Exactly, I don't believe that these inhalers have that much of an effect on the ozone layer.

A bit jaded are we? I'm sure at some point someone will release a new over the counter product.

Carry a chocolate bar around with you - eating the chocolate during an attack will stimulate your system like an adrenaline rush and hopefully lessen the severity of the attack.

That's the only trick I know - beyond that you are on your own

I knew it! I called this one just the other day that eventually not just industries will be hit in the mouth by the enviromental activists. Now, they are literally making it difficult on everyone little by little to afford basic pharmaceuticals, next the environmentalist nuts will probabaly plan to ruin needed U.S. crops grown by using water from tributaries with tiny endangered minnows or freshwater shellfish or something. Our way of life is being destroyed little by little by the EPA and environmental extremists.

I sure don't want to live in the world you are alluding to, GC, where the waters are so polluted they are not drinkable, the land won't sustain crops, the sky no longer blue. Without the EPA and environmentalists, we, cockroaches, and rats would be the only surviving species. They provide the balance to those that would destroy our world for a quick buck.

Yes! What friggin nerve they have to blame OTC asthma medications! What an insult when we are still using coal for energy, spraying the air with toxic substances, keeping us addicted to gasoline for vehicles and on and on. I think most people awake can see right through this that it's just another way to let people get sicker. They don't give a rat's a** about us! What if consumers do not have the financial means to even have health care, that leaves OTCs the only thing they have access to! So, let's take that last option away, right! Dumbing us down yet again.

That's dangerous advice Steve

Hetep and Respect anytime MediPlex (including the FDA) agrees to do something that is good for mankind put your hands in both pockets until they pass by and take a close look at the natural alternatives.

Most importantly think about it, should you or your family be pushing steroids up your nose (FDA approved Inhalers) A member of my family has had astma all her life and used an inhaler. I recently found out about natural oils that are effective , but do not have the bad effects ("side effects") of steroid inhalers and actually help heal the lungs and reduce the likelihood of asthma attacks.

I use Olbas Oil from Sweden that I get from wholefoods in the wholebody section. But the main ingredients you can get anywhere OTC. Spearmint oil, Eucalyptus oil and Clove oil. There are other oils in this mixture too, 6 total, each has its job to do. Cost $10.

I used it to improve my swimming oxygen processing efficiency, dramatic improvement.. My daughter does gymnastics, she tried it an now inhales the medicinal oils instead of that old stinkin inhaler.

A word to the wise should be sufficient.

This is my own personal case study not approved by the FDA.

Who do you think makes people say that and why?

Beyond this is the bigger question why do I have asthma and how do I cure it.

WOW! As if that little bit is going to make a difference. How about coming down on the soot, sulfur, and CO2 spewing ANY processing plant? One of those spew more crap than all inhalers combined. Medical purposes should be the last to be affected by green laws and then only after cheaper greener alternatives are found. I am really starting to doubt the intentions of government and wonder if this is an excuse to transfer even more wealth from the sick to the buddy corporate system.

If this isn't a con by the money-grubbing doctors and pharmaceuticals I don't know what is.

Bull-hockey. The government mandated this: pharmaceutical companies have to do it.

And doctors have absolutely nothing to do with it. It is just a big fat pain to them.

The government mandated this: pharmaceutical companies have to do it.

And the sick have to pay for the higher prices.

Like my post before, why doesn't the government go after polluters that can actually make a difference?

Steve is correct in saying that chocolate would help...It contains some of the chemicals that are used to treat asthma. However, there are so many other agents that are more effective that its use for asthma should not be recommended. Also, STAY AWAY FROM PRIMATINE. It works, but can be a very bad med for those with certain cardiac conditions. (Its alpha effects predominate).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine

Exactly NEA Exec. I have suffered from weak lungs all my life. Pure dark chocolate does help. However, milk seems to aggravate my condition.

And of course there is an anti-pharma post about a GOVERNMENT mandate/decision made over a decade ago.

It's just too easy and popular to blame everything on pharma these days rather than check facts. You sick? Pharma's fault. You healthy? Pharma's fault. You fat? Pharma's fault. You thin? Pharma's fault. Tall, short, big toe is crooked, hell it's all pharma's fault somehow!

Funny thing is, all of the people blaming pharma for things they do not control are the exact people wanting our government to make MORE illogical health care decisions exactly like this one!!

They changed the prescription version a couple of years ago and the cost jumped 4 times the normal cost and the price just fell recently. Hopefully the new propellent will be put into the OTC soon and not raise the cost.

By their own admission there are only about 1 to 2 million people that would be affected. This means any reduction in chlorofluorocarbons would be so insignificantly small as to be immeasurable. This is a costly (to some) waste of time and effort.

