epi pens expiration?

[tngirl11]

Hi!
My son has a peanut allergy, so we carry epi pens everywhere. They expire after one year, but I was wondering if anyone has any idea how long they really stay good. I get a prescription every year and get new ones (two for my purse, two in the house, and two that I send with him in a backpack whenever he goes somewhere without me. I was just wondering if I could use the older ones for "backup" at my mom's house and my mother in law's house. Every once in awhile things get crazy and he ends up going off with out the backpack. It's just not financially possible for us to buy enough of them to keep at everyone's houses. So do you think the older ones would still work in an emergency, or should I just throw them out?

[34me]

We throw them out. We have been told that they do in face become less effective.

[SpottedFoxx]

You need to check them for crystals and/or discoloration. If either of those are present, then they are bad. I'd ask the doctor or pharmacist their opinion. Since your son carries them in his backpack, I'd really just make sure his backpack is with him at all times.

Which reminds me... I think I need to get a new one myself.

[4Blessings]

A few ideas


When you refill your Rx ask for the longest possible expiration they have. I've gotten epipens with 15 months (I think 18 mo is the longest possible)

Dey offers a $5 off coupon on their website epipen.com.

Use your expired epi-pens as "trainers". Once a year when the family is all together for the holiday we use oranges on a cutting board to remind everyone how to use the epi pen (and when to use it). It is a great way to feel how much pressure you really need to use. This won't save you any $ but it makes me feel like we are really getting everything out of that money spent!

There is a list here of auto injector carriers. Not sure how old your child is but at some point it may make sense for them "wear" their epi pens everywhere they go.

You can also take a look at this study...


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10808186

CONCLUSIONS: For prehospital treatment of anaphylaxis, we recommend the use of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr autoinjectors that are not outdated. If, however, the only autoinjector available is an outdated one, it could be used as long as no discoloration or precipitates are apparent because the potential benefit of using it is greater than the potential risk of a suboptimal epinephrine dose or of no epinephrine treatment at all.

[changingseasons]

Yes- I use our older ones for backup past the 1-year rule, but only until the expiration on the pen itself.