EpiPen shortage: Cheaper options are available

“The EpiPen, I fill it when I can,” said Nicole Gonzalez, a mother. “It’s a 50-50 shot when I go to the pharmacy if they have them. There's just such a shortage."

Consumer Reports shares new low-cost epinephrine options available now.

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"There are actually a lot of new options when shopping for an epinephrine injector and in fact, some might be more easily available or less expensive than traditional EpiPens," said Lisa Gill, Consumer Reports’ health and medicine investigative reporter.

One option is generic Adrenaclick, an auto-injector similar to Epipen. To use it, you remove two caps instead of one.

The full line of the talking epinephrine auto-injector Auvi-Q is available at Walgreens at no cost to those with commercial insurance.

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If you don't live near a Walgreens, the manufacturer, Kaleo, will ship it to you for free.

Another new option is Symjepi. It's a pre-filled syringe, not an auto-injector like the others. Users manually inject themselves.

"Given that inventory of EpiPens and other epinephrine injectors is so spotty, give yourself greater flexibility by asking your healthcare provider for a prescription that doesn't specify a brand name,” Gill said. “That way your pharmacist can give you whatever is on hand."

How to pay less for prescription drugs

Because store inventories vary, call ahead to make sure your pharmacy has the epinephrine injector you want.

To avoid potentially deadly mistakes or injuries, Consumer Reports strongly recommends asking your doctor or pharmacist for a training with your new device.

All of the products have manufacturer coupons or other deals that can lower your costs.

And Consumer Reports says no matter the drug, ask for the pharmacist for lowest possible price to make sure you're getting every available discount.