A reasonable question would be; Why don't the OTC inhalers use a more environmently compatable aerosol spray? Why is it that only the prescription inhalers do this, especially when perscription products are always much more expensive than their OTC counterparts. Did I just answer my own question?

Yet the gov't wants to take away our lightbulbs and make us use CFL's which have mercury in them. I guess our ozone layer is MORE important than our ground water.....

HFC's were outlawed YEARS ago - I'd really like to understand why this one company was allowed to continue to produce these inhalers, and why the environmentally friendly ones are Rx-only.

This is awful. You mean all these people suffering asthma attacks are forced to inhale HFCs at the most critical stage of their disease? This is outrageous!!

digitalnoise: Technically, they are switching to HFA's (it's CFC's that are being phased out). According to the news release from the FDA, the phase out was put into place in 2008 and all products containing CFCs were to be phased out or transitioned to HFA containing products by the end of this year. Currently, there are no epinephrine inhalers available that are HFA propellent. Also, for those wondering - the transition is part of an international treaty the US signed.

I haven't been able to find out if HFAs interact with epinephrine in a negative way or if the manufacturers of the OTC epinephrine inhalers never moved to transition to HFA inhalers, or if their attempts to move were blocked for some reason.

I use ProAir HFA (it's albuterol) as my rescue inhaler. With my insurance, I pay $5.00/month for it. Without insurance, ~$40/month.

I would like to point out while that Primatene Mist won't be available, Primatene Tablets will still be available. I'm not sure of the difference in effectiveness these though.

OK anything that you take orally is going to take a whole lot longer to work then anything you inhale.

Second I have asthma won't take corticosteroids or ALBUTEROL due to the awful side effects which last several hours cause increased blood pressure and severe shakiness.

So i guess I get to die.

Thanks bunches

Who will do the work when the wealthy kill us all off?

lexiwords-If you have decent insurance, ask your doctor about a prescription for a "breathing machine". It's exactly the same as the machine in the doctors office or the hospital except it's smaller. It very simple to use and works WAY better than the inhaler, didn't cost me a penny and was delivered to my home from one of the local medical supply houses..

JUST ASK for one, all they can do is say no.

You must have nice insurance summer. I have to pay 30 for ProAir with insurance.

Lexiwords-1: Depends on if the tablets are sublingual or if they are ingested and go through the GI for absorption. Sublingual formulations take only a few seconds longer than inhaled medications. Even with GI absoprtion, it still depends on the pharmacokinetics of the drug - there are formulations of some drugs that are fast acting, even when taken as standard oral formulations. As I said, I'm not familiar with Primatene Mist or Primatene Tablets - so I don't know the formulation of the tablets. According the the instructions, they can be given

Also, Primatene Mist can have the same side effects as albuterol since they are working with the same receptors in the same way. They both work on B1 & B2 receptors - and both have the same effects on said receptors. There is variation on individuals responses to these drugs (meaning that one person might have more side effects w/ primatene mist than w/ albuterol and vice versa) based on their individual molecular level differences.

Yeah, - It is nice. That's why I said in another post I was lucky to have decent health insurance. Though, with all my other medications for my asthma and allergies I still pay over $60/month in co-pays. I actually take a lot more than just this medication. This is my rescue inhaler, and I go through it a lot. I am very lucky to have good insurance. Without it, my medications would cost well over $1000/month - and potentially more if they add omalizumab like my family practice doctor thinks the pulmonologist will be doing here shortly.

Summer, if you really "go through it (albuterol) a lot" you need to discuss a change to your maintenance medications with your doctor. A rescue inhaler shouldn't be needed more than a couple of times a week.

BBQMan: I know, I hate it. I usually go through 2 - 3 rescue inhalers a month - way more than you're suppose to. I'm waiting for my appointment with the pulmonologist and allergist. My PCP has me pretty maxed out on most meds and has referred me. Unfortunately, where I live, it's a 6 month wait to get into them. :( I'm currently on Spiriva, Symbicort and Singulair along with taking Claritin daily. I use to be on Advair - didn't work. This combination is better than the previous combination - but, certainly no where near controlled. I've had asthma since I was a kid - when I was diagnosed the doctor told my parents one of three things will happen: 1) she'll have less symptoms over time, 2) her symptoms will stay the same, or 3) she'll get worse symptoms over time. I've gotten worse symptoms overtime. I'm one of those people that typically has several hospitalizations a year from asthma attacks, pneumonia, etc. My lung function tests are horrible. It's not fun - but, hey, I do what I can.

Thanks for the advise though :)

Some pharmacies have store brand "legal" inhalers that are somewhat cheaper. Ask a pharmacist. I have added Quercetin to my meds. It's an OTC supplement and it has helped. Google it.

