Possible Shortage of Albuterol Inhalers

I need to get extra inhalers are there any legitimate on line places to order even without a prescription? I use the VA and one inhaler a month is not enough. Post any info here please.

Call contact right side of petition below and sign petition

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

You need a Rx

Just me wrote:

I need to get extra inhalers are there any legitimate on line places to order even without a prescription? I use the VA and one inhaler a month is not enough. Post any info here please.

Perhaps you need to contact your VA Doctor and get the Rx changed to two (2)- a month.

fred wrote:

this coming ban has been public knowledge for several years. if I had to depend on a medicine like this for my health, I sure would have known about it in advance and done lots of research, talked with my doctors and been ready to go.
doesn't anyone on this forum take any personal responsibility for their healthcare?

Knowing that a change was coming is not equivalent to knowing that the new product would be effective or acceptable. I changed over to the new inhalers, glad to be doing something to help the environment, but they really do not work adequately. Of course it's just like the government to mandate the change, eliminating choice for those who need the medicine, rather than letting the two products compete on their own merits. If there really were an effective replacement, I think people would gladly go over to using, particularly if it didn't cost 3 or 4 times as much. I'd even bite the bullet and pay more without complaining if the new inhalers really worked--but they do not.

Tom wrote:

<quoted text>
Knowing that a change was coming is not equivalent to knowing that the new product would be effective or acceptable. I changed over to the new inhalers, glad to be doing something to help the environment, but they really do not work adequately...

When I first looked into this matter on the FDA website, they were aware of the possibility of issues, but could only suggest to patients that they contact their physician.

Unfortunately Physicians were mistaken that the replacements to be an equivalent drug, when in fact the change should have been closely monitored for efficacy.

From what I gather the change caused the medication to become dryer so it isn't readily absorbed by the lungs, and the HFA propellant is weaker in delivering the medication.

Perhaps those that can inhale more forceful and can hold their breath for 10 seconds or better, will not have any issues???

HELP, we need an effective medication !!

Fred writes:
"I wish you luck in the transition. I encourage you to start preparing now."

Fred, I'm not going to start preparing now. I'm going to start fighting now. You sound extremely passive. In this situation, that's not such a good thing. People are going to die. And for what? The ozone layer? Then take all aerosol cans off the market!

Lee wrote:

People are going to die. And for what? The ozone layer? Then take all aerosol cans off the market!

Aerosols (consumer) have been reformulated in the first CFC phaseout plans. Medical aerosols, such as inhalers were extended till the end of this year or till another extension happens.

Lee wrote:

Fred writes:
"I wish you luck in the transition. I encourage you to start preparing now."
Fred, I'm not going to start preparing now. I'm going to start fighting now. You sound extremely passive. In this situation, that's not such a good thing. People are going to die. And for what? The ozone layer? Then take all aerosol cans off the market!

Lee, you're right- it's time to fight back, and we only need a small percentage of the 40 million patients who use CFC MDIs to call their five political targets (as described at the bottom of the homepage of our new website- see link below) to change this. When you consider that each of these 40 million patients has friends/family who are willing to call THEIR five political targets as well, not to mention other voters (including many REAL environmentalists, as opposed to the National Resource Defense Council radicals, for example) who HATE the arrogance and stupidity and junk science that motivated this ban, it's easy to see how we CAN achieve our political goal of permanently legalizing all CFC MDIs over the next year or two by amending the Clean Air Act and abolishing FDA Final Rule 21 CFR 2.125 in its entirety.

There ARE manufacturers ready, willing and able to make CFC-11,12 and carbon tetrachloride; there ARE components manufacturers willing to produce these products; there ARE top-quality, experienced MDI generic drug companies willing to make generic CFC MDIs. ANYONE who says otherwise is LYING. And we have the increasing support of patients all over the world- ANYONE who says that HFA MDIs are as well tolerated as CFC MDIs in other countries where they have been introduced is LYING.

