New school policy

[MomInMD]

Yesterday received a call from school nurse concerning change to students that self-carry.  DS has carried (but can't self administer) for 4 years.  They are now going to require a prescription label be on the actual epi pen.  Even though I keep an epi prescription box with another epi inside (and label on outside) at the school nurse.   They will also require him to carry a single does benedryl AND have a prescription on that also!?!?!?!?  This seems very odd to me as it is not actually a prescription.  This is very annoying as I just bought an epi carrier that we love from onespot allergy, but the bendryl will not fit with epi.  Would require me to buy another carrier.  Also, there will be some new "contract" we will be required to sign, but haven't seen yet.  Also, teachers will be trained monthly on epi use.  At first I thought this was a positive change.  After telling DH of this rule though he was upset saying it is abusive to make teachers go through monthly training, so not sure how I feel now.  Will add that the nurse actually said "that we may decide to not have him self-carry anymore to be easier."  So gee, it almost feels as if they are trying to make it more difficult to scare us away from having him self carry.  I haven't been on here in a while....has any incident happened recently with a child that self-carried?   

[rebekahc]

I wonder if the Rx label thing is because of tightening drug policy for the school or district.  I know I've heard of kids getting suspended for having Tylenol or whatever because policies are sooo restrictive. 

Not sure about requiring Benadryl - I'm guessing that if your doctor hasn't written it into your child's plan then they are overstepping their authority on that one.  I might consider having your doctor write explicit instructions that your child is NOT to have Benadryl with the epi.  My fear would be someone would try to use their own judgement and just give Benadryl if it was right there with the epi.  That's not a judgement call a teacher or other responder should be making.

[socks on a rooster]

Email your Dept. of Education in your state and ask them what the self carry law is in your state. If he can legally carry, then the school can't just decide he won't anymore to make it convenient for them. Having the legal requirement in writing to show your school helped my daughter self carry when the school denied her.

I didn't have my dd carry Benadryl for the same reason the other poster mentioned. If your Dr. hasn't indicated he must have Benadryl available on his person, then I doubt they could make him carry it. In my opinion, Benadryl is not an emergency medication and self carry laws cover EMERGENCY Medication.

Was there a serious reaction in your district recently? Maybe it's a rear end covering response.

[TwoDDs]

Hmmm, I'm in MD too and I always understood the nurses and carry/training issues to be ruled not by Education but by Department of Health - in which case it would seem that changes should be statewide.  I have a self carrying non-administering second grader - just did her 504 a week or two ago and have gotten no such call from my nurse.

So, perhaps it is just your school administrators, in which case - your doctor's note will be a trumping card.  You need to find out who "they" is.  Good luck.

[ajasfolks2]

The label may have to do with some policy prohibiting "sharing" of Rx meds?  This way the administering staff member KNOWS it belongs to that child?

I have to wonder if this is in response to some teacher/staff rule changes as well?

Would sure be interested to see that "contract".  Hmmmmm . . . I'm expecting some kind of "waiver" you must sign that would protect the staff member who injects child.

See Fairfax County, VA's form for Epi-pen self-carry.  This might give you an idea of what is down the pike?

Interesting. 

[Janelle205]

Everyone else has covered a lot of the other stuff to worry about - I just wanted to pipe up and say that if you call the pharmacy, they should be able to print you up a few extra labels to stick on the pens - mine has done this for me frequently.

[ajasfolks2]

Everyone else has covered a lot of the other stuff to worry about - I just wanted to pipe up and say that if you call the pharmacy, they should be able to print you up a few extra labels to stick on the pens - mine has done this for me frequently.

Meant to mention this!  Glad you added this to discussion.

IMO, might be good standard practice for ALL with epi-pen to do this for ALL pens (school or pers or other).  Helps with identification and (heaven forbid) return of pen if lost/misplaced . . . also good plan for travelling/flying with epipens.

[AllergyMum]

If you go to your pharmacy they will be able to print out labels from your epi-pens.  We always have the pharmacy place the labels on the epi-pen plastic case not the box.

[CMdeux]

Everyone else has covered a lot of the other stuff to worry about - I just wanted to pipe up and say that if you call the pharmacy, they should be able to print you up a few extra labels to stick on the pens - mine has done this for me frequently.

Exactly what I was going to mention-- if you just explain why you need the duplicates, they should have no problem with it.   


As for requiring MONTHLY training for teachers... eh.  Not sure where something like THAT would be coming from, and frankly I have trouble believing that it got past a teacher's union in the first place.  Hmm.

Have you seen anything in writing yet?

If not, I'd ask to.

[Macabre]

Yes, we have labels on all our epis like that. The pharmacy just prints them off for us. If you use CVS you actually get some small extras on the Rx recepit.   

Benadryl is in our plan, and our allergist wrote "diphenhydramine" on the meds form for the school to be able to administer it to him.  That way any form of diphenhydramine is okay.

