Albuterol HFA - What the hell?

The same thing is happening here in Texas. Texas Medicaid only covers Xopenex HFA and will deny all prior authorizations for Albuterol HFA. Its retarded

Has anybody figured out why Medicare Part D won't cover Albuterol nebulizing solution? It is a Medicare Part B benefit. Our pharmacy isn't a Part B provider, so the poor patient can get all their medicines from our pharmacy, except the nebulizing solution. Go figure the rational....

We've already had fun with this one. We sent over 2 requests for new rxs for the albuterol hfa now that the albuterol cfc's are being withdrawn from the market. On both notes faxed back, a lovely nurse says "you don't have to request this as a change...it would be like switching tablets to capsules."

Gee, thanks nurse for all your input, let me fax you some information now that will prove you are a dumbass.

Iowa Medicaid insists on Xopenex HFA as well. Stupid!!!

What's better here in the UK are the non-CFC Beclometasone MDI. These have different particle sizes and so are not interchangeable.

You try telling that to a doctor, and explaining, AGAIN, how smaller particles means he'll need to prescribe a smaller dose.

Yes, he should have written it as a brand rather than as a generic, but he didn't, and he won't. "Speak to you next month" and we'll have the same conversation-AGAIN.

Angry Pharmacist, Would your California friend be willing to talk to me (no names needed) for a news story? Thanks,
Barbara Feder Ostrov
Medical Writer, San Jose Mercury News bfeder@mercurynews.com

Now it's bad enough we have different brand names on different sides of the pond (Prilosec/losec, zoloft/lustral), but having different bloody generic names takes the piss! Its salbutamol this side, why the hell is it albuterol the other side?

And the FDA are bloody retards if they say different HFA MDIs are not interchangable. The ONLY MDI where any change of dose needs to be made is with Qvar (extra fine beclomethasone), which is twice as potent as other beclomethasone inhalers. Retards.

Thanks for this post. I kept wondering why pharmacists were calling me asking to switch MDIs to HFAs, for the exact reasons you mention--they're the same drug and you can't get the old MDIs anyway! I generally consider pharmacists to be smart, helpful people so it perplexed me. Now I can blame those calls on the REAL problem--the government! Thanks! That Xopenex thing in CA is insane, by the way.

It's the same way in Mississippi! But somehow we got 6 of the CFC inhalers on our order yesterday! Guess we'll be reserving those for Medicaid patients only..

Rob: easy way round that problem. If the Rx is written as 'beclometasone cfc free inhaler', then its Clenil modulite, and if its written as 'beclometasone cfc free extrafine particle' then its qvar.

It's not just the government. Every time one of our big insurance providers changes their formulary, my office gets flooded with these change Rx requests. Apparently I'm supposed to pay staff just to be available for the convenience of the insurers when they decide to switch 6000 Lipitor patients over to Zocor with Zero notice.

Fabulous.

The Albuterol Idiocy is worst for those of us who relied on "pure" albuterol. ALL of the current inhalers use ethanol or a corn-base to deliver the medication. I'm allergic to corn and totally intolerant of any amount of ingested alchohol. The only thing my allergist was able to suggest was that if I ever find myself in an emergency away from an ER, I should use my epi-pen to get to the ER! (He wasn't happy to be saying this.)

Before you tell me that you can't be that intolerant - I've reacted to 0.001% alcohol content and minute amounts of aerosolized corn products. Yes, I can be that intolerant.

It irritates me to no end that pharmaceutical companies and politicians are in cahoots to make effective patient treatment impossible. Too bad they are even trying to outlaw compounding which might have given me an alternative.

Pax,

MLO

I am right there with you. I have COPD. I have been on albuteral for 16 years. Recently they switched me to ProAir HFA. They say it's the same thing! Bull Shit!!! I pay 40.99 with my insurance for this piece of shit. My albuteral was 7.00. If the albuteral is bad for the environment, doesn't it make sense it's bad for your lungs as well. I think we should sue the pants off the makers of this. It does not work!!!

Xopenex HFA is WAY better than albuterol because 1-2 beats per minute less on average as a side effect is clinically significant and makes it worth the extra money. Sarcasm, cough cough...I wonder what official is getting paid off to keep that on medicaid's formulary in California.

