The Epipen auto injectors are quite large and no one knows how difficult it is carry them until you have to do so.
Hopefully the new epinephrine AuviQ smaller injector devices will make it easier for men to self carry their epinephrine auto injectors.
NO MORE EXCUSES
The most common excuse people with anaphylaxis a allergies always give is that the Epipen tubes are too large and bulky and that putting them inside pants pockets creates a funny buldge and/or that it a is impossible to keep them inside their pockets unless they are wearing regular fit cargo pants.
In November 2012 the USA FDA approved the highly anticipated super cool AuviQ device. See video in link below. About a year later all of them were recalled due to malfunctions of the auto injectors mechanism.
This year the Auvi-Q’s are coming back and hopefully this time it all goes well.
During a US Teen Summit for kids 11+ years of age with anaphylaxis food allergies, there was a lot of talk about the new device. Here is a summary of the teens comments after just watching the youtube promo video
1. Everyone was happy to hear/see that finally someone noticed that the current Epipen tubes are quite bulky to carry. The large size of the tubes was blamed as the main reason why teens ( especially males) are having more fatal reactions. Boys/men are simply less likely to carry their Epipens. “it’s not because we are stupid” …a 17 year old said. Is that they don’t fit in your pants pockets, and if they do, it creates a “bulge” that makes you look like a weirdo.
2. The newest auto injector devise was named AuviQ in the US and Allerject in Canada. Although it’s much smaller, men are still complaining saying that it is still bulky to carry two of them eventhough its just a little thicker than an I phone.
In order to be safe you should always carry two epinephrine devices.Doctors recommend that in order to be safe you need to have access to more than one because: many times the first epinephrine injection is not properly administered, or injectors are activated before they are injected and most importantly because the effect of one injection wears out after 20 minutes.
Surprisingly most young male athletic teens feel that the new small square talking epinephrine device might not be able to withstand the “banging” “hitting” and the overall daily “beating” the current large Epipen tubes have proven to sustain.
Regardless of the size of the injector , don’t let food allergies stop you, carry the epinephrine auto injectors ON you at all times.
Best epinephrine cases and pouches that help you Be Ready to Stop Anaphylaxis 24/7
Food Allergies Hub 