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Put people first [Environmentalists outlawed the best asthma inhalers!]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | December 29, 2007 | SHAWN PIRRUNG

Posted on 12/29/2007 10:02:50 AM PST by grundle

This is the problem with the politicians, and especially those who are so worried about the environment: They forget what and who is important -- people. The reason I say this is because of what has happened with prescription inhalers used for asthma treatment.

I recently needed to refill my inhaler and was told by the local pharmacist that the inhaler was now different because it contained ingredients that harmed the ozone layer. However, these ingredients were the most effective for helping calm down an asthma attack.

I was also informed by the pharmacy that since the medication was altered, it was not covered by my prescription coverage because it is now considered a new medication.

To make a long story short, I had a minor asthma attack and this new, altered inhaler did almost nothing to help. I then went to the emergency room and needed to receive a couple of breathing treatments to settle down my breathing. I then informed the ER doctor what inhaler I used and he actually began to laugh, saying, "It's crazy that the medication would be altered like this. Don't they know how many millions of people rely on inhalers for asthma relief?"

I was diagnosed as asthmatic when I was about 7 or 8 years old and have needed to use inhalers every day since. I ask you this: What happens to the elderly who rely on inhalers also and who are on fixed incomes? Will they receive the same rude awakening when they are advised that these asthmatic medications are now not covered by insurance because they supposedly harm the ozone layer?

(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: asthma; enviros; envirowhackos; health; medicine
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To: grundle

Lets face it environmentalist are human haters and could care less about people. Look at the millions they have killed when they got DDT banned for NO REASON.


21 posted on 12/29/2007 10:21:16 AM PST by YOUGOTIT (The Greatest Threat to our Security is the US Senate)
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To: r9etb
Yes, they both contain albuterol, but having used both, I can tell you that the delivery system makes a big difference and the new ones do not work as well.

(a) There is less pressure.
(b) It feels more powdery going down.

The last thing you want when you’re having an asthma attack is to blow powder down your throat.

No worries, I’m picking up a CFC prescription every time I leave the state so I’m well stocked,

22 posted on 12/29/2007 10:22:03 AM PST by keat (You know who I feel bad for? Arab-Americans who truly want to get into crop-dusting.)
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To: randog

Note to self: Must build of stash! :)


23 posted on 12/29/2007 10:22:34 AM PST by SouthTexas (Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas.)
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To: grundle

But in this instance the real blame belongs to the politicians who enacted the law that changed the inhalers.


24 posted on 12/29/2007 10:26:33 AM PST by Rudder
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To: grundle

Have you tried looking for the product overseas?

A good place to do business with is Masters Marketing in the UK. You might have to email them with the name of the product to find out if they can get it for you as stuff is often marketed under a different name in England. They will translate the US brand name into the UK brand name.

If it is a generic product it might be listed on their website.

http://www.masters-uk.com/medicines/home.php

You can order virtually any RX as long as it is not a controlled substance.


25 posted on 12/29/2007 10:27:01 AM PST by freespirited (Still a proud member of the Stupid Party. It beats the Evil Party any day of the week.)
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To: grundle

I use Maxair. It used to be that it actually worked. And then they changed it to the type of delivery system it has now. It doesnt work.

I dont like inhalers and never used them untill they decided that the MARAX that I was using for years and years was no longer needed. So I was put on Accolate-twice a day. Its as useless as the Maxair. Then...I am often told that Accolate is an old med and they cant get it...a pure bunch of bull. I travel a lot and I generally go to Walmart to get my meds filled. Some Walmarts are good and some are lazy useless SOBs. Like the one in Elkhart IN.


26 posted on 12/29/2007 10:27:02 AM PST by crz
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To: SouthTexas

I did the same thing. I work in the medical field so knew this was coming. My Albuterol inhaler is the only way I can do things outdoors certain times of the year. My sympathetic primary care MD wrote for a stockpile several months ago.


27 posted on 12/29/2007 10:28:50 AM PST by McLynnan
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To: freespirited

Masters Marketing doesn’t require a prescription?