Kathy, most Part D plans won't cover the medication like you said but you're free to bill to Part B. Does your pharmacy not do any Medicare billing? Could use Allwin Data and do it through your dispensing system very easily.

Also, on Advantra you can process Part B covered items through their Part D plan using the group CHCPB instead of MDGHP. (Assuming this is the same per region..)

I don't get the Xopenex switch either. The basis of Part B reimbursement on the nebulizing solution was based on Albuterol which they claimed was clinically insignificantly different than Levalbuterol.. so basically they screwed people on Xopenex. Now they're switching.. makes no sense!

The same thing is happening in Kansas... I used Albuterol just a few weeks ago. Went to get a refill and they gave me this junk.. It taste like an otc I once used years ago... Which I could live with now I don't know what to do... The cost for the refill was 45.00. What a drag.. I just hate it...

Wait....the FDA says we can't interchange CFC and HFA? Oh...well, I've been doing it at walgreens, so I dont think I'm gonna stop now. ^_^ Our inventory system even considers them interchangeable.

I have severe COPD (20% lung capacity)and have been using two albuteral inhalers per month since 1995, mainly for rescue.I am also on Advair500/50 and Spiriva. In April,I went to the pharmacy for a refill, and they substituted with one inhaler of Pro-Air. My insurance said that is all that I had ever gotten. After talking with several people,the Pharmicist doing the same,my pulmunary doctor writing a new Rx, and my PCP writing new Rx's and two to three Pre autoration forms, I am finally back to two inhalors /month. My first inhalor of Pro-Air did not seem to have much pressure right from the beginning, and it has failed working after about a week. Thankfully, my pulmonary doctor gave me some Proventil inhalors to fall back on. I have heard that there is a class action suit against Albuterol, but I have not been able to find a form or address .
Do you know anything about this?

You might recommend this site to your patients whose insurance doesn't cover the HFA www.proairhfa.com
They can get one free inhaler and a voucher for 15 dollars off another one. I know it's not much but we are using this to help our pharmacy's patients, especially those who cannot afford the new product and those who keep an inhaler on hand for occasional/seasonal asthma relief.

We need a choice!! I tried the new HFA inhaler and am still having problems from only five days of miserable use. It also tastes like hell and I had to use Prednisone from the breathing problems Proventil HFA caused me - it is toxic and this is bull....! When is the class action suit going to be filed because there needs to be one and I want to join. People will die from this new one and we need to cause enough pressure to bring the old one back!! The only thing cared about is the money here, not our lives!!
Nancy

We need a choice!! I tried the new HFA inhaler and am still having problems from only five days of miserable use. It also tastes like hell and I had to use Prednisone from the breathing problems Proventil HFA caused me - it is toxic and this is bull....! When is the class action suit going to be filed because there needs to be one and I want to join. People will die from this new one and we need to cause enough pressure to bring the old one back!! The only thing cared about is the money here, not our lives!!
Nancy

This proair is a piece of fucking shit! Not only is it $30.00 more than proventil but it's smaller and it tastes like shit! This is just another excuse for a big pharmaceutical company to make money off of people! Hey let's blame it on the environment, (whatever!) They're full of shit...With all the millions of things that damage the ozone and they decide to discontinue an inhaler...That's absolutely fucking ridiculous! Like it's going to make a fucking difference...I'd like to meet the group of people that came up with this shitty idea and smash a big terd in their faces!

This new Pro-Air HFA is not effective.

I'm glad to read that I'm not alone in my troubles with the new HFA inhalers. It's been a month since I first used the ProAir HFA (didnt work) and then the Ventolin HFA. Only used them one time each and that was enough for me! After a month I'm still not breathing right, still coughing and still have that annoying little wheeze deep in my chest!! Thanks FDA! Way to go! Oh and yeah, I'm waiting to hear "class action lawsuit" as well because I can't wait to join in. Maybe I'll get some of the money back that I had to spend on the ER and Pulmonologist visits!!!!

Angry Pharmacist,

We've gotten hundreds of complaints mainly about IVAX ProAir HFA albuterol- a lot about Proventil HFA- very few about Ventolin (which has no ethanol, unlike the other two). I assumed ethanol was the main problem.