Having said that, Jack50 raises an excellent point- in fact, there are THREE ARGUMENTS ALL OF US MUST STOP MAKING IMMEDIATELY- we MUST learn them and NEVER repeat them- we MUST learn these THREE BASIC FACTS if we want to win this political fight. They are at the top of the ACTIONABLE INFORMATION page of our new (unfinished, be patient a little longer) website at saveCFCinhalers.org

REGARDLESS of whether or not you've signed the petition, you need to sign up at the bottom of the homepage of saveCFCinhaletrs.org if you want to be kept updated by email as we begin our campaign and our press releases shortly.

By the way, we've received our first supply of generic CFC albuterol inhalers (about $4 each- that's no typo), they're made by GlaxoSmithKline, they're called 'Ventorlin'(don't ask me why) and they are very good, with expiration dates of May 2010. Use the link for alldaychemists.com on the bottom of the ACTIONABLE INFORMATION page of our website saveCFCinhalers.org and order a few to see if you like them- it takes about two weeks to get your order delivered.

If you like them, remember that the clock on the CFC MDI ban is counting down to 12/31/08- a little over two months- and it could take us two years to reverse this CFC ban, maybe longer, and obviously, it's possible that enough people will NOT call their five political targets as we've requested on our website (as they have NOT followed our repeated requests to file MedWatch complaints against HFA MDIs they've had problems with) in which case we will NOT be able to save CFC MDIs. You can lead a horse to water...

Therefore, I suggest you QUICKLY get a test order in to alldaychemists.com and if you like it, stock up for the long haul while you can.(And just as with Gillespie's and every other vendor we recommend, we are NOT compensated in any way for these referrals.)

saveCFCinhalers.org

Sign up above even if you've already signed our petition at:

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

and file your MedWatch reports online on either site above!!!!!

AND READ AND LEARN THE THREE ARGUMENTS WE MUST NEVER MAKE AGAIN AT THE TOP OF THE 'ACTIONABLE INFORMATION' PAGE AT SAVECFCINHALERS.ORG

It's time to learn these THREE BASIC FACTS if we want to win this fight.

Hi Art...Thanks for all the great info you continue to provide. Th link above doesn't seem to work: alldaychemists.com

Also, were petitioners supposed to get a mailing by now? I signed a long time ago, yet never received anything.

Thanks.

These new inhalers are ok, but the price is ridiculous. What's up with that? I use to get 2 inhalers for $10.00 with my insurance. Now the price is $60.00. What a big difference. Don't you think? Someone has to do something about this.

You sound like a stupid teenager to think so big company is afreaid of you or your family-They would CRUSH you in court-Grow up and find another inhaler idiot

i hate this wrote:

i am a 13 year old girl who is very very dependent on the inhalers. i use it almost every day cause i am very athletic, and if i dont have this inhalers i could die and if which i do my parents possibly whole family will sue each and every one of you so you better work HARD on makeing those inhalers cause we would sue a fine of $1million. all i can say is we dont really care about the ozone layer. i dont mind if you were to make both new and old inhalers, since i know that the quvar dosent work for me i am SURE that the stupid new helping the stupid ozone layer and we got a shortage lie wont help. just remeber that sooo many people are depending on these, a lot of people might die cause of you selfish people. i hope my one little voice will change this like most people say... oh and we are sue-ing for how much? thats right $1million!!!

Esther wrote:

These new inhalers are ok, but the price is ridiculous. What's up with that? I use to get 2 inhalers for $10.00 with my insurance. Now the price is $60.00. What a big difference. Don't you think? Someone has to do something about this.

Sounds like you have a really crappy prescription plan.

I would hate to see what you would need to pay if you had to take Advair or Spiriva that retails nearly $200 a month.

The major problem with the new inhalers is cost. They are triple the out-of-pocket cost for the uninsured, and your co-pays are probably higher if you are insured.

As for the effectiveness of the medicine, the major failing of doctors and drug companies was in telling people who to use them. If used correctly, they are statistically the same. Proventil HFA, Ventolin HFA, and ProAir HFA all contain the same active ingredient (albuterol) as your old inhaler.

Problem is -- you have to change the way you use your inhaler and you have to use perfect technique. To get the medicine in your lungs, it is important to inhale quite slowly. A spacer helps a lot. The old inhalers could get more medicine in your lungs even with a quicker inhale. Also, the new meds get clogged easily. If you haven't been washing the actuator as often as you should, it has a much worse impact on these HFAs.

