A look into Epi-Pens subjected to temperature testing

[Sunwatersoil]

A thanks to Scooter’s topic on safe storage practices and temperature tolerances for Narcan, I was led to questioning the reliability of Epi-Pens in a treeplanting setting.

I’ve known of planters that keep Epi-Pens in glove boxes and their back-bags and wondered if the temperatures they are exposed to will still provide a reliable dosage in an anaphylactic emergency.

After a quick google search I came across this.

https://www.annallergy.org/article/S108 ... 0130-2/pdf

TL;DR, Per this single evaluation of 9 studies (not all studies measured both heat and cold and in the same concentrations of epinephrine), Epi-Pens owners should seek to store the pens between the manufacturers recommended 20-25C. Although extreme cold, bar freezing, has not shown to degrade epinephrine. The study that did include auto-injectors subjected to freezing had concerns of the glass syringe micro-cracking. Also single exposures to extreme heat are likewise to not produce significant epinephrine degradation. For comparisons sake, to achieve significant degradation a single study measured a 57% decrease in epinephrine concentration was achieved at a constant 65C for 164 hours. It should be mentioned that these tests were done in a laboratory setting and do not reflect real world situations and that only two of the studies used auto-injectors.

I should also mention I am not a chemist and can not make professional opinions concerning this evaluation, so read it for yourself.