In your opinion- is it possible that the HFA itself may be causing some problems?

My wife just called, she went to pick up a prescription only to be told it was $40 after insurance, instead of the previous $10. This is all news to me, so thank you Mr/Ms Angry for clearing it up for me.

I've been on Albuterol USP for years and my doc gave me a new Rx yesterday for a new HFA variety. Well, for the past week I've been "borrowing" a Proventil HFA from a family member and it's pretty bad - doesn't work as well, feels empty (after a week of occasional use) and leaves a nasty taste in my mouth, so I sure hope that isn't what the new Rx was for.

The pharmacist actually gave my wife one of the older ones when she almost choked at the price (we're a little strapped for cash right now). He also said that they didn't have many and that I should stock-pile the older ones by coming back every two weeks for a new refill until the Rx runs out.

Now seems like a really good time to get serious about learning the Buteyko technique, which does really work it's just a *lot* of effort.

Clear breathing to you all!

Damien

Damien,

Be careful what you wish for, because you just may get it.

The chances are excellent that your new Rx will not be filled with Proventil HFA, but with something much, much worse: IVAX/Teva ProAir HFA albuterol.

Good Luck,

Art

I, too, am disgusted with this new HFA. I get my meds through a mail order pharmacy. The last time my doctor wrote my prescription for Albuterol, he apparently wrote "Albuterol HFA". He didn't say anything about it, so I didn't pay any attention. Then, when the medicine came in the mail, it was Proventil, instead of the generic albuterol that I've been using for a dozen years. And it cost $30 instead of $10. That seemed pretty strange, but, hey! I need it to breathe! What am I going to do? Send it back? Refuse to pay? No. I decided to try this for a month or two, and then ask my doctor to rewrite the prescription next time I see him.

I started using the new Proventil puffers, and right away I notice two things. They taste like crap, and they DON'T WORK! I am also on Advair and recently added Spiriva. The doctor wanted me to try to gradually cut back on the Albuterol, now that I'm on the other two. Cut back??? I end up using twice as much, because the stuff doesn't work!!!

So, right in the middle of allergy season, when my asthma is at its worst (on top of my COPD), I have this piece of crap that doesn't work and runs out after about a week! It's damned scarey when you are in the middle of an acute flare-up, and you can't breathe, and the stupid inhaler that's supposed to be helping you doesn't work right!!! Can't take another hit of Advair or Spriva... what the heck are you supposed to do??? Pass out and suffocate with the inhaler in your hand???

I want to be kept informed about any class action suit that's in the works. This stuff is killing me. The old albuterol worked much better. It wasn't perfect, but at least it made it possible for me to manage my breathing.

The only reason I found out about this site is that I got my second refill, today, and I called my mail order pharmacy to gave them hell about switching me from Albuterol to Proventil HFA, and then charging me triple for this piece of crap. They told me it was because my doctor wrote "HFA" on my prescription, so I started searching the internet to find out what "HFA" stood for. Now I see that I'm not the only one going through this experience, and that it is NOT the same medicine I've been taking for all these years.

I'm doing some research for my Dad - he's been using the CFC inhaler for years and has to fight like hell for it. I found a site that some of you might find interesting. It gives all kinds of info on the differences between HFA and CFC inhalers and provides a petition to keep the CFC propellants on the market. Good luck to everyone.
http://tinyurl.com/3bul5u

across the big waters---

i love our import/export laws--now just where in the hell is lipitor manufactured??

so we can't import 'dangerous
canadian drugs' but if it comes from ireland it's OK--hell, that makes absolutely no sense--how often do ya' think the FDA visits that mfg facility---oh yea--i am scotch/irish !!

I would like to start an organization to try and get people signing petitions that HFA inhalers not only DON'T work but they should be recalled since they clog constantly when I'm not even halfway through with them. Not only that but if they don't have a propelant to them and you're having an asthma attack, how are you supposed to get the medicine to your lungs?

This is a serious problem for all asthamtics and should not be taken lightly, CALL your congressman, write them, CALL the manufacturers. DO SOMETHING. Don't take this crap.

