This article could be used by parents and allergy sufferers alike, but it’s written to inform a parent wondering when to use an Epipen on their child. This is a practical perspective and not medical guidance.
We’re parents of a son with multiple food allergies. Our son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and sesame. While we do our best to protect him without making him feel anxious about trying new foods, we’ve unfortunately had to deliver an Epipen Jr. on two occasions. We’d like to share our thoughts and recommendations so that other parents can feel more confident in using one themselves. We’ve broken this up into a set of questions that we would ask ourselves:
How many Epipens should I carry?
We always carry a minimum of two Epipen Juniors. Reason being, you may want to deliver a second dose within 15–20 minutes if the first didn’t resolve side-effects of the reaction.
Where should I keep the Epipens?
Everywhere your son or daughter will be, including home, school, and grandma and grandpas house. We always make sure to carry two, and never leave them in a car because heat can make them unstable; they might not work!
How long should we wait before giving the Epipen?
There are tons of articles and guides around when to give an Epipen. Most of them are focused on watching for specific symptoms, including trouble breathing. In our opinion, that’s too late for our comfort. In fact, Epipen’s website says “use it immediately at the first signs and symptoms of a severe allergic reaction” and there’s been unfortunate evidence to show why waiting just a few minutes too long can be fatal. Most parents have a solid internal compass, and that compass goes haywire when they see their son or daughter in distress. We recommend using the Epipen if your child is having even the slightest trouble breathing, has vomited once, or you KNOW there was a potential for an allergen ingestion. For example, if your son is allergic to dairy and he gets super tired after you give him a pastry from an independent bakery that may have mislabeled their products.
Does it hurt?
Yes, and it’s scary for both sides (giver and receiver). But it’s super quick and it saves lives. Of course we’d rather intercept the pain if we could, no parent wants their child to feel pain. In fact, if a doctor told me there was a new Epipen that parents inject into their OWN thigh to keep their kids safe from food allergies, I would inject it every single day.
It’s important to follow the instructions on your Epipen Junior, because I only realized afterward that I was off from the ideal injection site by a couple inches. Those couple inches for me were the difference between injecting into the frontal of the thigh and the outer (side) thigh, which I found out later can get more sore than the side thigh.
Should we go to the hospital?
You always want to go to the hospital after an Epipen injection. Doctors will need to monitor to make sure there’s no severe reaction, or a secondary reaction.
After-incident care and monitoring
If you’re crazy like us, you’ll watch your son or daughter sleep for the first hour (at least) after their trip to the ER. But we learned that a secondary reaction can occur up to 72 hours later, although unlikely. The first 24 hours are fairly critical though, and you’ll want to watch for recurrence or anything abnormal.