Misdiagnosis

• Not wearing medic alert increases the chances of having your medical condition misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis can cause the administration of the wrong medication or result in a delay of treatment. There are several medical conditions, such as diabetes, epilepsy or heart disease that may present with the same symptoms during an emergency. For example, if you are unconscious due to a diabetic coma, an injection of insulin may be a quick solution; however, if you are wrongfully diagnosed, the lack of receiving this injection would have detrimental consequences.
  
  

Drug Interactions

• In some emergency situations it may be necessary to administer medications. If you are taking prescription drugs or over the counter medicines, there is increased risk of drug interactions, which can have serious health effects. According to Emergency Medicine, drug interactions are adverse effects that can occur when two drugs are used together. Adverse drug interactions can affect how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized and eliminated in the body. As such, medications administered in an emergency may produce an unintended effect or be less effective.
  
  

Special Requests

• The goal of first responders in an emergency situation is to save lives. However, if you have a special request, such as no resuscitation or blood transfusion, this may be ignored if you are not wearing medic alert. In addition, if you are an organ donor, it is important that organs are properly preserved so they can be used. If this is not clear during an emergency, there is an increased risk that the organs may not be viable.
  
  

Allergies

• During an allergic reaction you may not be able to speak or an allergic reaction can produce a variety of symptoms that may mimic other medical conditions. This situation can result in death or further injury if a first responder does not administer the appropriate drugs. According to MedicAlert, if anaphylaxis is mistaken for asthma or cardiac arrest, then adrenaline may not be administered. In addition, exposure to drugs, such as penicillin, materials like latex gloves, or certain foods can induce or amplify an allergic reaction if this information is not present during an emergency.