Katewithasthma: I've never tried Quercetin. I could try it.

Something to keep in mind with use of Quercetin, it is an inhibitor of CYP 2C9 and CYP 2C8. CYP 2C9 & CYP 2C8 are used in the metabolism of several drugs, as a result these drugs can accumulate in the system, increasing the risk of serious side effects of those drugs. Quercetin also is an inducer of CYP 3A4. Drugs that are metabolized by CYP 34A (which are approximately half of all drugs on the market) can be metabolized quicker in the presence of quercetin, meaning that these drugs can be less effective when using quercetin. Also, quercetin binds to DNA gyrase - which means that it might increase or decrease the effectiveness of certain antibiotics such as flouroquinolones.

Very true. I'd rather healthcare be rationed by need and effectiveness as opposed to the ability to pay.

@DavidMG. And who gets to make the decision on which need and what is effective? Sounds like the fabled "death panel" to me. Think about it... if we did away with say inhalers in short order we would have how many people pass on and not need further medical care? What next, allergies to insect stings/bites? I would personally start with non need cosmetic surgeries. But I don't want to play God. Besides health care is already rationed. If you don't have the 5 diamond platinum insurance plan and some deep pockets care is rationed by ability to pay.

DavidMG-Where in my post did I say only people who "need" health insurance should get it? What I said was the programs for low income people should be expanded to more income levels. EVERYONE needs health insurance. No one knows when they will be diagnosed with a catastrophic disease or just have an accident or whatever.

My point was, inhalers CFC's are such a minute part of the ozone issue that this mandate was ridiculous. My second point was that if everyone had access to health care, this wouldn't be an issue because people would have coverage for meds.

Insurance doesn't pay for non-need cosmetic surgery. People pay out of pocket for that stuff.

You got that right Barbara Jean...boob jobs not covered, except for mastectomy, nose jobs, except for breathing issues, lipo NEVER, etc...

You're right, St Crispy, the albuterol inhalers had gotten really cheap. And I've found that the new ones are not as effective, because the propellant makes it more difficult to get the medicine in correctly.

I don't think taking Primatene off shelves is a bad thing, for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Self-medicating asthma is a dangerous game, and it can be a dangerous product.

nd I've found that the new ones are not as effective, because the propellant makes it more difficult to get the medicine in correctly.

Agreed. I have severe asthma and Primatene Mist was something I've never used. I use several meds every day to prevent the use of my rescue inhaler. However, I have also noticed a decrease in effectiveness of my albuterol inhaler compared to the older inhalers.

Like I say, I've been asthmatic for at least twenty years. I'm very educated about when I need it and when I don't. I ride the choices between how much cortizone / advair headache I can stand when allergy seasons roll around or if I think I can cut it with allegra or claritin. Now that I'm without insurance, I can't afford the trip to the specialist (the standard doc won't prescribe since it's been a long time since I've been tested) and the costs are insane. We're ALREADY self medicating - or worse, just going without. It's a money scam.

I think it's great to have medical advice when we need it. I don't currently have that luxury, or in this instance, the need. I think around asthma, a LOT of people are in the same boat I am. We shouldn't have to pay extortionist rates for medical advice that is unlikley to change - except to offer the latest sales induced, expensive, almost as effective "alternative" that is conveniently under new patent.

St. Crispy, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. I take Symbicort - I was maxed out on Advair and it wasn't working. I also take Spiriva and Singulair. This combination doesn't really work well either since I'm still using my rescue inhaler several times a day and wake up nightly wheezing. I'm lucky that I do have good insurance. The problem I'm faced with is that my family doctor is trying to refer me to a pulmonologist and allergist (I've moved across the country, so I can't see my old specialists) - the wait to get in is 6 months. My family doctor said it wouldn't surprise him if they wanted to switch me to or add omalizumab. We'll see.

With the new inhalers, all users are suggested to use a spacer to effectively get their dose of Albuterol in. Most MD's will give these spacers to you.

Summer, You have to wait 6 months to see a doctor? I thought that only happened in socialist countries like Britain and Canada. Surely not in capitalist America! Must be Obama's fault.

Lol, Devil's Son, I have to wait 6 months to see this type of specialist because there is only one of them in the region where I live and because I'd be a new patient to them. I moved a couple of years ago across the country - away from my old specialists. I can get into my primary care doctor the same day and many other specialists the same day or within a couple of days.

While I agree with pretty much everything you've stated - I would like to point out that the switch to HFA was NOT something that initially came from the FDA or the pharmaceutical companies. It was mandated due to the US signing an international agreement (or treaty - not sure of the proper terminology for that) called the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This agreement was signed initially in 1987, entered into force in 1989, and has undergone several revisions, most recently in 1999.

