Critters and EpiPens

[El Cascayal]

On a recent thread by Derek Booth about procesional caterpillars these were posted to my comment:

#24 Damn, and I thought vipers, bees/wasps and the huge flies were what to look out for. Adding these predatory caterpillars to the growing list of critters to stay away from.​

​

#63 by Damien Reynolds Wasps important to look out for. Especially if you are like me, i didn't know I was allergic. Found out the hard way.​

​

#64 by Goyo Some folks shouldn’t take it, but Benadryl tablets have worked for me for just those kind of encounters. I, however, only have mild reactions to getting stung. A buddy of mine down in México carries an Epi-pen wherever he goes, as he now suffers from severe reactions to bee, wasp and hornet stings, and will go into anaphylactic shock without it. As his reactions got gradually worse with each sting, he went to an allergist who prescribed the jab for him.​

Not wanting to hijack that thread, have posted this one.

I too am highly allergic to Hymenoptera stings (all of the above mentioned flying critters that may be easily encountered while walking). EpiPens in the US retail for over $600 for 2 pens which is the standard kit. The price will change based on one’s insurance plan. The phrase highway robbery comes to mind, but if one is highly allergic, seems it is a small price to pay to avoid dying on the road.

Does anyone know the price of epinephrIne emergency injectable in Spain?

I currently carry a self made kit of a salbutamol inhaler, diphenhydramine 50 mg, famotadine 20 mg, prednisone 40-60 mg for initial emergency response.

For people with a history of anaphylaxis an epi dual pen is the way to go.

 

[J Willhaus]

There was a thread recently (within the last year or so) about medications available in Spain and the cost at the pharmacy. This was related to people who needed to carry medications that had to be refrigerated and whether they were available in Spain I think. Below is a search engine for medications, but I don't know the name or brand of an Epipen in Spanish.

Ministerio de Sanidad - Profesionales de la Salud - Nomenclator

Nomeclator

www.sanidad.gob.es

 

[sunwanderer]

I wanted to have an Epi-pen in my kit, so I searched for low cost generic versions. I know nothing about this area (I'm not allergic but wanted to have one if someone needed it), so I'm concerned if these have a reduced dose, or a less effective medication:

Amazon Pharmacy: Epinephrine (Generic for Epipen, Auto-Injector)

Transfer your prescription for Epinephrine (Generic for Epipen, Auto-Injector) on Amazon Pharmacy. FREE SHIPPING for Prime members.

pharmacy.amazon.com

Epipen Alternative | Epinephrine OTC | CVS Pharmacy

CVS Pharmacy is offering a low cost FDA approved epipen alternative. Learn more and say goodbye to overpriced pens.

www.cvs.com

 

[henrythedog]

Probably on here (although on my phone I can’t see it)

EpiPen Price by Country 2023

 

[Ivan_Prada]

There was a thread recently (within the last year or so) about medications available in Spain and the cost at the pharmacy. This was related to people who needed to carry medications that had to be refrigerated and whether they were available in Spain I think. Below is a search engine for medications, but I don't know the name or brand of an Epipen in Spanish.

Ministerio de Sanidad - Profesionales de la Salud - Nomenclator

Nomeclator

www.sanidad.gob.es

Hi:

As for Epipen in Spanish, try:
Autoinjector de epinefrina.

Hope this helps.

Iván

 

[trecile]

I wanted to have an Epi-pen in my kit, so I searched for low cost generic versions. I know nothing about this area (I'm not allergic but wanted to have one if someone needed it), so I'm concerned if these have a reduced dose, or a less effective medication:

Whether you get it from Amazon Pharmacy, CVS, or another pharmacy you will need a prescription for the epi-pen.

I use Amazon Pharmacy for my prescriptions, and they are the same meds as any other pharmacy.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Sometimes in cases like this it pays to visit Wikipedia for an article and then switch to get the corresponding article in another language. I typed in Epipen into Google and very near the top of the list was this Wikipedia article which I used to get the Spanish version that would give equivalent nomenclature.