We have the same one spot carrier I think, have had it for 6-9 monyhs, and DS carries 2 epis (with Rx stickers on them) and the diphenhydramine strips in his pack.  Well, I found the last cache of benadryl strips in the world, and we still have some.  He is on the adult dose of benadryl, so when we go back to Triaminic some day, he'll have to arry more of those.

I have not been seeing the Triaminic strips that are just diphenhydramine lately thoug. Kinda worried about tha.

We have always been able to open the strips with no problem, but they are tricky for some people.

I want that in his epi pack. Period. He wars it everywhere, not just school, and I want him to have benadryl on his person at all times. 

The contract--npw THAT concerns me.

[MamaMia]

Reg Epi - I get the need to have rx sticker on Epi. As others said, many pharm. can reprint original.

Reg Benadryl - in our district, they created a "special" form for students to carry 1 dose (which I insisted on but more than 1 dose but they denied). 

[MomInMD]

Thank you everyone for your input.  Still have not gotten this new contract we will be required to sign...will let you know when I do.
I understand the need for the prescription on the epi now.  I called pharmacy and they can print up extra labels no problem (and I am picking up this afternoon).  However, I asked the pharmacist about the benadryl and she said the doctor would have to write something up and then they would have to run it through system to make a label for it.  Ok, so it is doable.  I am concerned though that if he carries it on his body, and that if he were to have a reaction someone may assume they could try the benadryl first and see if that helps his reaction-not give epi right away. And doesn't benadryl just mask the symptoms?  It may look like it is helping, but it really isn't.  Of course,his health plan states to give both immediately, but that paper would be in the nurses office.  Whomever is in charge at the time might opt to just use benadryl if that is with him also-not seeing the paper.  I swear I read about this happening to a child before, and it may have resulted in death...?  Am I wrong, and just over thinking this too much?  This whole thing is making me question the benadryl at all, and have been thinking of getting an appt. with doctor to have her fill out another form and leave the benadryl off.
So most people that do have their child carry an epi also carry benadryl along with it, and their health plans state to give both?
Please feel free to smack the sense into me!  Sorry, but I am the one who saw what a dab of PB did to this child when it just touched his lip.  I don't think benadryl is going to do squat!  It is all boiling down to a lack of faith in the system...

[rebekahc]

I think for children who self-carry everywhere having Benadryl in the bag is a good idea if it's something they need or might use. 

However, at school in an emergency, they don't need the Benadryl - just the Epi.  They can get Benadryl later from the nurse if the doctor wants the child to have it after/along with the Epi.  For mild Benadryl-only symptoms the child and/or teacher should not be the ones giving it - the school nurse should, so they wouldn't use the self-carry Benadryl anyway.  For anaphylaxis, Epi is what's important - the Benadryl is just for comfort and it can wait until the nurse administers it, so no need to self-carry it then either.   

[maeve]

I think for children who self-carry everywhere having Benadryl in the bag is a good idea if it's something they need or might use. 

However, at school in an emergency, they don't need the Benadryl - just the Epi.  They can get Benadryl later from the nurse if the doctor wants the child to have it after/along with the Epi.  For mild Benadryl-only symptoms the child and/or teacher should not be the ones giving it - the school nurse should, so they wouldn't use the self-carry Benadryl anyway.  For anaphylaxis, Epi is what's important - the Benadryl is just for comfort and it can wait until the nurse administers it, so no need to self-carry it then either.   

During our 504 review meeting prior to the start of the school year, the staff suggested when we were discussing DD's self-carry that we not put Benadryl in her purse.  Their thought was that if Epi is what should be administered in the event of a reaction, that not having the Benadryl in the pack would eliminate the choice of someone giving her Benadryl in lieu of Epi.  (I'm probably not explaining that well.  Their point, and I think it's a good one, is that it makes the decision process of what to do in a reaction easier, quicker, and really more correct.)

[CMdeux]

True....




BUT-- and bear with me, because I'm going to play devil's advocate here momentarily...

isn't that ACTUALLY asking a family to modify what they (and their physician) have determined is the best means of TEACHING the child appropriate self-advocacy and responsibility for the allergy??

Use an analogy--

suppose that (at least for the school) it is EASIER if a diabetic child doesn't carry a BGC monitor on their body... and instead ONLY carries glucagon tablets?  It does, after all, 'remove' the decision-making option for everyone but the nurse. 

While I can see why that is more convenient for the school,

I can also see that if it is ultimately in the child's best interests to self-carry certain items related to overall good management, then the SCHOOL is the party that needs to figure out how to make THAT work for them-- not the other way around.

KWIM?

I'm looking at this as the parent of a child who is increasingly having to be fully responsible for her own medications, however.  NO WAY would I concede for her to "remove" items from her medication pack just so that someone else had rules that were simpler.