I think different people will have different opinions on this.

Benadryl will not treat anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially deadly allergic reaction. The only effective, appropriate treatment for anaphylaxis is a shot of epinephrine.

Does your son have food allergies? If he does, I'm not sure you should rely on Benadryl to treat his reactions. Instead, you should make sure he avoids the food(s) he is allergic to at all times. If he has a very localized reaction -- only his mouth is itchy or there are hives around his mouth or lips ONLY, then an anti-histamine might be enough.

But in the case of anaphylaxis, it may not be worth taking the chance, epinephrine (followed by a trip to the emergency room) might be better safe than sorry.

If your son is not at risk for anaphylaxis, I can't imagine that school officials would give it to him anyway. But, if they did because they were afraid he was having an anaphylactic reaction, he wouldn't suffer harmful affects. According to Dr. Robert Wood, professor of pediatrics at John Hopkins School of Medicine, and a recognized food allergy expert, it's a myth that treatment with epinephrine could is dangerous. So, if your child has an allergic reaction, but not anaphylaxis, and they get a shot of epinephrine, the worst thing that could happen is a rapid heartbeat that lasts for a very short time. Caution should be taken, however, in elderly people or people with known cardiac diseases.

What exactly is your school district proposing? What did you doctor say? Would the school district take your doctor's recommendations into account?

Joy B.