Epinephrine (medication) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Epinefrina (medicación) - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

es.wikipedia.org

 

[K_Lynn]

In Canada an EpiPen is about $150 and a prescription is not needed. If you do have a prescription the price can be significantly reduced if you have insurance.

 

[Former member 92300]

I don't know about cost in Spain - but what about just brining your kit from home? I have two kids (now adults) who have epipens - and carry them in carry on luggage with no problems. They carry a 2 pack of epipens plus a small baggie with extra diphenhydramine. That is usually plenty for them.

I wanted to have an Epi-pen in my kit, so I searched for low cost generic versions. I know nothing about this area (I'm not allergic but wanted to have one if someone needed it), so I'm concerned if these have a reduced dose, or a less effective medication:

Amazon Pharmacy: Epinephrine (Generic for Epipen, Auto-Injector)

Transfer your prescription for Epinephrine (Generic for Epipen, Auto-Injector) on Amazon Pharmacy. FREE SHIPPING for Prime members.

pharmacy.amazon.com

Epipen Alternative | Epinephrine OTC | CVS Pharmacy

CVS Pharmacy is offering a low cost FDA approved epipen alternative. Learn more and say goodbye to overpriced pens.

www.cvs.com

They come in 2 doses - adult and child dosages. It is the same for name brand verses generic brand, as both have an adult and child dosage available. They are equally effective. But you still need a prescription regardless of where you buy (in the US). I would suggest just carrying diphenhydramine in case someone is having an allergic reaction - easy to buy over the counter and for some - it can help long enough to get someone to the hospital or for emergency response to arrive. There will always be those who must have the actual epipen right away - but usually those people will carry their own and they know they go anaphylactic pretty fast. For everyone else - the diphenhydramine may be enough to reduce the reaction long enough to get help. Of course - giving people any medication is always risky - unless you are a licensed medical provider.

 

[El Cascayal]

The most recent time I looked into this, diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is not available in Spain. They of course have other antihistamines. It is a first generation H-1 receptor blocker, in strong allergic acute reaction it is good to also use famotidine, which blocks the H-2 receptor and is easily available in Spain OTC as it is in the US. Handy to have both in your first aid kit. Adds negligible weight. Be prepared and talk to your physician before you leave home.

 

[MariaSP]

I don't have first-hand experience since nobody in my family has any serious allergies, but I found this article, which confirms what I thought: the cost of an epi-pen in Spain is around €50.

https://www.niusdiario.es/sociedad/...ck-anafilactico-80-euros-ano_18_07709373.html

 

[trecile]

I don't have first-hand experience since nobody in my family has any serious allergies, but I found this article, which confirms what I thought: the cost of an epi-pen in Spain is around €50.

Is a prescription required in Spain?

 

[MariaSP]

Is a prescription required in Spain?

According to this other article, yes, a prescription is required: https://boticonsejos.es/adrenalina-...puedo conseguirla?,en una oficina de farmacia.

 

[Pathfinder075]

I will kind of post on here. Like many I have allergies, although in my case I have a lot of allergies, like over 200 or so, all at anaphylaxis level. I don't try and get epipens when in a country unless I am near to running out. I tend to carry anywhere between 5 and 10. For a full camino, six is the bare minimum for me. When I reach one left, it's time for me to bug out.

So my advice is to go to your Immunologist or doctor and get a bunch of the meds you would normally use for your reactions and then carry them. Only you will know what you will need. Don't assume you can call an ambulance and it will be there 10 mins later. If you were at say Acebo or somewhere else that is many miles from a city or town you will likely have to deal with the problem yourself initially. Have an established protocol and follow it in a calm way. The main things is to go prepared.

Epipens are cheaper in Europe. If you do a wilderness/expedition medic course you can often gain access to cheaper epipens as well (not to mention it's an interesting course to do and useful too). In the UK you are looking at about £45/each for an Emerade, Jext or Epipen. I use Jext mainly and sometimes epipen. For abroad I favour Emerade.

If you have particularly bad allergies and often need two epipens, look for the Emerade 500 autoinjector (in Europe). It's just better than standard epipens. Same price as well. Just don't hit bone with it (because it hurts a lot).

