Complain about a product or service

HFA Inhalers

Christina of Riceville, TN September 16, 2009

I have a child who was diagnosed with asthma when she was 2. For over 15 years she has been using an albuterol inhaler as needed to help her breath. In Sept. 2008 we had to take her to the ER with breathing difficulties. The ER gave her a nebulizer treatment and a RX for an inhaler. When I brought the inhaler home, she complained of it "tasting like rotten eggs" and "not working". Thinking that maybe we were given a "bad" inhaler, I returned it to the pharmacy and was given a new one. Again, she said it tasted bad and just didn't work. This went on for a couple weeks,and we ended up using our home nebulizer for treatments.

Fortunately for us, her asthma is seasonal and not something she has to deal with on a daily basis. Fall has rolled around again, and this is her 2 week of asthma symptoms. We have been to the ER, and Dr. This time at the Dr. I specifically requested Albuterol, stating that the PRO-Air tasted bad and seem to not work as well. Her pediatrician said it was the same medicine. I specifically asked the pharmacist for something other than pro-air.

She was given venotlin. We came home, she needed a puff and guess what? Same old thing, bad tasting and DID NOT WORK. Now the taste she can deal with, the failure of the medicine to work she CANNOT. I would love to see the Drs. and Pharmasist tell their child who is not breathing, yes it works, it's the same medicine, just breath it in deeper. How is she suppose to breath the medicine in deeper when she CAN'T BREATH at all. At age 17, she knows what works and what doesn't.

How can Doctors, Pharmasist and Drug companies get away wih passing this failure of a medicine off as a rescue inhaler. The inhaler lays on her bedside table, but our first choice is the nebulizer. I hate it for her, the shaking, the rapid heart rate, the feeling out of control of your own body that comes with the nebulizer treatments. The alternative, puff on the "new, healthy for the ozone inhaler" till you hypervenholate and pass out or die, becaue you can't get a breath. I am looking into places other than the US to buy her inhalers. I don't care what they cost! Knowing that my child is confident that her inhaler will work when she needs it is PRICELESS!

sandra of lowell, WI September 12, 2009

I had a asthma attack, used the proair and got no relief. In the past I would only use it for one puff and that gave me lots of relief. The ProAir I used three puffs and got very little relief. I though maybe I got a bad one so I went back to the drugest and he said the goverment changed the formula,and there was nothing he could do.

Jim of CRystal Falls, MI September 10, 2009

HFA asthma inhalers DON'T WORK like the CFC ones did. Dr. gave me a sample ProAir HFA inhaler; after using it I just don't "feel right." It does not work fast in relief either like the Albuterol CFC inhaler worked. For Albuterol I was able to get 4 inhalers for 25 through a Rx plan, but now, one inhaler costs 35+. I can't afford them. I had to buy through a Canadian Rx; I was able to buy 6 for 74 of their generic brand. Not great or good, but it works better than ProAir and much cheaper. The government should allow Albuterol CFC's back.

Jay of New Richmond, WI September 10, 2009

I had to switch to the more expensive HFA inhaler. This product does not work and I need to over use in order to get it to work. It is ineffective. CFC worked great for 25 years. I wish the FDA and people who passed this regulation could experience an asthma attack and ineffective medication

Julia of New Orleans, LA September 9, 2009

This product does not work. We need albuterol back. It has less dosages, not as effective and cost more. One does not mind paying for a product that works, it isn't the cost as much as the fact that it does not work

Kristin of Sunland, CA September 8, 2009

I have had severe asthma all my life. I have been extremely adept at utilizing my medications, including albuterol, to achieve the best quality of life possible. I was exercising 4-5 days a week, often running miles in the hills above Los Angeles (not without effort related to having asthma, however). In April 2008 I began using Proventil HFA and instantly began a serious downhill decline in health ending with an outright anaphylactic reaction to the inhaler in June 2008 that almost killed me. During the incident, I realized what was happening and managed to consume enough benedryl and find an old, CFC albuterol inhaler to reverse enough of the effects to barely breathe. I was not hospitalized.

Although I was not hospitalized, my life has been truly a living hell since that day. My immune system "went nuts", for want of a better term, that day in June 2008, and my life has been a fight to simply breathe since then. It has also been a fight to "calm down" my immune system and convince it to return to the relative steady state I had achieved through active manipulation of traditional asthma meds, exercise, and nutrition prior to the HFA-ethanol incident.

I am buying most of my medications myself without insurance because they come from outside the country. My effectiveness in my job has been severely compromised, making the stress of my job almost intolerable. Bottom line - a living hell. I'm absolutely exhausted.

Christine of Greenleaf, KS September 8, 2009

My husband and I can't get our CFC inhalers anymore. We both are on oxygen and have become more limited as to what we can do. These new inhalers dont work well and also run out earlier than they should. They also cost more.

I don't know why they took away the good inhalers that worked. Surely there are other things they could take away to cut down on pollution that wouldnt make people worse and limit our activity this much. This is a life and death thing for people like us.

STEVE of East Greenbush, NY September 8, 2009

As an asthma sufferer for many years I successfully used CFC asthma inhalers. A year ago my allergist cautioned me about HFC inhalers, that using one could cause me to register DWI if I was ever required to take a breatholizer test. The option of refusing a breatholizer test results in automatic suspension of a driver's license in my state. Living in a remote area it is necessary to use an automobile for transportation.

The danger of registering "high alcohol" as the result of HFC inhalers is one of the best kept secrets around. Fortunately I can cope with asthma without an inhaler, although sometimes I am incapacitated during an asthma episode. I woould rather take this risk than run the risk of being falsely charged with DWI because of the use of an HFC inhaler.

My activities and mobility are limited, due to government regulation against CFC powered inhalers. Because of the unavailability of CFC inhalers I work less, I earn less and pay less in income taxes, so the government regulation is self defeating from their position.

daniel of madison, CT August 30, 2009

HFA inhalers are only one third as effective as the replaced cfc inhalers. The decision to replace cfc.. was a bureaucratic blunder. The FDA should stick to medical matters and let the EPA do their thing. By the way, only a silly person would think the flurocarbons I previously inhaled was punching holes in the ozone layer. (God save us from government bureaucrats devoting themselves to saving us)

Inhalers are intended to be fast acting medications intended to enable COPD and asthma victims to breath.Hfa inhalers fail this objective miserably.Help.

Ken of Matawan, NJ August 26, 2009

Ever since the old asthma inhalers were banned last year, I've had problems with my asthma and the new inhalers. They are much more expensive, don't last nearly as long and I've received several defective inhalers through my RX mail order service. It seems to me that the elimination of the old inhalers was not completely thought through and many people like myself are struggling with asthma as a result. It's not fair.

I can die from asthma because the new inhalers don't work, don't last for the prescribed number of inhales and I cannot afford them. HELP ME!