My husband has emphysema and He was given a couple of samples of Preventil HFA and he got worse as the medication didn't get to where it needed to be. Also since he needs the moisture in his lungs to be able to cough things up he realized that all the meds he was taking that are powdered are only drying up his lungs making it impossible for him to expectorate anything. I beg the government to realize they are killing all people that have a repiratory illness.

albuterol 10.00 co-pay, alberteol hfa copay 50.00
i wonder if the drug companies are behind this i took xopenex hfa and ended up with bronchitis-as usually happens when i switch my inhalers, and now im back on prednisone because i cant breath and cant afford to fill the new 50.00 meds. Im miserable

I was switched to Proventil HFA last February and I even attended a focus group concerning the change from Albuterol CFC. The "official" reason being given for the change is that CFC inhalers are "bad for the environment." So what are we as patients supposed to do. I have asthma and voiced my opinion at the focus group and to my doctors, that the new HFA inhalers are in no way "rescue inhalers." In an extreme emergency they DO NOT clear the passageway effectively, and this could pose an extremely serious situation for anyone in need. I feel that my comments fell on deaf ears. I am still able to buy the old CFC inhaler but at a cost of $25 from the $10-$15 that I used to pay. And I know they won't be around much longer. There has to something we can do -- the new inhalers JUST DON"T WORK!!!

Has anyone heard that ProAir HFA and Proventil HFA work differently since (according to this one doc) they have a different amount of the HFA propellant? This doctor is convinced that the ProAir isn't as efficacious and refuses his scripts of Proventil HFA to be substituted for ProAir HFA. I've search PubMed, Ovid, and google but haven't found a thing. Any thoughts?

I couldn't agree with you guys more. I've used the regular albuterol for 30 years....I've had chronic allergies and asthma since I was 10. Last week I got a bad case of bronchitis and my DR. wrote a new prescription for my inhaler. I wound up in ER last night getting a breathing treatment because not only did the ProAir shit not work, it made me worse. The pharmicist tried to tell me that it's all in my head and that if I administered it correctly, I wouldn't even notice a difference. I signed that petition and I sincerely hope it works.

The petition to save CFC rescue inhalers (with well over 1100 signatures) has been suddenly and inexplicably closed by the petition's sponsor. (see Viola Grosso's June 19 post above for a reference to this soon-to-be-closed petition). She has quit the fight to save CFC inhalers.

I was responsible for researching and re-writing this petition (until about a month ago)- and I know that many people will be upset about this.

There is a Yahoo Group that I moderate dedicated to saving CFC inhalers at this url:

http://tinyurl.com/yq3pxl

My intention is to follow this situation by talking to numerous allergists and pulmonologists over the next year or so to find out whether the change from CFC to HFA inhalers (albuterol, atrovent, intal, combivent, etc.) is being well tolerated and accepted by their patients, or not.

If it turns out that the overwhelming majority of asthma/COPD patients are ok with this POLITICAL ban of lifesaving CFC rescue inhalers (mandated by the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act to "restore" the damaged Ozone Layer)- so be it. If not, we'll know in a year or so, and we should presumably have sufficient MD support at that time to make a serious attempt to preserve CFC inhalers.

I invite anyone who is interested in following this issue to join this Yahoo Group.

Was searching the web for info on CFC/HFA. Glad to see that I am not alone.

I changed from Albuterol CFC to Albutrol HFA a couple of months ago as the pharmacy could not get the CFC type I have used for years. The problems I see are:
1) The HFA products do not work anywhere near as well. Since I changed I have had a cough. One day I had a real coughing fit while driving and could have had an accident. I am getting tired of the coughing. Very tired.

2) The HFA product I use provides no sensation and no taste. You have no way of knowing if it has actually worked, esp as the new stuff does not work immediately. I called the pharmacist for advice but I can imagine that many will just keep puffing and overdose on Albuterol and in an ER

3) Since there is no sensation or taste I am willing to bet that many users will keep using after the albuterol is gone and end up in crisis in an ER which would cost insurers a lot more than medicine which works.

4) item 3 could be solved by inhaler with a counter but they will cost a lot more. I have good insurance and a decent job but I pity the young people with no insurance and the old people on pensions.