In Spain and most places chlorphenamine (Piriton) will be your best bet if you ask at a chemist. I don't know if it's OTC in Spain, but looking at Drugs.com it says it is available in chemists, so make a photocopy of one of your prescriptions and carry it with you.

With proper precautions it's possible to largely avoid having issues. If you have severe food allergies, avoid cafes and buy your food in from supermarkets and cook it yourself. It's the only way to be sure that it isn't contaminated. I only ever bought bottles of soft drinks and poured them into my own bottle or cup.

Make a list of all your allergies in word and some phrases saying I am allergic to these substances/foods before each section, then copy into google translate and convert to Spanish, then copy the Spanish text to word and print out 20 A4 sheets. In a pinch you can give a sheet to a doctor, dentist, paramedic, etc. Also try and learn the phrase that describes your allergy, such as, I am allergic to nuts.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

According to this site https://www.niusdiario.es/sociedad/...ck-anafilactico-80-euros-ano_18_07709373.html the Spanish equivalent of an epipen cost €18 but this may be the junior version as the article talks about children.

Edit. At this cost I might stock up and bring them home.

 

[witsendwv]

On a recent thread by Derek Booth about procesional caterpillars these were posted to my comment:

#24 Damn, and I thought vipers, bees/wasps and the huge flies were what to look out for. Adding these predatory caterpillars to the growing list of critters to stay away from.​

​

#63 by Damien Reynolds Wasps important to look out for. Especially if you are like me, i didn't know I was allergic. Found out the hard way.​

​

#64 by Goyo Some folks shouldn’t take it, but Benadryl tablets have worked for me for just those kind of encounters. I, however, only have mild reactions to getting stung. A buddy of mine down in México carries an Epi-pen wherever he goes, as he now suffers from severe reactions to bee, wasp and hornet stings, and will go into anaphylactic shock without it. As his reactions got gradually worse with each sting, he went to an allergist who prescribed the jab for him.​

Not wanting to hijack that thread, have posted this one.

I too am highly allergic to Hymenoptera stings (all of the above mentioned flying critters that may be easily encountered while walking). EpiPens in the US retail for over $600 for 2 pens which is the standard kit. The price will change based on one’s insurance plan. The phrase highway robbery comes to mind, but if one is highly allergic, seems it is a small price to pay to avoid dying on the road.

Does anyone know the price of epinephrIne emergency injectable in Spain?

I currently carry a self made kit of a salbutamol inhaler, diphenhydramine 50 mg, famotadine 20 mg, prednisone 40-60 mg for initial emergency response.

For people with a history of anaphylaxis an epi dual pen is the way to go.

We carry epinephrine pens and they have been available in a generic version since 2018- https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-generic-version-epipen
Our prescription plan costs us $15 for a two pack, and I just looked at the Amazon pharmacy and they are $100 for a two pack. There was resistance to the generic being prescribed as they operate a bit differently than the name brand, and physicians were concerned that switching from one brand to another may be confusing. Since we never used the original this would not have been a problem for me, but thankfully I have not needed to use one yet. This is the link to the amazon site so you can see the generic- https://pharmacy.amazon.com/Epineph...Auto-Injector/dp/B084BQTBS1?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[Pathfinder075]

Looks like an old style epipen, rip off the blue tab and stab. They still issue them here in the hospitals.

I prefer Jext when i'm at home.

Over here your choice is basically these.

From what research I've done, these are also available in most of Europe too.

If you can get them, Emerade 500 are pretty much the best for adults with severe allergies. You get the same dose as you would receive in hospital, they last a lot longer (years off the top of my head) and they work better due to a longer needle (the bit about hitting bone is related to this) that goes deeper into the thigh muscle. For trekking they are what I carry, if available.

If you ended up in a UK hospital, epipen is what you might get prescribed after treatment. Jext is generally more available over here, might be the same elsewhere in Europe, but I honestly find them easier to use than standard epipens and they are substantially less bulky to carry (less plastic than an epipen). if you are carrying 5 or 6 of these with you, they just take up less room.

But at the end of the day, any auto injector will be better than no auto injector. We don't really have generics over here, but if I was in another country that did have them, I would use them.