Home asthma inhalers

[strmrdr]

Question for those with asthma, what do you think of the new inhalers?
I hate them, I have tried proventil HFA which is total ineffective and just switched to ventolin hfa which is a little better but not even close to the old stuff. Good thing I had a nebulizer because relying on proventil id be dead.
I did manage to find a older 1/4 full inhaler of the old stuff that I keep for my out of the house inhaler when I'm not near my nebulizer.
I dread the day it is used up.
I also hate the cost also, the old ones I used to get 3 for $30 and the new ones are $35+ each. stupid .gov grrrrrrrr

Which works best for you?

 

[atroop711]

there are new inhalers? I have so many proventil''s around the house that I haven''t had the need to ask for one from Dr. What''s the difference? I usually use it in the winters..my asthma is more seasonal in the cold.

 

[strmrdr]

yea all the new ones are HFA.
The only difference is supposed to be a different propellant but they don''t seem to work as well for a lot of people plus they cost a fortune.
This year has been damp and moldy around here all summer which really bugs my asthma.
Normally summer is my good season with fall and spring being the worst but this summer has been really bad.

 

[atroop711]

Date: 8/21/2009 8:06:04 AM
Author: strmrdr
yea all the new ones are HFA.

The only difference is supposed to be a different propellant but they don''t seem to work as well for a lot of people plus they cost a fortune.

This year has been damp and moldy around here all summer which really bugs my asthma.

Normally summer is my good season with fall and spring being the worst but this summer has been really bad.

thanks for the heads up on the new inhalers. Glad I have a lot of pumps around the house...I hope things get better for you.

 

[House Cat]

We have 3 people with asthma in our home. I have strong genes?

Anyway, my youngest uses a nebulizer because he's too young to use inhalers. For albuterol, my 15 year old and I use ProAir HFA. It works well, but I have noticed that the new inhalers are very different in terms of how the albuterol actually dispenses out. It is sort of a slow spray. Plus, they clog up like crazy now. You have to rinse them out every few days or so.

Are you using a spacer with your inhaler? I've found that helps with how they dispense. If I don't use the spacer, the medication sort of sprays all over my mouth, rather than into the back of my throat where I can inhale it. (The old inhalers really didn't need a spacer!) I once had a pharmacist say that in a pinch, if you didn't have a spacer, you could use the cardboard tube to a toilet paper roll. I don't know how effective that is, btw...I've never tried it.

We're both using Qvar for steroid treatments. My 15 year old also has to take Allegra in order to keep asthma symptoms under control because they are very allergy related. My youngest is beginning to show symptoms related to allergies, so most likely he will go on Singulair. The doctor called this a "three tier" treatment plan. Steroids, rescue inhalers, and allergy medication to fully manage the asthma. I mention this because you are saying that molds are aggravating your asthma.

Now that I've typed all of this out, it has occured to me that if you're on a nebulizer, you probably already know all of this!

I sincerely hope you get to feeling better soon.

 

[strmrdr]

Thanks HC I bought a PRoAir HFA to try.
So far ventolin is working on mild attacks haven''t had a bad one since Iv had it, not as good as the old stuff.

I''m on Advair and benadryl