ProAir HFA Inhalers Reviews

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 fluorocarbons I previously inhaled were 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 to enable COPD and asthma victims to breathe. HFA inhalers fail this objective miserably. Help.

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, they 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 me are struggling with asthma as a result. It's not fair. I can die from asthma because the new inhalers don't work, they don't last for the prescribed number of inhales and I cannot afford them. Help me!

I am confused how the ozone comes into play with this inhaler. The inhaler is just that, inhale. It is not an exhaler. We inhale the medicine. Spraying my hair with hairspray makes sense. It sprays into the air. It plays a part with the ozone but inhaling a product? I am confused.

i have been researching about my asthma. My allergy is hot/cold air sensitive. I thought it was me, that I was getting worse and now reading complaints, I see that ProAir is not helpful at all. So why am I taking it? I, too, have experienced the need to get my prescription filled earlier as well. I seem to refill it every three weeks and I am constantly cleaning it. Sometimes I feel as though I didn't even get a lot in my container. I think everyone who has a complaint about this product is 100% correct. I am getting to the point that the CDC isn't getting a full picture from the pharmaceutical companies. That alone is a crime. The CDC should also have specialists in the pharmaceutical areas. Maybe no one in the CDC and pharmaceuticals has asthma!

The new inhalers don't work for me. After the CFC inhalers were banned, I developed a severe respiratory infection. I nearly died and now I can barely shop for necessities or run the vacuum in the living room. This legislation could very well end my life decades sooner and it has disabled me completely.

HFA Inhalers did not help my asthma and created side effects like intermittent tinnitus. I am getting CFC inhalers from a country that can legally make them. Why can't these inhalers be made available for the people who cannot tolerate HFA Inhalers? This is what a humane society would do. I am afraid I will die from an asthma attack.

Pro Air Inhalers do not work. I have Kaiser and they said that it is the only generic product available. I suffer from asthma and when I need to use it, it doesn't work. When you pump the inhaler, the medication goes backwards. After you start using the inhaler after a few times, it does not work. Why are medical providers like Kaiser selling defective products? How do manufacturers and medical providers get away with this?

The new HFA inhalers are terrible! They just do not work! I need around 4 puffs from one of these to get the effect of one puff from my old albuterol inhaler. I am wheezing right now and have nothing left as this new inhaler "leaks.” I cannot rely on my inhaler anymore and that frightens me. People will die in the midst of an asthma attack because of these sub-par inhalers. Just wait! I expect to see a big class-action suit in the future. Count me in!

The new type of inhaler, Pro-Air, does not work as well as the CFC-inhalers. Please check into this as there are many consumers who suffer from asthma. Thank you.

I use the product every morning when I get up, and I can't tell you how many times this inhaler is clogged. My pharmacist has told me to run it in under water and then let it dry thoroughly. Well, I have used albuterol inhaler for almost 30 years. And never once have I had a problem. When I needed it, I used it. I would hate to be in dire need of using this inhaler, as so many times it has been clogged and it is not an inexpensive inhaler. I think they need to go back to albuterol, until they can perfect this inhaler to work all the time. I'm not happy with the product.

This doesn't work. I've had asthma my entire life. It's been under control for years. Now, I actually need an inhaler because I've developed a gluten allergy and this new HFA inhaler doesn't work. I'm not the only one either. My children are suffering now too with it. We are using far more medication than we ever have before. The quality of my life has diminished because I can't exercise like I used to and am fearful of doing so because I know this inhaler won't work for me when I need it. This needs to be a class action lawsuit on behalf of all the asthma and pulmonary patients in the US. Help us. We're suffering and in some cases, dying. We need out CFC albuterol inhalers back ASAP. Help us.

I am allergic to sulfates. I did not realize that almost all albuterol HFA have a sulfate compound. Consequently, I get steadily worse if I use one. I am unable to walk from one room to another without gasping for breath. I have tried several and been able to determine that it's the sulfates. The exception is Proventil, which not only contains sulfates but a propellant that I am also allergic to. Xopenex works, but not well, at least it doesn't make the situation worse. I believe the reason is that it is a pediatric asthma treatment. I need to find an albuterol rescue that does not have sulfates. Any ideas?

The new inhalers do not work for me. They do not have the 200 puffs as the label says. My last inhalers lasted at least 3 weeks to one month. This new environmental inhaler does not last even 2 weeks. I get one a month. My breathing this year has become very serious. The inhaler gets stuck all the time. And the recommended puffs do not give any relief. In fact, I rarely get any kind of relief. They also cost twice as much as the old inhalers. And the dosage was cut from 17g-20g to just only 8.5g. No wonder they don’t work. I am afraid that I am going to die one of these nights. I also get major headaches from these new inhalers. I have been using them for about 8 months now.

