CVS says only one epipen every 30 days??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. But to the posters who are asking why you need more than one Epipen, your ignorance is showing. A child with a history of anaphylaxis should have an Epipen available at 1) school; 2) home; 3) aftercare; 4) home of any other regular caretaker (e.g., grandparent). Every summer, we stock up on new Epipens as part of back to school prep. And we sometimes need to get new ones for summer camp too, depending on expiration dates. The hope is that they will never have to be used. But they need to be available just in case.

Our DC also requires two at all times so take your list and mulitply by two. Our insurance is two every 30 days. We have only used one in eight years. But you get 2 in month one for home. Two in month two for school. two in month three for aftercare. Two in month four for dad. Two in month five for mom. Now you are set but they will start expiring although there are longer runns now. I sent 6 with DC to college -- room, backpack, and purse. Had to stockpile those over the summer to send to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. But to the posters who are asking why you need more than one Epipen, your ignorance is showing. A child with a history of anaphylaxis should have an Epipen available at 1) school; 2) home; 3) aftercare; 4) home of any other regular caretaker (e.g., grandparent). Every summer, we stock up on new Epipens as part of back to school prep. And we sometimes need to get new ones for summer camp too, depending on expiration dates. The hope is that they will never have to be used. But they need to be available just in case.

Our DC also requires two at all times so take your list and mulitply by two. Our insurance is two every 30 days. We have only used one in eight years. But you get 2 in month one for home. Two in month two for school. two in month three for aftercare. Two in month four for dad. Two in month five for mom. Now you are set but they will start expiring although there are longer runns now. I sent 6 with DC to college -- room, backpack, and purse. Had to stockpile those over the summer to send to college.

Were any used? My child used one his junior year of high school which was 3 years ago. He has two at college and hasn't used on there at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Épi pens don’t really expire (according to a pharmacist friend) so keep the old ones until you can get enough new ones to replace them.

Not true. Just got one from CVS and it says it expires December 2024.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Épi pens don’t really expire (according to a pharmacist friend) so keep the old ones until you can get enough new ones to replace them.

Not true. Just got one from CVS and it says it expires December 2024.

PP in school health and as another PP said, schools will not accept (store) an expired Epi Pen and on the odd chance (and it’s happened) that an expired Epi is administered by a trained nurse or health aide/tech, this act is considered a “med error” with mandatory follow-up documentation and even disciplinary actions from your supervisor.

Would I administer an expired epi to my own DC? Yes if that’s the only option I have. Not doing it in school setting, at least purposefully.

I gave my DC expired Benadryl after delivering epinephrine. Rescue squad berated me for dosing her with expired Benadryl only because they contended it was ineffective.

Pro tips: NEVER rely upon Benadryl during suspected anaphylaxis, ever. NEVER transport anyone who’s been given an epi pen. Always call 911.

[Anonymous]

As an FYI, Epi-pens CAN come in a single pack. It would unusual to have a prescriber write as such but single pens do exist.

As others have said, my child used to need at least 3 twin-packs- one for school, one for aftercare, and one for home usage. We have federal BCBS and I’ve never had a problem with getting all dispensed at the same time but I think you have to work with your doctor to get them to write the script to give 3 twin packs at once.

Sometimes, pharmacies will misinterpret my insurance and then it’s a fight. If you’re not wedded to CVS, I’d try another chain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Épi pens don’t really expire (according to a pharmacist friend) so keep the old ones until you can get enough new ones to replace them.

Not true. Just got one from CVS and it says it expires December 2024.

PP in school health and as another PP said, schools will not accept (store) an expired Epi Pen and on the odd chance (and it’s happened) that an expired Epi is administered by a trained nurse or health aide/tech, this act is considered a “med error” with mandatory follow-up documentation and even disciplinary actions from your supervisor.

Would I administer an expired epi to my own DC? Yes if that’s the only option I have. Not doing it in school setting, at least purposefully.

I gave my DC expired Benadryl after delivering epinephrine. Rescue squad berated me for dosing her with expired Benadryl only because they contended it was ineffective.

Pro tips: NEVER rely upon Benadryl during suspected anaphylaxis, ever. NEVER transport anyone who’s been given an epi pen. Always call 911.

“Unexpired” auto-injectors are preferable. But there are studies documenting that they neither become deadly poison or turn into spring water with the tick of a calendar. One of the reasons we got DC authorized to sell-carry was our concern that in the unlikely event the “school pens” passed “expiration” before we could replace them, a “responsible” adult would be more concerned about their own backside than about a kid in anaphylaxis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Épi pens don’t really expire (according to a pharmacist friend) so keep the old ones until you can get enough new ones to replace them.

Not true. Just got one from CVS and it says it expires December 2024.

PP in school health and as another PP said, schools will not accept (store) an expired Epi Pen and on the odd chance (and it’s happened) that an expired Epi is administered by a trained nurse or health aide/tech, this act is considered a “med error” with mandatory follow-up documentation and even disciplinary actions from your supervisor.

Would I administer an expired epi to my own DC? Yes if that’s the only option I have. Not doing it in school setting, at least purposefully.

I gave my DC expired Benadryl after delivering epinephrine. Rescue squad berated me for dosing her with expired Benadryl only because they contended it was ineffective.

Pro tips: NEVER rely upon Benadryl during suspected anaphylaxis, ever. NEVER transport anyone who’s been given an epi pen. Always call 911.

Rescue squad needs to stick to their job, which doesn’t include berating parents or passing out misinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems outlandish that you need more than one a month. What is going on ?

I bet it is related to the expiration date. My DS had two that expired at around the same time, the one at school and the one at his after school care program. Neither will allow an expired pen to remain "on file" and both said he couldn't be in attendance without current pens on file.

I sent the one from our home to school and paid OOP for the after school care new pen. I kept the expired ones at home because our doctor said they are still good for 1 year after their expiration.

Heck, there are times when I've needed to have 4 or 5 pens at the same time to give to various camps/sports/etc.