviously referring to whatever machine I had been attached to there - which had apparently turned itself off!

Then I remember another nurse's voice which I recognized very clearly as an American nurse that I had been chatting and joking with earlier.  Although I couldn't see her, I knew it was her because I recognized her loud Texan drawl.  She was also the nurse who I had seen (with my tunnel vision) put the needle into my hand.  I do believe now that it was her voice that saved my life.  Her voice was all I could hear at this stage.  She was obviously very close right in front of my face and I remember she kept repeating abruptly and loud:  "Don't close your eyes - KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!"  My eyes felt so very very heavy and they kept closing.  I so badly wanted to keep them closed - but then her loud voice would bark out the order again "OPEN YOUR EYES!"  and with all the strength I could muster I forced them to open each time.  It was very hard to do, like I needed a bulldozer to get them to open ...  but I managed to do so, only because I could tell from the urgency in her voice that I HAD TO keep those eyes open.

I was also aware that I had been given an oxygen mask and at this stage must have been coming around.  The "jelly" feeling had gone and I remember feeling my nose was itchy under the mask.  I wanted to scratch it but couldn't move my hands.  I'm not sure how long all this was going on, but when the panic was all over I remember the Sister then telling me that I should add 'CYCLIZINE' to my list of allergies.  (I am also allergic to Penicillin (as well as some other antibiotics), and this is something I already knew).

I'm not sure that CYCLIZINE should be banned altogether, as it is obviously something that is helpful to others (in the same way as Penicillin is to others), but I do think it should come under the same category as Penicillin and perhaps some sort of pre-test should be done before administering the drug.