Jonathan wrote:

The major problem with the new inhalers is cost. They are triple the out-of-pocket cost for the uninsured, and your co-pays are probably higher if you are insured.
As for the effectiveness of the medicine, the major failing of doctors and drug companies was in telling people who to use them. If used correctly, they are statistically the same. Proventil HFA, Ventolin HFA, and ProAir HFA all contain the same active ingredient (albuterol) as your old inhaler.
Problem is -- you have to change the way you use your inhaler and you have to use perfect technique. To get the medicine in your lungs, it is important to inhale quite slowly. A spacer helps a lot. The old inhalers could get more medicine in your lungs even with a quicker inhale. Also, the new meds get clogged easily. If you haven't been washing the actuator as often as you should, it has a much worse impact on these HFAs.

No, Jonathon, they are NOT statistically the same in terms of their adverse reactions, based on our three year review of FDA MedWatch data (go to savecfcinhalers.org and go the the 'Data' page, scroll about halfway down to get to our pdfs and summary table.) According to a Harvard Med School Biostats professor (and common sense, once you see our summary table) the difference (correlated to HFA vs. CFC market share during the same three year period) is VERY statistically significant. It's huge, actually.

Some patients (probably most) do well with HFA MDIs, but many don't. Many will be helped by using proper technique and cleaning procedures, but not all. For too many, the HFA formulation is intolerable- despite the fact that albuterol sulfate (in HFA MDIs) is almost identical to albuterol base (in CFC MDIs). This is irrelevant.

The gas HFA-134a (NEVER tested by itself in patients)is different, the solvents (ethanol in HFA- with its corn residue- not good for corn allergic patients) is a factor- ethanol in MDIs is a PROVEN bronchoconstrictor for some patients, the extractables/leachables (potentially very dangerous impurities in MDIs) are different, the smaller HFA particle size with HFA MDIs that penetrate much more deeply, can be good or bad- depending on whether or not you can tolerate the formulation. It's what you (and most doctors) don't yet know about HFA MDIs that can (and do) hurt many patients.

Jonathan wrote:

A spacer helps a lot.

My pharmacist (and several other pharmacists) completely talked me out of getting a spacer, with the new HFA meds.
They all claim that using a spacer, with the new/dryer albuterol formulations, will accumulate approximately one-third of each precious dose.

With that in mind, if we compare CFC vs HFA- the inhaler of the HFA version seems to accumulate the medication just as bad as the spacer. An estimate of the CFC delivery of each dose is around 80-85% effective.(Base figure of 100% would be of that of a nebulizer treatment, even though it is representative)

The plastic inhaler of HFA version already eats 1/3 or about 66% of each dose, then a spacer will drop that down another 1/3, leaving the patient a total effective(remaining) dose of 33%.

--- Please note the figures given here is based on discussion with my pharmacist. Figuratively speaking, your mileage may vary---

I notice the previous posts are from 2006, but I had no problem until 2 weeks ago when my pharmacy stopped carrying the old CFC-based Albuterol inhalers. There is no doubt in my mind that they do not work as well, thus require more pumps to get an equivalent effect....and it does not matter what the government or pharm companies say....ask any user and you will find out the truth. I think pharm use of the CFCs should have been exempted on this one.

David Landsman wrote:

I notice the previous posts are from 2006, but I had no problem until 2 weeks ago when my pharmacy stopped carrying the old CFC-based Albuterol inhalers. There is no doubt in my mind that they do not work as well, thus require more pumps to get an equivalent effect....and it does not matter what the government or pharm companies say....ask any user and you will find out the truth. I think pharm use of the CFCs should have been exempted on this one.

I think the Pharm industry intentionally got lazy in order to rip us all off.

Albuterol went totally generic for a brief time because the law no longer allowed renewal of Pharm patents, forcing products to become generic.

When Albuterol needed to be reformulated for the elimination of CFCs, the Pharm industry literally took unfair advantage of patients with a rushed product, legally becoming a brand name item.

I believe the next phase is to eliminate Albuterol for Levalbuterol. I hope the former rip-off doesn't repeat itself