5) I ask doctors and pharmacists for advice but people who do not are going to have a lot of problems

6) There are going to be a lot of additional monetary and opportunity costs to the health care system just from people calling doctors, talking to their pharmacist. Add in all the office visits, ambulance costs, ER costs, and the cost to society will be huge. What really drives you nuts is realizing that the law restricting CFC's does not kick in for 3rd world countries until 2010 and that includes industrial uses, refrigeration, A/C etc.

Hint: instead of taking your anger out on your local pharmicist write your congressman and senators and tell them that you enjoy breathing and would like to keep breathing a while longer.

Would you like to know what a Certain Very-large Store is doing about this?

They pretty much cornered the market on the old Warrick inhalers; then they e-mailed their pharmacists telling them to remove the inhalers from the box (with its huge red label stating "IMPORTANT: INHALERS LIKE THIS ARE BEING DISCONTINUED DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT"), discard the package insert (with the same notice on it), label the inhaler itself and dispense it in a 40-dram vial. Apparently it is their desire to keep their customers unaware of the upcoming discontinuation of their inhalers. This will be costing them a bundle for vials, when spread out over six thousand-odd stores, so apparently they feel it's worth spending the money to postpone the inevitable complaints. I wonder what they're going to do when all the available R-12 is gone and they have a massive amount of patients all trying to switch at once (but that's a problem for next quarter...)

They stopped manufacturing new R-12 in 1995; about all that's left now is what's being sucked out of air conditioners in junked cars before they're crushed. R-12 was ogiginal equipment through the 1993 model year: after that, they switched to R-134a, which is the same propellant that the new inhalers use. (And it worked middling well in cars designed for it, but the conversion kits for older vehicles work about as well as the HFA inhalers themselves, which is to say, not very.) Sooner or later they're going to run out of junked pre-1993 cars, and then what?

(Direct substitutes for R-12 do exist, such as R-414b, which can be used in A/C systems designed for R-12 without modification, so how come they can't use that for inhalers?)

Incidentally, when you type up a prescription for Proventil HFA at that Chain of Very-large Stores, the computer pops up a warning in contrasting colors, telling you that Pro-Air HFA is not A-rated to Proventil HFA and should not be substituted for it. If the script just says "Albuterol HFA", of course, you can use whichever your professional judgment prefers, assuming their insurance will pay for it.

And by the way, there's another mfr out there who claims in their labeling to be able to supply the old CFC inhalers through 12/08, but they're a bit pricier than Warrick...

Shalom,

Thanks for your very informative post. I have posted it in my Yahoo group which is at this address:

http://tinyurl.com/yq3pxl

and I hope that you accept my invitation to join this group immediately- we need someone with your level of expertise. If you are not interested, would you at least email me at : aa@premretire.com (please write "CFC" in the subject line- I assure you that I will guarantee your anonymity. I work with several FDA PADAC (Pulmonary and Allergy Drug Advisory Committee) MDs who insist on their anonymity being preserved (as well as other FDA PADAC MDs such as Dr. Nicholas Gross, Loyola-Stritch Professor of Medicine)- who has published a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine asking the FDA to postpone the CFC Albuterol ban until generics are available. He has also testified 8/2/07 during FDA public comments against the CFC Combivent ban. Our list of MDs opposed to the CFC inhaler ban is growing- and we expect it to rapidly increase in about one year when ALL pulmonary patients will have been exposed to the joys of HFA inhalers. But we need to hear from knowledgeable pharmacists as well, like yourself, and hopefully others.

Shalom, one of your comments seems to contradict what the FDA/EPA has been saying.

They say that except for medical inhalers- the only new CFCs the US requests permission for from the Montreal Protocol is for the Space Shuttle- are you saying that R-414b (which I assume is a CFC, not a HFA, if it's a direct substitute for R-12), is currently being imported for air conditioners- or are you suggesting that air conditioners that already contain it should have their R-414b salvaged for inhalers? And is there no difference in quality control/purity for CFCs used in cars/air conditioners and CFCs used in medical inhalers?

Please reply here, Shalom- and please email me personally- I'd like to get your opinion on the safety/efficacy comparisons between CFC and HFA inhalers from a knowledgeable, honest pharmacist. I'd greatly appreciate being contacted by ANY pharmacist- confidentiality, discretion, assured.

