EpiPen

Similar rules in Australia

Unfortunately, used incorrectly, it’s extremely dangerous. It’s adrenaline, which is an inotrope, chromotrope, and vasopressor. It will raise your heart rate and blood pressure… useful things in anaphylaxis but can rapidly cause (catastrophic) things like a hemorrhagic stroke in someone who doesn’t require it.

-hence, to reduce this risk it makes sense to only prescribe the Epipens to those who actually have a documented allergy that could require it. The overall public health risk is probably worse for letting random people everywhere have Epipens, vs the chance of an undiagnosed allergy causing a fatality from anaphylaxis. Many allergies develop over time and become worse, and riskier, after the first exposure.

If you are leading others outdoors, I would simply make pains to check for anaphylactic allergies in their medical history and make sure they carry an Epipen before you go, including encouraging them getting a second one to take. Make sure you know where they both are in their pack.

Very good info.

Thank you.

I would simply make it a point to identify the need to carry critical medications on your trips. Force a signed waiver upon the parents/guardians of you need to.

Rescue inhalers, migraine medication, epi-pens, prescriptions, would all fall into that description.

Very good points.

Thanks

On a related note, has anyone sized up the new epinephrine nasal spray (neffy) on the market or the sublingual film (Anaphylm) under development? I haven’t seriously looked into either, but it’s on my to-do list. Of particular interest for backpacking, both have promising published studies related to stability above and below room temperature (neffy study, Anaphylm study). Both studies do appear to have been conducted by the companies manufacturing the drugs.

I was diagnosed with a severe bee venom allergy a few years ago, and now always carry an epipen.  Two, in fact, because I hike in the backcountry.  The pharmacist originally resisted the second one until I explained how and where I hike.

But since then I have undergone desensitivity treatments, and they seemed to have worked.  My allergist still suggests I carry an epipen, and when hiking in a group, I always announce this to everyone.

But please make sure you know how to use whichever epipen you have.  They are different, and there are numerous examples of people injecting themselves in the hand instead of the patient in need of the epipen…they held it wrong way around.

I also carry both sudafed and Zytek. My doc instructed me take both of those immediately if I am stung.  The Sudafed can kick in about tweny minutes after ingestion, and the Zyrtek is longer acting.  Both will at least help, and may avoid the need for the epipen.

This stuff is no joke. If you think you may be in a situation where an epipen is medically indicated, learn about them well in advance.  This is one area where FAFO definitely doesn’t work.