gale

A lot of people are misinformed or confused about how they work. With the rise of food allergies and the existence of other allergies (bee sting, medication) it's likely that you'll encounter someone who carries one and you never know when they'll need to use one. Avoiding their allergen and never using them is the best thing.

1. They are very expensive and have to be replaced often. Our last twin pack cost about $300 and our insurance doesn't cover that. There are coupons sometimes but it only helps a little. We buy 2 twin packs per year. They usually expire in a year so they have to be replaced at that time. They also have to be kept in a controlled temperature (not too hot, not too cold). Last year my husband took my daughter fishing on a day that was about 75. Since the epi needs to be kept between 67 and 86, he didn't worry about it. She has a small thermometer she keeps with it. He left it in the truck with the windows open and the thermometer showed it got over 90 degrees. It's never easy to monitor the temp constantly in the summer or winter, especially doing outdoor activities. If it gets too hot or too cold, it has to be replaced.

2. They are only a band-aid. If a person uses an epi pen, they have about 15 minutes before the reaction starts again. It's never as simple as using one and that's the end of it. They have to get to an emergency room within 15 minutes or use a 2nd pen. This is why they're sold in twin packs. A lot of people don't live or have activities within 20-30 minutes of a hospital equipped to handle anaphylaxis.

3. Of course this means an emergency room visit charge. If you have a deductible or your insurance only covers 60, 70, 80 percent of costs, this could get expensive. Once would be bad. Over and over could bankrupt you.

4. Epi pens don't always work. There was a recent news story of a girl that bit into a food that contained her allergen. She knew immediately and spit it out. Her parents, at least one a doctor, gave her benadryl and monitored her closely and she had no symptoms. At first. 20 minutes later she started going downhill. Her father administered THREE doses of epi (not all at once but one after another after the first didn't stem the reaction). She died anyway. Turns out that she was having symptoms during that 20 minutes, only they weren't visible on the outside. Most people's action plan involves giving epi pens at certain signs of a reaction. This did not help this child. Many have changed their action plans.

I read arguments all the time about how people with allergies should just suck it up and not worry about nuts (obviously not eating them but not worrying about cross contamination or allergy-bullying or shared tables in schools, or eating in classrooms, etc) because they can just carry an epi pen (that would need to be replaced with every use ($$$)). It's not that simple.

eta: did you know that a lot of people use walnut shells in their pincushions? This could be very dangerous for a person allergic to walnuts. And expensive.

Tartan

I saw a report of a woman with children that were allergic to most everything. She had to travel by plane with one of the children and was terrified that she would have to use the epi but not be able to get to a hospital on route. Really terrifying! She was going to try the new therapy where they build up immunity with tiny amounts of the most severe triggers.

Prism99

Thanks for posting. I feel fortunate that no one in our family has severe allergies, but this is good information to have.

cathyvv

Thank you for all this good information.

nativetexan

yep, serious allergies are called serious for a very good reason. Life threatening situations can happen. It's not something to laugh about. I get so irritated and anyone who would think it funny. Schools are slowly beginning to take this problem seriously and it's about time.

hopetoquilt

please don't blame the schools. It's some people who don't take it seriously. Schools work hard to protect kids. Some people are just apathetic or stupid about food allergens.

EllieGirl

I carry an epi pen and thank God I've had to use it just once. Fortunately all my allergies are environmental not food, but I too get irritated with people who say suck it up. Asthma and severe allergies such as nuts are considered a disability by federal law. Would a person tell someone in a wheel chair, or a blind person to suck it up? It's because our allergies can't be seen unless they are triggered that people don't think they are real.

I am shocked that your insurance doesn't cover it. Mine is covered by 80%.

gale

I'm in several support groups and a lot of people's insurance doesn't cover prescriptions. Or like ours, they go toward our $11,000 deductible. We are self employed farmers so we have to buy our own policy. As a result we don't get the choices that groups get and end up paying more for less coverage (and as you can see, higher deductibles).

nativetexan

I didn't blame the schools. I said they were beginning to take this seriously, which is a good thing.

NJ Quilter

Most of the schools in our area will not allow any known allergens in the schools at all. I'm fortunate that all of my allergies are all bug/insect related. I've been prescribed an epipen but have been advised to only use it if I have difficulty breathing. I've been very lucky that all of my reactions have been very localized swelling so far.

But yes, if you have allergies that require an epipen, you need to go to the ER upon use of the epi.