Thanks very much,

Art Abramson

For all of you that have found that the new hfc inhalers are ineffective, file a MedWatch report!!

There is a new, improved petition to save CFC inhalers here:

http://tinyurl.com/yphmp4

Lung deposition is higher
with the HFA product than with the CFC product, so if you were taking 2 puffs each time, now take 1 puff. I was taking Proair with ethanol and was having shortness of breathe and heart palpitations from an albuteral overdose, because my doctor never explained the above. From reading other user comments Proair seems to be causing the most problems, mainly because of the ethanol. I swtiched to ventolin HFA (no ethanol) with the counter on it and I cut my dose in half, I've had no more problems yet and it's been a week. I beleive this is a major conspiracy by the FDA. Create something that costs more, blame it on the environment, and get rid of all other means to help these people so they have no choice but to spend the additional money. And when I mean get rid of all other means I'm talking about the FDA trying to take Primatene Mist off the shelves. I can't wait for a class action lawsuit to start up.....Hopefully this won't cost too many lives.

My doctor wrote my new prescription for Albuterol HFA,substitution allowed. I use mail-order for my prescriptions, so I went to my insurance website to compare the cost of the "old" Albuterol with the Albuterol HFA.
For 3 months worth,the old one with cost me $20.00. For the new HFA, it will cost me $100!!!
How am I supposed to afford the difference? I also take Advair and Singulair (which will cost me another $100 for 3 months). I don't have that kind of money to spend. I am also on 2 other medications. Since we have insurance, we don't qualify for help. I wonder what ppl do that have less than we do? GRRRRRR!!!!
And I agree, the new HFA inhalers don't work nearly as well.
Should I have my dr rewrite my RX for Albuterol, or since substitution is allowed, will the pharmacy fill with reg. Albuterol if they have it?

How do you file a med watch report?

It has now happened to me in WI. My insurance would cover Albuterol for a cool $10 a prescription however with the switch insurance is now $40. Absolutely ridiculous!

I too have found myself in the same situation. I used Warrick Albuterol, USP for more than 15 years. It was very effective and relatively cheap ($7-$10 copay). My Doctorthen informed me that it was being discontinued and switched me to an HFA equivalent. Equivalent my butt! Most of them were 50% as effective, 3 times the price, left me with a bad taste in my mouth and a ringing headache.

While in Europe, I discovered Combivent (Boehringer-Ingelheim) as a replacement and it seems to work almost as well. It is of course a bit more expensive (my copays are now $25) and it is available online for about $40-$45 (full price).

It truely amazes me that our governments have to interfere with our medical health all in the name of "Saving the Planet" while the medical industry sits back and counts the profit. /rant off

I have had asthma my entire life and was very used to a CFC inhaler, they seems to have an alcohol burn to them maybe that was the ethanol?

Whatever....

A few years back my Doctor switched me to the Provental HFA inhaler and it seemed much better, not so harsh to use.
I have done very well on it.

The last inhaler my Doctor let me try 2 of was the new Ventolin HFA inhalers that have the auto-counter on the bottom. These are simply wonderful for me, very smooth on the throat and for some odd reason I use it less than any previous inhalers I have ever used.

My only gripe is that sometimes my drug store refuses to give me 2 per month on my inhalers and have always tried to over ride my Doctors prescribed dosages. I found out that is illegal for a pharmacy to do what the equivalent is of editing a medical prescription, and they can be sued big time for it.

One time the drug store tried to give me some shoddy old CFC inhaler that kept making me sick, only for mt to discover later that the accentuator oils on it were peanut oil!!!!
I am highly allergic to peanut and soy!

Aa a precaution I decided to invest a bit of time with GlaxoSmith on the phone, their pharmacy expert said that it they used any kind of oils on their accentuators it would be listed in the ingredient document, so they promised me there would be none of those allergenic oils used in their inhaler.
Maybe this is why the inhaler seems so soothing and smooth to me and my throat doesn't get aggravated and I am using it less than any other inhalers i have had to use before.
I have had asthma and used every astham drug out there and every inhaler made since the 50's for over 47 years.

