Complain about a product or service

HFA Inhalers

Mary of Luxemburg, WI February 3, 2010

The new HFA inhalers do not work for a major asthma attack. My daughter has had difficulty breathing for 24 hours with an asthma attack. The old style CFA inhalers would take care of it with usually just one puff every 4 hours. She has been using 2 puffs every 2 hours with the new (junk) and barely has any relief. We have used 2 different kinds and with and without the spacer. I'd love for the FDA to tell me what the heck the old inhalers could possibly due to the ozone that it isn't doing to our lungs??

The cost of the new inhalers are 5 times as much-you have to use 2-3 times as much-and there is no relief. Which means she doesn't get any sleep-she has to stay home from school because she is too exhausted-i have to stay home from work (more money). And my daughter has to be afraid she is going to die because she can't breath when she lies down. Three members of our family use an inhaler so the inflated cost of these useless inhalers is costing us alot of money!

Paul of Napa, CA January 28, 2010

I got 28 puffs and the inhaler is empty. These inhalers by ProAir HFA are defective. I am seriously impaired in my abilitry to work because of these ProAir HFA inhalers.

Lynda of Saint Thomas, PA January 22, 2010

ProAir inhaleres are defeative. If the ProAir inhaler has a black label in the area of the expiration date, it will not work for very long. It still has drug in it but will not dispense the drug because of faultly propellent and unit. The pharmancy refuses to take them back indicating I have used it. Note the ProAir with the white in the area of the expiration date works fine, so now I refuse to take the inhalers with the black area expiration date.

Shawn of Sterling, VA January 13, 2010

I'm an asthmatic and occasionally need my rescue inhaler. I just recently needed to use my rescue inhaler and came to find out the new HFA inhalers are much less effective, if at all. The spray is softer so it's difficult to get treatment when having an asthma attack. I didn't receive any relief from my Proventil HFA inhaler and luckily had an Albuterol CFC inhaler laying around. Apparently the shelf life is shorter (2 months?) on the new HFA inhalers and they cost much more since there's no generic. The CFC Albuterol inhalers NEED to be brought back! The HFA inhalers are NOT an effective product. I'm now looking into buying a nebulizer which will limit my mobility and way of life severely. I'm outraged!!

Kendra of arlington , TX December 22, 2009

this inhaler is not nearly as effective as the cfc inhalers. it takes longer to feel the effect as wel as 2-4 times the dose meaning anywhere from 4-8 puffs before even marginal relief is felt. you are advsied to take deep breaths but the problem is that whn you are having an asthma attack esp a severe one deep breaths are not possible. hence the problem.

I used my hfa in haler on more than one occaision and had to use an increased dose and at time had to abandon the inhaler for a treatment using a nebulizer (which gives a more concentrated does of medication and takes apprx 15 m inutes to complete one treatment) The worst cases when i used the hfa to no relief then moved on tha the nebulizer and 3 treatments later still had no relief. I finally had to call an ambulance and go to the er. after this happerend the second time i stopped using thee hfa altogether as it seemd to make the attacks worse.

Now I still use my advair daily to control my asthmas but when i needs emergancy relief i just use the over the counter primatene. This inhaler gives much faster relief but is infinitely more dangerous with much higher risks for cardiac arrest amng other problems. It is scarry.

my only options are going to the er, missing time from work, being unable to care for my kids, risking death by asthmas attack, using the Gov't approved medication. or I can risk death by heart attack using the primatene inhaler. hopefully since my asthma is well controlled with the Advair ( i only need a rescue in haler one or twice in a two week period) I am not using the prmatene enought ti kill me.

Lena of raleigh, NC December 21, 2009

ProAir inhaler is a joke. It cost more 35 and does not work like albuterol 10. At first I though I had a disfunctional ProAir, but was told that how it supposed to work. It did not last like albuterol and does not work medically like abuterol. Two puffs and I still did feel better. Sometime I have to used more.

I think the FDA is just like the Drug Makers, help each, but not the welfare of it citizens. Bring back my generic brand please. I am not waste my to help making ProAir. Until I read all the complaints, I realise I was not imaging like I told. Unsatisfy customer.

raymond of garden city, MI December 12, 2009

The PROAIR inhaler is a defective product. It caused a very bad rash,sore throat and almost killed me because of it's poor results. The new HFA inhalers are horrible. Only one that seems to help is Ventolin. The rest are pure garbage.

Theanchai of Waltham, MA December 5, 2009

ProAir HFA has hardly anything in the inhaler. The box says "200 Metered Inhalations". The last 2 inhalers I've used gave me less than 30 puffs. I thought the first one must've just been a mistake, but twice in a row? Now I see that others have been having the same problem.

Amber of Mansfield, AR November 27, 2009

I have been an asthmatic since birth and have relied on fast acting inhalers all of my life. Since the 2009 switching of CFC inhalers to the HFA inhalers I have had more difficulty breathing. The HFA inhalers do not work as well as the CFC not by a landslide. Not only do they not work well they run out much more quickly. I went from using 1 inhaler a month to 2 sometimes 3. The inhalers are also more expensive and my insurance will only pay for 1 per month. I feel as if when they took the CFC inhalers they also took away part if my life.

As they don't work as well so when we go places as a family I have to sit out while everyone else goes on tours and things that require physical activity. I was told by a doctor that all of his patience say the same thing. I feel that if it was necassary for the government to ban CFC inhalers they should have replaced them with an equivalent instead we have been given an expensive less helpful product that will eventually, if it hasn't already, result in the death of someone who needs a rescue inhaler.

I can't rely on it when I am at my worst I have to go to the ER. I never had to do that once with a CFC inhaler in 28 years. It has cost me more money, left me breathless when it was supposed to help me, and continues to effect the quality of my life.

Jasper of Seattle, WA November 22, 2009

I have moderately severe asthma. The ProAir HFA product was provided to me as an alternative to the Ventolin brand of albuterol by a local pharmacy. The product is labeled as exactly the same dose as the Ventolin brand I had been using for some years prior. The ProAir HFA did not work, and my asthma began flairing over the course of a week. This product is NOT the same and should not be represented by pharmacys as the same. The product did not perform it's job. People die of uncontrolled asthma.

By the 6th day of usage, my chest was so tight, my breathing so shallow I needed to go to the emergency room. I found an almost empty Ventolin container in my drawer with a couple of puffs left. I took the Ventolin and IMMEDIATELY experience a relief of the chest constriction. I am returning the unused PROAIR and filing a complaint with the FDA and the Attorney General.