28 posted on 12/29/2007 10:32:29 AM PST by McLynnan
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To: r9etb
Sorry, you're wrong.

The mole weight of the compound went from ~280 to ~480mg, and the propellant is not as forceful. Additionally, because of the 'new' formulation, it is again a proprietary formulation, so there are no substitutions available. Albuterol with CFC retailed at under $20; ProAir©HFA goes over $40.

29 posted on 12/29/2007 10:33:40 AM PST by brityank (The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional !!)
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To: McLynnan

Nope. You just give the name of your doctor. It’s a CYA thing with them. They never do anything with it.

This is the result of the fuss made by AIDS patients years ago. The FDA was forced to adopt a Personal Use Policy that allows Americans to import drugs from overseas.


30 posted on 12/29/2007 10:35:38 AM PST by freespirited (Still a proud member of the Stupid Party. It beats the Evil Party any day of the week.)
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To: r9etb
This fellow is nuts. The changes were made to replace the CFC propellant, not the medication itself. I’m not all that happy about it myself, but this story is inaccurate.

The propellant or means of delivery can be just as critical as the medication in getting it into the persons airway efficiently and quickly. An example is a sinus allergy spray called Nasocort I think was the name. In a propellant spray mist delivery it worked almost instantly. The EPA and Lords of Stupidity however decided that it needed to be in the form of a typical squeeze bottle delivery {liquid} fer da environment of course. What once worked well became useless. Having the majority of it go down my throat rather than in a mist form absorbed by the membranes in my nasal passages made it a futile act and waste of money. Sinus allergy attacks can be very similar in nature to Asthma attacks. Getting instant relief should be the top priority.

31 posted on 12/29/2007 10:38:35 AM PST by cva66snipe (Proud Partisan Constitution Supporting Conservative to which I make no apologies for nor back down)
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To: McLynnan
I use mine mainly at night, hard to go to sleep when you can't breath. :)

I was "pre-warned" the hard way. Doc said they will outlaw the present delivery system so I may as well get used to the new one. The albuterol is supposed to be the same.

32 posted on 12/29/2007 10:40:07 AM PST by SouthTexas (Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas.)
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To: grundle

Isn’t it too bad that this article includes NO specifics? It’s so vague, for those of us whose families use inhalers, that there is actually no reason to read it and truly no real information to glean from it.


33 posted on 12/29/2007 10:41:52 AM PST by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: brityank
EDIT:

~280 to ~480mg should be micrograms, µg Sorry.

34 posted on 12/29/2007 10:42:18 AM PST by brityank (The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional !!)
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To: Morgan in Denver
Environmentalist extremists don’t care. Consider how many people have died because of the DDT ban.

Worth repeating.

35 posted on 12/29/2007 10:42:48 AM PST by Balding_Eagle (If America falls, darkness will cover the face of the earth for a thousand years.)
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To: freespirited

Wow, shows how naive I am. Wonder if all the hydrocodone seeking addicts know about this.


36 posted on 12/29/2007 10:44:01 AM PST by McLynnan
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To: grundle
Murder comes in many forms ... abortion, strangled athsmatics, shock therapy, gummint skool indoctrination ...

Anything to kill a man or at least his ability to think.

37 posted on 12/29/2007 10:44:44 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: SouthTexas

From what I know the albuterol is the same but the delivery system is much weaker. A respiratory therapist I know said the old propellant sent the medication deeper into the bronchia where it could provide the most relief. The new delivery system requires deeper inhalation as you spray it. Obviously these idiots have never had an asthma attack where inhaling is impossible. Good luck to you.


38 posted on 12/29/2007 10:47:53 AM PST by McLynnan
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To: grundle

bump


39 posted on 12/29/2007 10:47:58 AM PST by VOA
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To: cva66snipe; All

The fellow claims his medication changed. It did not. As I said, I’m not happy about the new delivery method myself — but the medication is not different.


40 posted on 12/29/2007 10:52:02 AM PST by r9etb
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