it is different, and like lee, not sure i wanted to be wielding an exposed needle.......
i'd probably poke myself elsewhere.
it is not the case with the generic neil is talking about. GREENSTONE eppy is an auto injector, it doesn't have an exposed needle but requires the removal of two caps, rather than one as mylan's epi pen. also, mylan's epi pen is a 'swing' and 'jab' motion to the outer thigh, greenstone's is a 'press down hard' on the outer thigh to release the needle.
i did a little research and found the 'greenstone' generic is made by 'adrenaclick'. (authorized generic of 'andrenaclick'. here is a photograph of the greenstone auto injector:
here is an article explaining the differences of all available eppy pen auto injectors with a table outlining the key differences between epinephrine auto inject devices:
Important Considerations When Dispensing Epinephrine Auto-Injector Devices a screenshot of the table:
excerpt of differences:
"
In addition to the lack of therapeutic equivalence among epinephrine auto-injector products, differences exist between the auto-injector devices’ appearance, administration technique, and dose verification (Table). It is important to understand these differences, as they may have important clinical implications for patients and their caregivers. For patients who have been using a particular brand, switching between products increases the likelihood that either the patient or caregiver may be confused when administering the injection, potentially leading to serious clinical outcomes, including death. For example, the EpiPen Auto-Injector requires the removal of only one cap to prepare for administration, while the authorized generic epinephrine autoinjector requires the removal of two caps. If the patient or caregiver attempts to prepare the authorized generic epinephrine auto-injector based on their experience with EpiPen Auto-Injector (removing only the second cap), they may not realize that the drug was not appropriately discharged. In addition, removing the second cap before removing the first cap may expose the patient to accidental needle sticks from the exposed needle.10,12 In order to avoid confusion, all patients and/or caregivers should be educated on epinephrine auto-injector devices and their proper administration techniques every time a prescription is picked up, confirming not only the instructions for use, but also the product being dispensed."
how to use Adrenaclick (also Greenstone) insructions with video:
How to Use Adrenaclicka link to a pdf file describing the use of EpiPen Auto-Injector, Auvi-Q and Adrenaclick (Greenstone as well) Directions I have also uploaded as an attachment:
EpiPen Auto-Injector and Auvi-Q and Adrenaclick Directionshow to use the Adrenaclick/Greenstone generic auto injector from the pdf file (screenshot):
a you tube video showing the injection of the 3 devices (including Adrenaclick/Greenstone) the greenstone, one removes two caps, and the needle is exposed after injection, whereas mylan's epi pen automatically retracts the needle after injection (no exposed needle after injection):
hope this helps anyone looking at alternatives to eppys and the generic greenstone.
think i am going to stay with mylan's eppy. so used to pulling one cap, swing and hit the outer thigh, needle goes in, count 10, pull out, needle retracts, no chance of injuring yourself or someone else especially if you in a panic situation.
i could probably get used to the generic version. sorta hard though, pull the mylan eppy out of protective case, (flip a cap) pull one cap off the mylan product, hit yourself in the thigh, done. no needle exposed.
