Asthma inhalers in short supply

saveCFCinhalersDOTorg wrote:

Vincent, you can get Warrick CFC from the drug store in the upper right corner of petition below- please sign it while you're there (we are not compensated for this referral).
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveCFCinh...

Thanks Art, I will ask my pharmacist for this product.

And of course I will sign the petition.

Buy your prescriptions from Canada and Mexico. It's cheaper and you can still get the old inhalers.

I don't know about Mexico, but Canada quit selling CFC inhalers a few years ago, unfortunately. But you can at least save money by buying Ventolin HFA from Canada.

JoAnn Barrick wrote:

<quoted text>
Where do you buy blackmarket inhalers? I would love to buy a few and prolong my life a few more months.
Thanks.

I'm trying to find that out too-- I get asthma from the new HFA inhalers
marladel@verizon.net There must be a class action suit being organized somewhere..... keep me posted

Class action suits won't work for this.

Go here now sign, the petition- if you need Warrick- you'll see where to get it.

Please file an online MedWatch complaint against the HFAs you had trouble with- link is on the petition.

Signature comments are always welcome- we post the better ones (preferably those with full names) on the front page of the petition- many are currently being added.

Petitioners will get our first campaign email BEFORE 6/15, probably much earlier.

Oops. This may work better:

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

or google: "save cfc"

It's all about $$$$$ same as it ever was.. RIOT !!!!!!!

I'm so disappointed I could cry! I tried to re-order my RX of Warrick Albuterol from Gillespie Drug last week. I just had surgery to re-attach a shredded achilles tendon, am bed ridden for the next 2-3 months and I only have 3 life-saving white inhalers left from Gillespies. I called to re-order (realitively easy) and Gillespie called me the next day - seems my Rx ran out and needed another. Called my Doctor. He said OK, just have them call me. I called G's and they said "We do not contact doctors, he has to call us." Spoke to my doctor and he refused to call G's. Called G's back to beg them (every other pharmacy calls my doctor) and they flatly refused - she even hung up on me! I was shocked! Now I'm faced with even more anxiety cause there is NOTHING I CAN DO BEDRIDDEN. Has anyone else had this problem? I feel like monkey in the middle.

Sharon, we explained this on the petition- but bottom line- people have been panicking and taking out their frustrations on Gillespie's to the point that they STOPPED selling Warricks. I had to ask the owner to give us another chance- I posted the petition link below. This is a major headache for them.

There's no way they'll call your doctor. Your DOCTOR needs to understand the UNIQUE CRISIS MODE Gillespie's is in as the nation's sole Warrick provider and call or fax the Rx in if he cares about you- he better fax it in because if he gives them any attitude, they'll hang up on him, too. If he writes the Rx for inhalers/month, you can buy a max order of 2x8 (months between June and January)=16 all at once, or over time, as supplies last.

Read the update on Gillespie's on the petition, explain it to him, and tell him you must have him fax it in. If he refuses- you better get a new doctor- fast.

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

Should read- if he writes the Rx for 2 inhalers/month you can get up to 16 at once or over time til January if they last. I wish I could do something, but I can't. How hard is it to have his nurse fax in a Rx? He's playing ego games- by himself. This is not about ego- they are swamped and don't want this headache. Get his email addy from his nurse since that's easier than the phone- timewise- and copy/paste the petition section re Gillespie's so he gets up to speed fast enough to help you. If the surgeon (achilles) is nice- maybe he'll do it for you if you explain it.

Thanks for your response Art. Please know that I completely understand how G's has become overwhelmingly swamped. I only wrote here to quell my frutration at the situation, just as I posted here to sing their praises. I also understand that because G's is NOT anywhere close to NYC, they may have interpreted my doctor's request as just the NYC attitude of "holier than thou" (excluding me, of course). But that does not excuse the rude and unprofessional treatment that I encountered by Heather. I feel trapped beause G's has the drug I need, and that is the ONLY reason I did not report Heather's actions to her superiors. Bad day, too many orders, or rude customers are no excuse to abruptly hang-up on a distressed customer. The cornerstone of any successful business is customer service, and not to be too NY, but maybe Heather is NOT cut out for her job responsibilities.
As mentioned, I posted about my first order with G's a while back. It was truly a dream, and at the time, G's had NO PROBLEM in contacting my doctor, which they did! Now I understand that calling so many out of state doctors for Rx may cost a pretty penny, and I have no problem with that, but under the cicumstances (like mine at being bed ridden for the next 3 months) exceptions should be made, especially for repeat business.
I am now forced to kowtow and find another doctor - a daunting task because ALL doctors' are called by pharmacies here in NYC.
I don't want to linger on this - I just wanted to share my unpleasant experience (as I did for the pleasant)with members here so they know what to expect. We are subjected to unprofessional treatment because they got the drug we need! What a world!

and just to add,(in my own defense) I was NEVER at any moment, rude, sarcastic, or demanding during my conversations with G's. I was very surprised by the new "tude".

Sharon, I don't know Heather, and I don't defend her actions. Based on my conversation with the owner, he had a mutiny from his PHARMACISTS- they were DONE. Anyway, it's very unfortunate.

Why don't you email me at sponsor@saveCFCinhalers.org include your phone # and I'll call you and the owner and see if he can call your doc- I'm not clear- if your doc is unavailable- what happens- the pharmacist is expected to quit his job and call the doc back all day? They play telephone tag all week? I really don't know what NY docs expect. I don't get why they can't fax the Rx in like they do all over the country. So I need you to tell me how this is supposed to work and I'll do what I can.

This is nothing but a %&%$$#* scam.

To those who need Albuterol MDI's go to:

4cornerspharmacy.com

They also have an afiiliate:

inhousedrugstore.com

Or contact them at 800-295-8161 or 800-868-9064

E-mail: customerservices@4cornerspharm acy.com

They sell MDI's made by Glaxo (Original maker of Albuterol). These are NOT lousy generics.

They have both:
Ventolin - HFA Propellant
Ventorlin - CFC Propellent

You can get 3 Inhalers for $41. They pay shipping. Service is 5 star. They usually ship the next day. They sell all kinds of meds.

Plase pass along to anyone who needs help.

Any questions? E-mail me - DudleyZFudpucker@aol.com

"I am now forced to kowtow and find another doctor - a daunting task because ALL doctors' are called by pharmacies here in NYC."

That's not always true. I live in NYC, and my allergist and other doctors always phone or fax in my prescriptions to various pharmacies, including Gillespies, without hesitation. I have actually not heard of the reverse being true, that is, a pharmacy calling the doctor, especially since they're seeing patients much of the day and are hard to reach, it just doesn't seem very practical if you're in a rush to fill a prescription. But there are plenty of doctors in NYC who would be more than happy to phone-in your prescription to Gillespies, that much I know for sure.

Thanks Lisa, great post.

With any luck, the email to petitioners will go out today- we will meet our "end of May, plus/minus two weeks" deadline.

If you are still interested in helping us reply to petitioner email in your free time, let Cheri know at sponsor@saveCFCinhalers.org and she'll get you set up and explain the process.

Best Regards,

Art

P.S. On a much sadder note, we haven't heard from Linda (jbhoneydo) for three weeks, when she called me to tell me she had not checked in with the group due to a strep throat- she was dealing with a serious health problem but things were looking much better at the time. We've tried every way we can think of to get some information. I even called the Durham County Dept. of Vital Records, and I'll have to do that again. She's such a wonderful person. She lost her husband, a fireman, in an accident on his way to a fire two years ago. We can't reach her son by email. She loved working on this campaign- she couldn't handle any HFA inhalers. This is very tough.