Epinephrine News: Parents timid about using EpiPen Parents of children who are in danger of having a serious allergic reaction to certain foods are urged to have an auto-injector on hand to administer a dose of epinephrine in an emergency, to halt any severe ... Parents timid when it comes to EpiPen use Parents of children who are in danger of having a serious allergic reaction to certain foods are urged to have an auto-injector on hand to administer a dose of epinephrine in an emergency, to halt any severe reaction. However, parents are often uncomfortable using the device, a survey shows, even when they've been trained to use it.