Why Epipen cases should not be carry inside a bag

Can you find the Epipen in just seconds? How fast can someone find your Epipens? 

Can you find the #Epipen in less than 5 seconds?  How fast can a stranger find them for you if you left them inside your bag or backpack?

Always carry life saving medications inside a carrier that you can wear and strap on to your body.
It is important for it to have  prominently display the Universal Emergency  Medical Alert Symbol to ensure those around you and emergency personnel can quickly noticed that you have emergency medications and can help if you are having an #anaphylaxis reaction. 

When at Home...

Get those epi's out of the kitchen cabinets, bathroom drawers, medicine cabinets, and bags. Place them inside a clear bowl or nice shallow basket in a high traffic area and visible to everyone: on a table or shelf by the home entrance, on a hook next to the front door, or next to where home and car keys are always placed.

School, Office, Going for a walk...

If you got a prescription from a doctor for epineprhine auto injectors it means you need to carry them.  Go and fill the prescription if you haven't done it yet, and most importantly, "Don't step out of you home without your epinephrine".

Where to carry the Epipen's  
Nothing makes it easier to self carry your epi's than having the injectors inside a carrier that you can just grab and strap on ~ wear it like a piece of clothing. Cargo pants are great, but not all have pockets that are big enough and if they do, there will be instances when you want to wear other clothing, and this is another reason why is necessary to plan ahead and find an epinephrine medicine carrier of every occasion of your life.

To find appropriate pouches and cases search the web by using key words like:  Epipen carriers, auviq holders, epipen holsters, epineprhine pouches ,epipen waist slings.   Make sure to get one that prominently displays the universal medical alert symbol so that others can easily find where you keep your epi's in case of an emergency. 

Omaxcare.com concealed medicine carriers
Manufacturers of undergarment carriers especially designed to comfortably carry and conceal up to two epipen or auviq.

You can find these athletic straps and concealed wear holders at 

www.OmaxCare products 

www.Allergyneeds.com

and at #Amazon webstore 

Insulated Fire Retardant and Waterproof

WaistPal no plastic buckles fully lined inside
Comfort Plus design that allows free movement

WaistPal with AuviQ inside. Images showing
front pocket. Second pocket is on the back.

LegBuddy by Omaxcare

How safe are schools if you have peanut allergy.

Peanut Free Schools: 

The concept of peanut free schools didn't exist twenty years ago and so far it doesn't seem like the concept is the way to go. Everyday more and more children are suffering from multiple anaphylaxis allergies.  Teachers don't have the bandwith to watch what every child eats or doesn't eat. Is up to the parents to start teaching the allergic child what they can and cannot eat before the start attending school. 

If you are a parent trying to teach teachers about food allergens it continues to be quite a challenge to say the least, it is still an impossible task. No matter how many years go by, it seems that the only "proven" effective solution is to focus your efforts in teaching your child to live with food allergies instead of trying to change the world. 

Comments from  Moms of children that now are in teens share their story:

"At the age of two, I started taking my daughter to the supermarket almost daily to help her visually learn what she could and could not eat. By age four, she was reading labels and could tell if it was safe to eat the food. "Better safe than sorry" continues to be our mantra. Not eating and staying hungry until you get back home is better than eating something you aren't sure is one hundred percent safe. 

Give and Extra Set of Epipen to School and Caretakers:
Everyone feels that  forcing a child to carry Epipen is like making them carry  an illegal weapon , because most parents continue to focus on educating the schools instead of the child.   Today, thanks to the efforts of some amazing parents, all but five states in the US have passed the "self carry epinephrine legislation". Unfortunately, the majority of food allergic kids are still not carrying their Epipen's on them. 


What experienced moms say about peanut free schools
I am not a fan of peanut-free schools because it can paradoxically lead to a false sense of security, could affect how soon a kid learns how to manage their food allergies in the real world, and it will not help the millions of kids allergic to other foods. “If you walk into a school and start asking teachers if they know what an Epipen is and how to use it, most will answer yes. If you don't say a word and simply show them an Epipen the majority will ask; What is that?

How safe is the school you choose?
Unfortunately, most first aid training given to school personnel do not include when nor how to administer an epinephrine injection. More efforts are needed to teach kids and school personnel about managing food allergies like adequate monitoring of meals and snacks, reading labels, clean up after food is served, creating a not sharing food policy, hand washing, and ensuring children self carry their epipens and school personnel learns how and when they need to administer the injection. 

Do you know how to use an Epipen?  If you haven't practice with an expired auto injector how to use it, believe me, you really don't know how to use it.  
Practice by injecting an expired epi in an orange or an old piece of meat.  Also teach the allergic child, his/her siblings and friends. 

The person with the allergy needs to self carry a set of epineprhine injectors 24.7
Don't let your food allergic child or loved ones step outside your home unless they have the Epipen's; not with them, but ON them. Make it clear and remind everyone that carrying the epipen is a rule that can't be broken, just like going out of the house naked is unacceptable. To ensure 100% compliance get an epicarrier. It needs to be discreet, cool looking, and comfortable. 

For kids and teens, especially boys the most practical solution is an undergarment leg holster or waistband that can be discreetly concealed under their clothes. There are few options out there. I recommend the LegBuddy and WaistPal because I had to create them for my husband and son and they have been using them since 2006. This is not s sales pitch but as a closed friend always tells me, "You need to promote and keep blogging about the OmaxCare Epipen holders... by not doing so you could be denying others from finding a life saving solution". 

Where to find allergy alert clothing accesories that are also epipen carriers suitable for school students: www.allergyneeds.com  www.epicarriers.com   wwwomaxcare.com
Discreet undergarment waist sling to carry epipens that are most suitable for students.

Allergy epipen new small auto injectors available in the US

LegBuddy epineprhine case holder

UPDATE:All of the epineprhine auto injectors talking devises were recalled in november 2015 due to faulty mechanism. The company that makes them, Sonifi, hasn't given any updates of when or if they will become available. No other company is making smaller devises at this time. 

The information below was originally published when the new small epinephrine auto injector devises news came out. 

Sanofi announced in February 2013 that Auvi-Q™ (epinephrine injection, USP) is available in U.S. retail pharmacies nationwide with a prescription from a healthcare provider.


Auvi-Q is the first-and-only epinephrine auto-injector with audio and visual cues for the emergency treatment of life-threatening allergic reactions in people who are at risk for or have a history of anaphylaxis. The size and shape of a credit card and the thickness of a smart phone, Auvi-Q is a breakthrough in epinephrine auto-injector device design that talks patients and caregivers step-by-step through the injection process.



Up to six million Americans may be at risk for anaphylaxis, although the precise incidence is unknown and likely under-reported. While guidelines emphasize the importance of the life-saving role of epinephrine, two large surveys show that two-thirds of patients and caregivers do not carry their epinephrine auto-injectors as recommended, and nearly half worry that others will not know how to use their or their child's epinephrine auto-injector correctly during an emergency.


Multiple studies have found an association between delay in epinephrine administration and death from anaphylaxis. Life-threatening allergic reactions may occur as a result of exposure to allergens including foods such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, soy and wheat; insect stings; latex and medication, among other allergens and causes.


About Auvi-Q

Auvi-Q provides users with audible and visual cues, including a five-second injection countdown and an alert light to signal when the injection is complete. Auvi-Q also features an automatic retractable needle mechanism to help prevent accidental needle sticks.

LegBuddy by Omaxcare.com






Auvi-Q epinephrine auto injectors carriers that are stylish and discreet.