As the mom of a child with severe, life-threatening food allergies I’ll admit to using the EpiPen, then switching to the Twinject, and then switching back to the EpiPen again.
For our food allergy newbies, both the EpiPen and Twinject are portable epinephrine dispensers. From a mother’s point of view, the main difference is that the Twinject has two doses in each portable device verses EpiPen’s one dose. Now, I won’t argue the pros and cons for each…but there are for both. Each parent needs to speak with their child’s allergist to find the appropriate medication for their child.
With that being said, I’m really loving EpiPen’s new iPhone/iTouch/iPad app. (To read about it on their website visit http://www.epipen.com/about-the-myepipenapp. The app is FREE and can be downloaded to any of the three wireless devices I just mentioned. The app offers 4 main things:
1. Video instructions for operating an EpiPen injector
2. Slide show to visually walk a caregiver through operating an EpiPen injector
3. Allergy profiles what to avoid and how allergic symptoms may manifest themselves
4. Allergy profile and User Guide sharing via email
Each of these features is wonderful in and of their own right, but numbers one and two are nearest and dearest to my heart because they can make help so accessible in emergency situations.
Parents of children with food allergy are used to toting an epinephrine injector around with them everywhere they go. Yes, there are often directions for administering the epinephrine on the injector casing and yes, the prescription comes with directions…but let’s just say for the sake of argument…you have trouble viewing the tiny directions on the injector in a crisis and that you don’t have a hard copy of the directions with you. What then? You might consider making this app your backup.
Everyone handles crises differently, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a visual aide when it’s crunch time and you need to focus? Better yet, wouldn’t it be great to share with a caregiver who knows how to use the injector but might appreciate the extra visual aid?
Take a few minutes to visit the above mentioned site and speak with your allergist. Decide what is right for you and your family.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Allergy, epinephrine, Epinephrine autoinjector, epipen, food allergies, food allergy, the food allergy mom, thefoodallergymom 
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