asthma inhalers

seems like my pharmacy isn't selling albuterol &/or ventolin anymore.  

are they still making it?

what were you switched to?  the pharmacist mentioned pro-air and think he said it includes steroids?   but just the other day someone was mentioning blood pressure going up on that, and i hate taking the steroids.

i just need an inexpensive rescue inhaler to be available.

I tried Advair, which is a steroid one, and it raised my BP.  I use Combivent, a non-steroid one, and it helps me and does not raise my BP.  But everyone is different.  Talk to your doc about your options, and if you have trouble on one, ask to try something different.

is combivent also a non-steroid?

the pharmacy said he would just call it in and get it switched over through the docs office.  but... the pro-air was expensive and was just wondering what alternatives people are using.

i may go to the doctors but it's like $200 just to see him and if it's just going to switch to pro-air as the only choice, i might as well do it through the renew process through the pharmacist.

i HATE when they discontinue meds that work.  It has happened several times, and it usually means they will come out with an OTC version (zantac, claritin, sudafed, mucinex, advil, naproxen).  but, there's a gap which leaves us up the creek unless we switch to another scrip

I just had my albuterol refilled, so I'm assuming they still make it.  Boy, I hope they do, because the steroid inhalers give me infections.  It seems kind of fishy; the albuterol is cheap, and the alternatives are all very expensive (as far as I know), so I wouldn't put it past the pharmacies to "promote" the more expensive stuff. Maybe check with a big pharmacy like Wal-Mart or Walgreens?

I read an article saying that because most of the pharmaceutical companies are making more HFA inhalers that the "old" albuterol inhalers of the past are going to be increasingly hard to find.  The worst part?  The new HFA inhalers aren't considered generic and will be more expensive. 

For those that don't know, HFA is a new kind of chloroflourocarbon (sp?) that doesn't damage the ozone layer when the medicine is expelled.  The same idea with how hair spray was changed over from the spray cans to pumps or "new" types of spray cans.

first, I use advair and it is very effective for me...  and my rescue is brycanle (sp?). advair is about 100$ cnd. per month, and i don't know what my rescue costs, i get it free from my dr. but what you said about a dr. visit being 200$... is it really that much? thats incredible!! I actually never imagined a doctor's visit could cost so much!

The reason albuterol is getting hard to find is one of the chemicals in it is supposedly bad for the ozone and the government has decided that after January 2008 it can no longer be sold. Even though it works best for me out of all inhalers.

I use Xopenex and Azmacort. Xopenex is $10 on my prescription plan as is Albuterol. Azmacort is $30.

I used to use Advair but I had lots of side effects. So I stopped cold turkey, which was a bad move! I ended up in the ER twice in one month.

The reason albuterol is getting hard to find is one of the chemicals in it is supposedly bad for the ozone and the government has decided that after January 2008 it can no longer be sold. Even though it works best for me out of all inhalers.

I use Xopenex and Azmacort. Xopenex is $10 on my prescription plan as is Albuterol. Azmacort is $30.

I used to use Advair but I had lots of side effects. So I stopped cold turkey, which was a bad move! I ended up in the ER twice in one month.

The reason albuterol is getting hard to find is one of the chemicals in it is supposedly bad for the ozone and the government has decided that after January 2008 it can no longer be sold. Even though it works best for me out of all inhalers.

I use Xopenex and Azmacort. Xopenex is $10 on my prescription plan as is Albuterol. Azmacort is $30.

I used to use Advair but I had lots of side effects. So I stopped cold turkey, which was a bad move! I ended up in the ER twice in one month.

The reason albuterol is getting hard to find is one of the chemicals in it is supposedly bad for the ozone and the government has decided that after January 2008 it can no longer be sold. Even though it works best for me out of all inhalers.

I use Xopenex and Azmacort. Xopenex is $10 on my prescription plan as is Albuterol. Azmacort is $30.

I used to use Advair but I had lots of side effects. So I stopped cold turkey, which was a bad move! I ended up in the ER twice in one month.

I can still get Proventil brand of albuterol; it has no CFCs (just got it refilled yesterday).

I use the pro-air because as Karen said, the old one was bad for the ozone.  The accelerant (sp) used in the old albuterol is what was bad, also there would still be accelerant left in the inhaler after the medicine was gone, so you would just be inhaling accelerant.  The pro-air does not use the same accelerant and when the medicine is gone, the inhaler is empty.  It does not contain a steroid.  Sorry, lengthy and rather repetitive. 

I was only recently diagnosed (way to be on the ball, physicians) and I'm taking Symbicort.  Not sure if it's available in the states.  It's non-steroid, powder-based, and acts as a rescue as well.  I've been seeing fantastic results, and I've heard the same from others.

It can mess with your blood sugar a bit, though, so it's not recommended for those suffering from diabetes.

I'm sure that we asthmatics are the primary cause of ozone deteriorization!  Better get rid of the medication that lets us breathe, because the ozone is dying!  Never mind car exhaust, factory pollution....those asthma inhalers are the ozone's number 1 threat!!!

Give me a break! 

ProAir is a great rescue inhaler and it does not contain steroids.  I was using albuterol but was switched in January because Kaiser stopped carrying it.  I like the ProAir better than the albuterol.  I also use Advair 500/50.  My asthma is triggered by so many different things that I need a higher does of daily steroids, but this keeps me from being in the hospital and from having to go on tapered steroid therapy.