North Texas pediatricians say they're dealing with a dramatic rise in parents asking about making do-it-yourself "EpiPens" as a way of saving money.
The cost of EpiPens has skyrocketed in recent months, and many families who bought several packs at the start of the school year are now realizing how big of a financial burden it's become.
"It’s important they have EpiPens both at school and at home, so it can cost a couple thousand dollars to make sure they have all the EpiPens that they need, so it’s become a real problem for my patients," said pediatrician Cynthia Webb." It's become a real problem for a lot of my patients."
Doctors say a lot of families have been coming in in recent weeks and asking them to create a do-it-yourself EpiPens for them, which pediatricians generally won't do for liability reasons.
There's no hard data in North Texas about the increase in parents asking doctors to make a "do-it-your-self" EpiPens for their kids -- or tips on how to do at home — but many pediatricians say they're fielding requests daily.
The cost of the EpiPens skyrocketed from about $90 a few years ago to more than $600 this summer.
A generic version is rolling out and Mylan, the manufacturer behind EpiPen, is offering new coupons, but it's become a steep burden for many families who have to buy several EpiPen packs for their kids — for home, school or a relative’s house.
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Doctors say the biggest risks in doing-it-yourself is getting the dose of epinephrine wrong. Too much of the drug could cause cardiac arrest in a child.
"I think we need to be sure we have good quality control in the medications we use, especially when we inject it into a child," Dr. Webb said. "The main problem that I see with the do-it-yourself trend is that if you’re doing it by yourself at home there’s no quality control whatsoever."
"So I would be concerned about the amount of epinephrine you’re using is appropriate, that it’s being done in a sterile fashion, that you won’t be causing more harm," she added.
According to the Food Allergy Research organization, severe food allergies account for about 200,000 hospital ER visits annually.
