IMPORTANT The information provided is of a general nature and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you think you may suffer from an allergic or other disease that requires attention, you should discuss it with your family doctor. The content of the information articles and all illustrations on this website remains the intellectual property of Dr Raymond Mullins and cannot be reproduced without written permission.

Summary
Carrying and knowing how to use injectable adrenaline (epinephrine) correctly is an essential component of treating serious allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). This is a pictorial guide to common mistakes and how to avoid them... and here are 3 common mistakes that should not be made!

Last reviewed 27 June 2020

The orange tip contains the needle and needs to be placed against the mid-thigh. Holding the wrong end and injecting the thumb is painful and not very effective ...

This photograph is more subtle. The patient is pressing the white end very hard (blue line), assuming there is a "button" at the white end. There is not!

Unless pressure is exerted at the orange end, the EpiPen will not work.

Unless the blue safety cap is removed (blue line), the EpiPen will NOT work, no matter how hard you push ..