Cheap inhalers might be great for your pocketbook but using them are not always the best thing for your lungs.

Since inhalers are not a one type fits all, I wish GOODLUCK to everyone on their own search for the best acting inhaler for them.

As far as I am concerned The Ventolin HFA with the built in counter so I am not sucking propellant after the medicine runs out is my ideal inhaler. I just love it!

I absolutely agree with most here in saying that the new HFA does NOT WORK!! I am in the process of working with Congressman Heather Wilson in NM and the local television stations to get a headline story about this tradgedy that can cost many of us our very lives.

Do the same: Contact your Congressmen and Senators NOW! The sooner we turn this around, the more lives will be saved. Period.

Get a move on after you read these comments. Send me your names and info if you feel comfortable, so I can pass it on to our government officials working on this problem!

meduniforms@yahoo.com
Scott

A pharmacist showed me an article in pharmacy weekly advising them to tell their patients there is no difference. They should have to use this medication. The new stuff does not work.

I am a 24 year old uninsured otherwise healthy athsmatic. I have been using a rescue inhaler since I was 5 and I have never had to use it multiple times a day unless i was doing sports, or was sick with broncitis. I recently was suprised when I had to go to the emergency room to get a new inhaler, because I finally ran out of the one I had for over a year. I was given some HFA piece of junk. This was three months ago, and I need to use it almost ten times a day. I have had three new inhalers since then, and I can't imagine what this is doing to my body. I can no longer perform my work duties correctly anymore, and I don't know what to do. I am 24 and I'm breathing as if I was a 97 year old cigar smoker. I can't even sleep through an entire night without waking up in need for a rescue. Oh yeah, not to mention that these pieces of crap don't even work within less than 5 minutes. I am willing to do anything for one of my old inhalers. It would last me for years and cost me thousands less. Please help me out. My job, health, sleep, well-being, and life depend on it. Pro Air is a huge business cop out and I'm not going to die over their retarded, save the ozone layer, tree hugging, screw everyone rhetoric. Forget this. I am actually afraid that this is going to be what kills me if nothing is done.

I am so glad I found this site with the link to tinyurl. I, too, have had a lot of problems with both Proventil and ProAir HFS's. I cough all the time, have breathing problems and find that I am unhappy that so, many, many people are haviing identical problems. I hope the petition is effective.

{sigh}

Well I've been looking and looking and I've come to the conclusion there is nothing I can do. I will die as soon as the MDI supplies run out. What is truly upsetting me is that because of this I�ve begun to truly live and appreciate life and started doing all the things I never had the nerve to do before which in turn has made me a much happier person. But because of it I sometime cry every single day because I know it will come to an end once I cannot longer find the supply of MDI. The new ones do not work and no agency (government or non profit) gives a Sh$t - I�ve contacted all of them. The thing I am told by doctors is that I can live off a machine for the rest of my life. Something that is not acceptable to me and pushes my beliefs beyond acceptable. So�. I�m living every week as if it is my last because it may well be.

If anyone knows where I can get a supply of MDIs please email me

sierraNightTide@gmail.com

The petition link is:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveCFCinhalers/

and

http://tinyurl.com/yphmp4

There is contact information to get Warrick CFC inhalers on the right side of the petition.

Art

Thanks to the goverment now I have to pick
between haveing food to eat or hfa inhalers.
Or maybe I should just cacel my drug coverage.
Humana wants me to pay a 30.00 copay for a HFA albuterol inhaler that cost 43.00 without insurance because of the ozone layer.
what the hell is going on here.
thats like the goverment saying you have to put a safety coating on an asprin and charging 6 times the oringinal cost. what a bunch of crap.
someone does not have it togather I am pissed.
Edward Wegman

discontinuing alburerol will kill off many innocent people. It looks like Alolf Hitler has returned to the Earth, and is running the FDA.

regarding the new wonder drug, PRO-AIR INHALERS. What, are they out of their minds!!! The Warwick worked fine for my husband now he is so sick from the PRO-AIR and for what so the Pharmaceutical companies can line their pockets. What we paid $5 for we are also paying three times more for a terrible product that should not even be on the market! My husband has high blood pressure and this drug could have killed him and yes, I would of sued the company, something for them to think about.