Epinephrine FAQs
What do people ask us about epinephrine?
Epinephrine is another name for adrenaline – a hormone that is made in the body naturally.
Epinephrine is the main medication that STOPS a severe allergic reaction in its tracks. While adrenaline is made in the body, for those with allergy, they may not produce enough to stop anaphylaxis from becoming deadly. Epinephrine, especially epinephrine auto-injectors, is used to help boost the body’s natural response.
Because epinephrine is something that the body naturally produces, it is extremely safe in the doses that auto-injectors come in. If you are ever guessing if someone needs epinephrine, use it!
Epinephrine works VERY quickly. You should see a difference in the person experiencing anaphylaxis within minutes.
Auto-injectors come in two packs because, in about 10% of cases, another dose may be needed. If you don’t notice a difference in someone within 5-10 minutes, you can use another dose as you wait for emergency services.
There are a variety of different brands and types of auto-injectors that you may need to use. You may be most familiar with EpiPen but there are more!
Basics:
- All auto-injectors have a cap, case, or safety to ensure that it is only used when needed and will need to be removed when anaphylaxis happens.
- Ensure that the person is lying down and you inject the device into their thigh
- Hold the device for 2 – 10 seconds
Epinephrine comes in 3 doses of auto-injectors.
- 0.3 mg – “adult dose” – For those over 66 pounds which is much younger than an adult
- 0.15 mg – “child dose” – For those from 33 – 66 pounds. While this is for children, many are over 66 pounds.
- 0.1 mg – “baby dose” – For those 17 – 33 pounds. Only offered by one brand – Auvi-Q.
If you have a higher dose available than what the person may need, there is data to support using it.
Stock epinephrine is epinephrine that is “prescribed” to an entity – like a school or childcare center. This means that the entity and it’s staff can use the life-saving medication on anyone that the trained staff recognize as having a severe allergic reaction.
No! Epinephrine is something that is already made in the body.
If there is an accidental usage or you aren’t sure if someone is having a severe allergic reaction, know that epinephrine is safe! There are side effects – like pain at the injection site and an elevated heart rate – but they do not cause lasting impact on the body.
