When you or a loved one have an anaphylactic allergy you’ll want to make sure you have access to a life-saving adrenaline autoinjector at all times. But before you start stashing them in every corner, it’s important to make sure you know how to correctly store an Epipen so that it has the best chance of saving a life.
EpiPen Auto-Injector (epinephrine)
Cool
Your
Epipen should be kept at room temperature between 59-77 F (15-25C) That means you must not leave it in your car or store it in the fridge. Too hot and the active ingredients, notably epinephrine, can disintegrate and become less effective. Too cold and the mechanics can have issues activating. There is some wiggle-room, and if your Epipen is stored outside of this for short periods of time it should be fine, but please be conscious of keeping it out of extreme temperatures.
Child-safe
Epipen is not a toy and so it is important that you keep it out of reach of young children. If they are too young to understand what an Epipen is and how to use it, they should not be able to access it. Consider keeping one high up, such as in your bathroom cabinet. However, under no circumstance should you keep your adrenaline autoinjector locked away. You may need to access it in seconds and there won’t be time to fiddle with a key or code.
Dark
Like extreme heat, direct sunlight can also damage the active ingredients in your epipen. Make sure you always keep it somewhere dark, such as inside a cupboard (unlocked!) or in an insulated bag.
Accessible
In case of emergency, you must have quick, easy access to your Epipen. This means you will ideally have one on you when you leave the house, but it can also be more realistic to have multiple autoinjectors at places you frequent, such as home, work and school. If you have an expired Epipen, you can leave this at another place you frequent (such as a gym or relatives) as a back-up. It will be less effective, but always better than no Epipen at all. It is also recommended that a simple action plan is stored with the Epipen, so that anyone can access and activate it if needed.
Travel
When you have an anaphylactic allergy you have enough to think about when you travel without worrying about where to store your Epipen. You can take your Epipen in your carry-on luggage, and this is recommended over checked baggage where pressure and temperatures are less regulated. Make sure if you’re on a tour that you take your Epipen with you when you get on and off your bus/train. If you’re worried about it getting too cool, keep it near your body such as in the inside pocket of a jacket. If you’re worried about it getting hot, keep it in an insulated bag such as a Frio insulated medicine wallet which uses water to activate a cooling agent https://allergyapparel.com/insulated-wallet/ If you have been diagnosed with anaphylaxis it is vital that you have one or more Epipens available to you at all times. Keep one with you when you leave the house and make sure it’s always stored safely and accessibly.
EpiPen Auto-Injector (epinephrine)
