How to use Epipen, Jext Pens and Emerade

No one wants to be in the situation where they need to use an adrenaline auto-injector but it's a good idea to know exactly how to use one if the situation were to unfortunately arise. Currently, in the UK, 3 different types of adrenaline auto-injectors are available, these are Epipen, Emerade and Jext pens. Each pen is different so I will be discussing how each of the pens are used as well as my experiences with both epipen and emerade pens as I have used both of these after suffering anaphylactic reactions. I hope this blog proves to be useful in helping people newly diagnosed, help the general public become more aware and more educated and also help provide experience and reassurance to people who are at risk of anaphylaxis but have never suffered a reaction before.

Epipen

Epipen is available in 2 different medication strengths, 0.15mg (the green pen for children weighing between 7.5kg-25kg) and 0.3mg (the yellow pen for children and adults weighing more than 25kg). Both pens are supplied in a sturdy outer case which protects the pen. The 2 different pens work in the exact same way which makes moving from the lower dose to the higher dose stress-free. The orange end is a shield which covers the needle and the blue cap when not removed means the needle end is not active. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use an Epipen:

1. Remove the Epipen from it's carry case
2. Hold the Epipen in your dominant hand in a fist, the orange end (needle end) facing down to the ground and the blue cap end facing up to the sky (a way to remember this is "orange to the thigh, blue to the sky")
3. Remove the blue safety cap using your other hand, keep all fingers away from the orange end as the removal of this cap means that the needle is now active 
4. Move your hand with the epipen approximately 10cm away from your thigh
5. Swing your hand and jab the pen against your thigh at approximately a 90 degree angle and keep it there for 3 seconds 
6. Remove the Epipen from your thigh (the orange shield over the needle end extends fully to cover the needle so there will be no exposed needle) 
7. Dial 999 and seek medical attention stating you've suffered an anaphylactic reaction and have used your Epipen 

From my personal experiences with administering Epipen I found it easy to use. The one thing a lot of people ask about it is "does it hurt?" and I personally found on administering it it didn't hurt much, afterwards I'd have a sore leg for a few days but it wasn't extremely painful, I'd describe the initial pain similar to getting stung by a bee/wasp. 

It can be really helpful before you end up in the situation of having to use your Epipen to order a trainer epipen (you can get one via this link: https://www.epipenshop.co.uk/), sometimes the person who looks after your allergy and who issued the prescription for an Epipen is able to supply you with a trainer pen so it's worthwhile asking if they have any, if you can't get a trainer pen another good way of learning how to properly administer an epipen is by watching a video which shows the correct way to administer it (an example of a video such as this can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isyth9yqlKI). 

For more information on Epipens please visit: http://www.epipen.co.uk/

Jext

Jext pens are available in 2 different medication strengths, 150mcg (the yellow pen for children 15kg-30kg) and 300mcg (the red pen for children and adults over 30kg). The 2 pens work in identical ways which makes switching from the lower to the higher dosage as stress-free as possible. The black end is a shield which covers the needle and is inactive until the yellow cap is removed. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use a Jext pen:

1. Take the Jext pen out of the container it's in
2. Hold your Jext pen in your dominant hand and keep the black end (needle end) facing downwards to the ground and the yellow cap end facing upwards to the sky
3. Remove the yellow cap, keep all fingers away from the black end as the removal of this cap means the needle end is now active 
4. Place the tip of the black end against your thigh at approximately a 90 degree angle 
5. Push hard against the thigh, you will hear a clicking noise when the needle has activated, keep the Jext pen in this position for 10 seconds 
6. Remove the Jext pen from your thigh and massage your thigh for 10 seconds (the black shield extends down the needle-length to fully cover it once activated)
7. Dial 999 and seek medical attention stating you've suffered an anaphylactic reaction and have used your Jext pen

I personally have never used Jext pens so cannot comment on how I find using them or how painful they are however I imagine it'll be similar to the pain of an Epipen which, as I'd mentioned above, isn't too painful, it just left me with a painful leg for a few days.

It can be really helpful before you end up in the situation of having to use your Jext pen to order a trainer Jext pen (you can get one via this link: http://www.jext.co.uk/), sometimes the person who looks after your allergy and who issued the prescription for an Jext pen is able to supply you with a trainer pen so it's worthwhile asking if they have any, if you can't get a trainer pen another good way of learning how to properly administer an Jext pen is by watching a video which shows the correct way to administer it (an example of a video such as this can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJNrIBksvWk).

To find out more about Jext pens please check out http://www.jext.co.uk/.

Emerade

Emerade pens are available in 3 different medication strengths, 150mcg (the pen with yellow writing for children 15kg-30kg), 300mcg (the pen with the green writing for children and adults over 30kg but under 60kg) and 500mcg (the pen with the green writing for adults over 60kg) (please note that these are just recommended dosages, the individual prescriber may decide that the 500mcg dose is more suitable for you in spite of you being under 60kg). The end of the Emerade pen you remove is also the end where the needle is unlike both the Epipen and Jext pen where you remove the opposite end to the needle end. The needle end of the Emerade is clearly marked as such on the pen itself. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use an Emerade pen: 

1. Remove the Emerade pen from it's outer casing 
2. Remove the cap from the needle end, keep all fingers clear of this end once the cap is removed
3. Place the now activated needle end against the thigh at a 90 degree angle 
4. Press down against the thigh and hold for 5 seconds
5. Remove the Emerade pen from the thigh and massage for 10 seconds 
6. Phone 999 and seek medical attention stating you've had an anaphylactic reaction and have used your Emerade 

I personally am prescribed the 500mcg version of Emerade due to being over 60kg in weight. I have found the Emerade pens are very easy to use, they tend to have a longer shelf-life than both Epipens and Jext pens. In terms of how painful they are to administer the Emerade pens have a longer needle than other adrenaline auto-injectors and also the 500mcg dose is a higher dose of adrenaline so I have found that Emerades are slightly more painful to use than Epipens, they don't hurt too much to administer initially but I found afterwards I had quite a stiff leg and also my leg was more painful for a few days afterwards. 

It can be really helpful before you end up in the situation of having to use your Emerade pen to order a trainer Emerade pen (you can get one via this link: http://www.emerade.com/order/), sometimes the person who looks after your allergy and who issued the prescription for an Emerade is able to supply you with a trainer pen so it's worthwhile asking if they have any, if you can't get a trainer pen another good way of learning how to properly administer an Emerade is by watching a video which shows the correct way to administer it (an example of a video such as this can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7PUsftg9ls). 

For more information on Emerade please visit: http://www.emerade.com/