Nightclub took DDs epipens

[anaphyl4xis]

My DD - 18 and a 1st year uni student - went to a nightclub last night and they refused to let her keep her epipens on her. They said if she needed them
She had to go to the medical room.

She was with a group of friends and had all paid to get in and the venue also refused to refund if they decided not to go in.

AIBU to be absolutely livid and to follow this up with the company.

For context my daughter has a life threatening allergy to nuts - but not peanuts.

LMAO. Easily available?!?! Bullshit.

No they are not. They are prescription only. GPS are very reluctant to prescribe them as they are very expensive and good luck trying to get your prescription filled.

filled epipens yes

empty epipens, which could potentially be filled with anything, available by the dozen. No I am not going to say where from, incase I am giving information to anyone. but very cheap and easy

No we don’t, god, people really do hate people with allergies don’t they, you do realise we are actual people?

These people don’t care, they’re quite happy for peoples lives to be put at risk, this MN, ableist central.

Not all do mine aren’t labelled that way, and I’ve carried EpiPens for about 20 years now.

I’d be horrified at the situation your DD found herself in, OP. I think you are quite right to support your daughter; at 18 we don’t know everything, or have the confidence to complain/follow up. Hell, at 46, I don’t either. My mid-70s mum would STILL help/support me. So I think that is all just ‘noise’ around the situation.

At no point should anyone be separated from vital, life saving, medications or equipment. The sooner this is raised to respective organisations, the better.
good luck OP.

I don't see why this wouldnt work

she has her pens available, on her, and the club is reassured they cant be something else, that could be opened secretly

Definitely complain, I've seen (many years ago) a diabetic acquaintance trying to get their insulin brought to them in similar circumstances, while a friend who was a doctor desperately tried to explain how quickly this person could fall into a diabetic coma to a security guard who didn't seem to think they needed their insulin all that urgently. It was extremely scary, and if it wasn't for the manager being available at the time to intervene, I dread to think what would have happened.
I don't know if exposure to allergies has the same effect, but worryingly security guard kept saying "he's obviously just had too much to drink" as acquaintance was becoming increasingly confused and "out of it". He simply wouldn't listen while people were more or less screaming at him that it was a bloody serious symptom of diabetic keotoacidosis and he was putting this man's life in serious and immediate danger by denying access to his insulin.

In any case, greater awareness of such medical needs would not be a bad thing and perhaps a complaint would help, at least at that venue.

@Nimbostratus100 interesting. Not sure I believe that.

Why would they bother though? Epipens aren't easily concealed. They are brightly coloured. They are not easy to conceal in your hand.

Surely it'd be much more straightforward to disguise it as a pen or a vape that are so much less likely to be taken from them or raise questions?

Again there is absolutely no evidence that people are going to such ludicrous lengths. There is no evidence that epipen devices are being used.

You don’t see why discriminating against people with a serious health condition wouldn’t work? Why are so many people so keen to abolish the equality act?

*I don't see why this wouldnt work

she has her pens available, on her, and the club is reassured they cant be something else, that could be opened secretly*

No, it's as ludicrous as the suggestion that epipens are being used to disguise spiking devices.

"When she left he was nowhere to be found so she just went in and took them"

Which contradicts their own spiking policy! 🙄 So they're that worried about spiking by modified epi-pens, yet allowed them to be left unattended and foe someone (luckily, your DD) to take them!

Please keep us updated OP, I wish you and your DD all the best x

*for

why is it discriminating against people with a serious health condition? I was trying to come up with a solution that gives genuine users immediate access to their medication, and the venue peace of mind that it can't be a secret weapon.

The pens should be with the child at all times too.
My son carries two with him round school and then has spares in the medical room

This is horrific OP. I would take it further, at the very least by contacting the club management and if they're aware of this policy then taking it higher.

Epipens and inhalers always always always need to be kept with the person, not locked away. That's incredible unsafe.

Forcing someone to lock away life saving medication and forcing them to announce to every single person in a room that they’re using it isn’t discrimination? How many non-disabled people do you know who are denied privacy and respect every single time they enter a public building? An epipen isn’t and has never been a secret weapon, some people are stupid, that doesn’t mean we should allow idiots to lead us.

Yes really frustrates me how few people (even people who claim to be first aiders /have medical knowledge) know this.

The EpiPen needs to stay with the individual at all times. Rushing to get it is the last thing you want the patient to have to do

Disability discrimination is when you are treated less well or put at a disadvantage for a reason that relates to your disability in one of the situations covered by the Equality Actt_.
The treatment could be a one-off action, the application of a rule or policy or the existence of physical or communication barriers which make accessing something difficult or impossible.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/disability-discrimination

It's disability discrimination as they are making it difficult or impossible for allergy sufferers to access the service as they need their epipens with them at all times.

I've just read the thread and I can see straight away why your comments are unreasonable/ridiculous/discriminatory.
If you need to ask, all I would say is re-read your post suggesting genuine epi pen users have their epi pens in an elaborate alarmed box. If that still doesn't strike you as absurd and completely ridiculous, there probably isn't much more to say.

No not BU at all. Complain and campaign to get their policy changed.
Best of luck OP.

Good point on the readiness needed. I had reason to use my EpiPens earlier this year, unfortunately. I noticed anaphylactic effects within 30-60 seconds of being exposed to my allergen. If my pens weren’t immediately available , I’d possibly be dead. Because that’s how urgent and serious this is. For those who don’t know that, and are suggesting other options, it really quick and frightening; we don’t need the additional stress of worrying we don’t have these with us.

Link to the campaign video from Anaphylaxis UK.

It can happen within seconds, and you aren't supposed to move because that makes the reaction worse.

They put your daughters' life in danger by refusing to let her have her pens with her.

This is 10,000% worse than removing an insulin pen from a T1 diabetic ( I am one).

The next person this happens to may not be so lucky

Threaten them with the media or legal action as your daughter is covered by the Equality Act / DDA, if you both want to of course.

Awareness needs to be raised here. Omg these security guards need training before they kill someone.

Exactly. It beggars belief that so many seem quite happy for barriers to be put in place for access to very time sensitive, life saving medication.

The needle spiking thing is an odd phenomenon.

There was a sudden, huge flurry of reports in late 2021, none of which could be proven, and since then, nothing much. Look at the dates on all the articles linked in this thread.

I don't know whether to put it in the same category as the apocryphal razor blades under feminist stickers, or the girls who developed tourettes after watching other girls on instagram. Probably somewhere inbetween but I have seen nothing that convinces me that needle spiking was ever an actual thing.

'However, drugs experts have cast doubt on the breadth of needle spikings due to the logistics involved, and believe more attention needs to be paid to “bigger” issues of both sexual violence and drink spiking.'

inews.co.uk/news/focus-reports-injection-spiking-detracts-broader-safety-threats-faced-young-women-experts-1265119

The most common 'spiking' drug is still alcohol. 'Get her pissed' is the easiest, most legal option available to any man who is capable of pretending to be nice for an hour or two. It's so normal and unremarkable that it's not even recognised as a form of spiking. He will have plausible deniability - 'I liked her so I bought her a drink', and she will be blamed for being drunk.