I think the "green" angle is just cover for Big Pharm extortion. They charge what the market will bear. Apparently you can get albuterol in Mexico OTC for $5 a unit.

St. Crispy, Could be that the pharmaceutical companies are using this treaty to expand their profits. I certainly could see that. I was simply pointing out that the idea for this transition in propellent use in inhalers wasn't the idea of pharmaceutical companies or the FDA - it is due to a treaty that the US signed many many years ago. The completion date for this change is at the end of this year, per the treaty. The pharmaceutical companies seem to be taking advantage of the treaty.

Mexican albuterol? What could go wrong. I men if you aren't killed or kidnapped on the trip.

Sounds like a lot of HARD work,(sarcasm)

While I agree that it is silly, I also think it would be hard to sue the government over this, since it's part of an international treaty that the government signed many years ago (it has various dates to remove/change certain things over time).

Primatene Mist certainly CAN cause those side effects. The most common side effects of Primatene Mist are the most common side effects seen with epinephrine (since that's what Primatene Mist is) - palpitations, tachycardia, headache, anorexia, nervousness, anxiety, dizziness, sweating, pallor, tremor, etc.

I do agree that's these inhalers aren't a major contributor and this change can be detrimental to those with mild asthma. I would also like to point out that these changes are due to an international treaty that the US entered many years ago. The pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of this in order to increase their revenues (that's why the asthma inhalers are no longer generic).

Also, I would like to point out that Primatene Tablets are still available OTC. I don't use OTC asthma meds (my asthma is much to severe for that) - and I'm not sure what the differences between Primatene Tablets and Primatene Mist are.

This law is part of an international treaty the US signed in 1987, that went into force in 1989, and has revisions made to it throughout the 1990s (though most of those occurred in the early 1990s). Don't get me wrong - I think it's silly to say the least (inhalers contribute to such a small amount of damage to the ozone layers). But, don't confuse this issue with simply a new regulation brought on by short sighted liberal democrats.

Furthermore, fast acting broncodilators, such as albuterol work within 5 minutes (often within a few seconds). Studies show that Primatene Mist has the same time to effectiveness. Long acting bronchodilators (many of which are also available as inhalers) are NOT intended to be used in an acute asthma attack, and take longer to reach effectiveness. There are certain risks/benefits with both Rx albuterol and primatene mist.

For me, RX inhalers do provide instant relief. I've had Asthma my whole life and found that the Primatene doesn't give me any relief when I'm suffering an attack.

When using ProAir, I need a few puffs before I feel any effects. My Doctor recently prescribed me Ventolin and I've had no problems since in combination with Singulair. I feel the effects of Ventolin immediately and only need one puff as opposed to mutliple puffs with ProAir.

I haven't really seen much an increase in cost of the inhalors compared to the non-environmentally friendly inhalors. They were $40 with my insurance before, and the CFA's are $40 with my insurance now. Actually, with the Ventolin I got 2 for $30. I felt like I robbed the pharmacy!

For me, RX inhalers do provide instant relief. I've had Asthma my whole life and found that the Primatene doesn't give me any relief when I'm suffering an attack.

When using ProAir, I need a few puffs before I feel any effects. My Doctor recently prescribed me Ventolin and I've had no problems since in combination with Singulair. I feel the effects of Ventolin immediately and only need one puff as opposed to mutliple puffs with ProAir.

I haven't really seen much an increase in cost of the inhalors compared to the non-environmentally friendly inhalors. They were $40 with my insurance before, and the CFA's are $40 with my insurance now. Actually, with the Ventolin I got 2 for $30. I felt like I robbed the pharmacy!

ras.. why would the pharms come up with something non prescription? They've had 20 years to prepare for this day? They waited until the last possible moment to "invent" something new that they had all along but chose to wait til the rubber was about to meet the highway before putting in the paperwork.

To those complaining about the "the inhalers only contain a thimble of cfc" where do they draw the line? Someone else could say their product only contains just a little bit more.. and the next one does the same.... Secondly just how much is a little. I'm certain there those among you saying it is only a little bit yet when you hear about radiation from x product you are oh wow can't have even that little bit.

@Carol: Read the physician inserts for your prescription meds. There are two inserts, one which asks the pharmacist to remove it as it is "Physician Only" and then the dumbed-down version intended for the patient - if you are only getting one insert, chances are you can insist on being provided both; case in point Epipen injectors.

Your vaunted prescription meds even in the TV commercials state the disclaimer that in some cases their product has actually been linked as a causal factor in asthmatic fatalities.

Even when misused, Primatene is safer than other inhalers, maintenance or otherwise. Look it up.

This is going to impact most the uninsured, the under-insured and the working poor.

"Yes We Can" Ha!

Guess that's one way to eliminate the poor in the country.