Unfolding crisis among those with breathing problems...

[kickysnana]

My doctor refilled my albuterol asthma inhaler last month and instructed me that I might need a double dose in order to get the same amount of medicine that I had gotten from my last prescription that had the old propellant.

Last night at a support group, a former MD, former drug rep now working as a PT pharmacy tech due to chronic disease told us that the old inhalers cost wholesale $7 and the reordered yesterday and the new inhalers cost $129 up from $65. Most inhalers that work as well or better than albuterol cost $300-650 wholesale. The PCA who works with my Aunt has three kids on inhalers and her copay went from $4 to $45 before the new doubling of price this month.

The over-the-counter "bronchial mist" containing epinepherine, $6 at Walgreens at the time, were pulled from the market about 2 years ago due to regulations.

Those of us with allergies/asthma often took Sudefed or Actifed. Anti-meth Legislation put those medicines behind the counter with more paperwork than oxycontin and made sales plummet so right now the only place I can get them is in generic form is Walgreens. The original manufacturer changed their product to something else.

My first inhaler was Serevent. It worked about 100 times better, a lot faster and lasted longer than the albuteral but it was pulled several years ago due to it being harder on unhealthy hearts.

Don't be surprised to see people debilitated and gasping for air, in church, at the grocery store or even while driving because they cannot get or cannot afford the medicine that keeps them breathing.

[drm604]

1. Contact your Senators and Congresspersons.

Tell them what you just told us. They need to hear these stories from as many of us as possible right NOW.

Here's where you and everyone else can find their contact info.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

[blogslut]

2. I hear you

I also hate that they took products containing Ephedra off the market because people were abusing it for weight loss. Breathe Easy Tea just isn't the same without the Ephedra.

[rox63]

3. See if you can get your doc to prescribe you a home nebulizer

So you'd only need to use the inhaler when you are away from home. Nebulizers also give you more medication from the standard dose.

All metered-dose inhalers are being reformulated with different propellents, for environmental purposes. The drug companies are just using it as an excuse to jack u pthe prices.

Serevent is now only available in combination with other medications, because when used alone, it can cause heart attacks. It is one of the 2 meds in Advair. It's a dry poweder inhaler, which doesn't have the propellent problem. But it also contains a steroid, which you may not want to take if you don't need it.

Edit to add: I'm in school to become a respiratory therapist.

[kickysnana]

4. Thanks for the additional info...

[quiller4]

8. Second that. Albuterol solution from nebulizer works fast

and really can cut medical expense, too. The generic solution packets are cheap. I don't even carry an inhaler anymore. The nebulizer works well. The propellants in most inhalers really bother me and I try to avoid their use. I haven't needed to use oral steroids at all since I got the nebulizer and I used to wind up on them every May when oak pollen hit and lilacs bloomed.

[hunter]

5. The new inhalers are really bad. And expensive too. I hate them.

For a time my asthma was well controlled with fairly inexpensive meds. My asthma hasn't changed but my meds are now costing me about $140 a month which I pay out-of-pocket because my wife and I can't get decent medical insurance. When we were both self employed we couldn't get any health insurance, nobody would sell it to us, and we had to apply to the state's high risk pool, which was expensive and only a little bit better than the group insurance we have now.

Anybody in the U.S. can find themselves in a situation where they can't obtain health insurance except by being old enough, or by being poor enough. Sometimes shit falls out of the sky and hits random people.

I hate the U.S. healthcare "system." It's run by a bunch of sharks who prey upon the sick and injured. We do not live in a civilized nation.

[Jane Austin]

6. Are any of the old medications available in Canada

or Mexico?

[Jane Austin]

7. OK, I just answered my own question.

http://www.canadadrugs.com/search.php?keyword=serevent&x=19&y=3

I've ordered from this pharmacy for years and have been very pleased.

It looks like they will sell you a brand name inhaler for around $75.

[hunter]

9. When I lived nearer the border I'd buy my meds in Mexico.

I should probably look at Canadian meds again, but last time I did friends and family had experienced some troubles with U.S. Customs capriciously seizing meds.

The most irritating thing to me is that if my wife and I lived in Canada we wouldn't have experienced any of the financial difficulties we've had over the years, and our credit would still be good. The U.S. healthcare system is a great flaming turd and everyone here experiences highly inappropriate and/or crappy care at some point, even the very wealthy.