EpiPens emerge as life-saving kid accessory

'A leap of faith'
The cute and lighthearted carriers may entice kids, but they belie the seriousness of the device within. Carrying the EpiPen, say parents of severely allergic children, is like a soldier in war carrying a gun. It is the first line of defense to a condition that could take a child’s life in an instant.

While fear of using the EpiPen is common, “once [parents] see how quickly the epinephrine starts to work, they aren’t afraid to use it again," says Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, based in Fairfax, Va. 

Kelly Vogel’s children Katrina, 8, and son Brett, 7, were both diagnosed with allergies by age 2. Since then, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., family has kept their house a peanut-free zone. But on New Year’s Day in 2006, the kids asked if they could have a cookie left-over from the previous night’s party with close family friends.

Katrina took one bite, tasted the peanut butter, and immediately spit it out. “But Brett, who had never had peanut butter and didn’t know what it tasted like, swallowed his bite,” Vogel said. In the next 10 minutes as her son exhibited tell-tale signs— hives, a scratchy throat, and a throbbing tongue — she mustered her courage and injected the EpiPen. It’s the only time she’s ever had to do it.

“I got in the zone,” she said. “I was scared but I knew I just had to do it.” 

One benefit from the Vogel family’s experience: it spooked both kids into an extreme vigilance about their allergies. “When they go on play dates, my kids ask about everything. If they don’t know the ingredients, they won’t eat,” Vogel said. “It really is a leap of faith. But you get used to it. This is our life. I have to trust them.”

It also sometimes means trusting another adult with your child’s life. Dropping a severely allergic child off for a sleepover also means dropping off an EpiPen, often to an adult who has never seen one before.

Gabrielle Peterson, mother of 4-year-old Bella, who is allergic to peanuts, teaches sitters, friends and family members how to use the EpiPen by injecting the accompanying trainer pen into an orange.

Peterson said it's not hard to use the EpiPen. There are teaching videos on the Internet. And each pen comes with explicit directions on its packaging.

Life insurance
What is hard, Peterson says, is getting people to understand that an allergic reaction is an emergency situation. She said at first it was a challenge to train Bella's grandparents on how to use the EpiPen because peanut allergies weren't prevalent when they were raising kids.

"Once they realized the severity of it, they were supportive of learning how to use it," she said.

Since the EpiPen expires every 12 months, it can be a costly endeavor for families.  Even with insurance, one EpiPen often runs between $60 and $100.

Some families have never had to use the EpiPen. So when they think about cutting expenses, they think of the money they spend on unused EpiPens. But Munoz-Furlong warns that families with allergic children can't get complacent.

“They consider not renewing their prescriptions,” Munoz-Furlong said. “But you just don’t want to take chances. Consider the EpiPen is your life insurance.”

More on Childhood allergies | EpiPens

Kavita Varma-White is a freelance writer based in Bellevue, Wa.

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