Availability of Adrenaline Auto Injectors

If you have any questions about children with allergies to certain foods then please ask them here.

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debbiedebbie
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Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 10:15 pm
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by debbiedebbie on Mon Feb 09, 2015 10:24 pm

Availability of Adrenaline Auto Injectors

i would very much appreciate your thoughts on why, as a parent of an allergic child (nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds), I have a fight on my hands every time i request a repeat prescription for my son's Epi-pens. i hear time and time again from other parents in the same situation, when the NICE guidelines state that 2 should be carried at all times (therefore my 5 year old requires 2 for home and 2 for school). There is enough stress in dealing with the allergy on a day-to-day basis without having to fight for life-saving medication that doesnt actually cost very much (circa £25 per pen).

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Dr Adam Fox
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Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:04 am
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by Dr Adam Fox on Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:34 am

Re: Availability of Adrenaline Auto Injectors

Hi
the NICE guideline on anaphylaxis does not state 2 pens should be carried - it doesn't specify numbers. If it did there would be less debate! There is some MHRA guidance suggesting this but it has not been widely disseminated. Whilst many specialist (including myself) advocate for 2 pens, other suggest one and in those areas where only one is provided, audits suggest that if a second is provided, there is almost invariably a paramedic on the scene by then to give it. Of course, it inevitably comes down to the competing healthcare demands with a finite pot of money to pay for it. Epipens are now prescribed to hundreds of thousands of people and fortunately the overwhelming majority are never needed but likewise a large proportion are also not carried and hence not available when they are needed. This is incredibly wasteful. We need to be able to more effectively identify those at high risk and focus efforts there but this is very difficult as food allergic reactions are by their nature incredibly unpredictable.
Dr Adam Fox
MA(Hons), MD, MSc, MB, BS, DCH, FRCPCH, FHEA, Dip Allergy

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