I am fearful everyday that if I'll have an asthma attack, I will die because I do not have a CFC inhaler. I have tried the HFA inhalers and they do not work. The cost for HFA inhalers is also completely ridiculous! I believe that it is a scam by the FDA to acquire more money. I do not believe in or have ever believed in the FDA. They do not care about people's health or safety. They are greedy and they need regulation.

Just like everyone else on this website, I am writing to complain vehemently about these inhalers. Since the removal of CFCs, these inhalers stop working after about 10-20 uses. The consumer is paying twice as much and getting nothing back but more bronchial problems. I have returned at least 2 to my pharmacy, which the pharmacist reluctantly replaced. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong with the units until I went online today and found this website. Now, I feel more ripped-off than ever. While I am concerned about the effect of aerosols on the environment, I am more concerned about what the lack of it in these inhalers is doing to my health. There must be a better solution for rescue inhalers than ProAir HFA. I think this product should be taken off the market and the consumer recompensed in some manner.

I was recently switched to the HFA ProAir albuterol inhaler. I had been using the CFC albuterol for several decades. I'm a life long asthmatic and the CFC inhalers have been great, but these HFA inhalers like everyone else has mentioned take 3, 4, and 5 puffs to get any effect. I'm competitive athlete (cycling) and depend on the instant relief I receive from the CFC inhalers. It's a quality of life issue and it's also an economic one as I now spend 10 times as much for my drugs as I did a year ago. I feel for those with COPD or other chronic states as the HFA inhalers are borderline worthless. Only the asthmatics and those that have other breathing disorders can understand how serious this problem is. If you can't breathe, you can't function. Oxygen is the body’s main source of energy; without it you won't last long.

HFA inhalers (Proventil HFA and Pro Air HFA) do not work. Proventil inhaler has a way of getting stuck and even with periodic washing, the inhaler won't dispense which is a major problem when trying to use in an emergency. I've had numerous asthma exacerbation over the course of the past year when I switched over from CFC inhalers to HFA. My asthma was fully controlled previously. Now, it is as if I'm sick all the time and it is as if I am not using any inhaler at all. I'm currently doing more research on other new alternative methods to managing my asthma because these "rescue" inhalers are not rescuing.

I found out that I couldn't buy a CFC Asthma inhaler and instead, was given an HFA Asthma inhaler. I had severe bronchospasm that lasted for several hours. I want to get the CFC Asthma Inhalers back on the market.

This product is a ripoff. My pulmonary doctor recommended ProAir HFA to be used in place of my nebulizer (when away from home), along with other inhalers to control my COPD. I believe they only half-filled the ProAir inhaler, because it ran out within two weeks. I went back to the pharmacy and complained that I paid a $30.00 co-pay and it didn't last as long as the others. The pharmacy suggested I make a complaint. The FloVent that I used in conjunction with ProAir has a counter which displays the number of puffs remaining before it's empty. They were both used the same amount of time, and FloVent has at least another two weeks of medication remaining.

This is a "rescue inhaler" for asthma and COPD that is much less effective than the old CFC products it replaced. The August 2008 issue of Scientific American shows why it is unnecessary to replace CFC products. I am in stage IV of emphysema and I'm suffering. Why are you making my life more miserable than it already is? Why can't I buy the old products that worked?

These new Pro Air Inhalers have nearly been the death of me during attacks. I am now a severe asthmatic as well as having copious phlegm. I have had to reach up to my husband's hand as I am passing out on our floor. I have to spray the Pro Air in my mouth but cannot get the propellant into my chest. I am going to die if someone does not reverse this law and give us back the Rescue Inhalers.

I have had asthma for years now and when my old inhaler was deemed "not friendly to the environment", I, like many of my fellow asthma sufferers, received a Pro Air HFA inhaler. I was not happy about it but was determined to live with it (breathing is a pretty important necessity after all). I receive one a month with 200 doses and so far I have not been able to even get 2 weeks worth of medication from these inhalers. Last week, I finally had enough and went to my pharmacy. They filled another prescription (more money I had to spend) and it worked until 2 days ago. This time, it didn't even last a week! Does anyone out there know if there is a class action suite against this company? If so, I would very much like to add my name to the list of plaintiffs.

Pro Air inhaler is the worst inhaler that I have ever been forced to use. I am forced because there is no alternative in the form of a rescue inhaler like Albuterel. I have been using this since it was the replacement and have always had problems. It either does not expel any medicine, backfires on my tongue leaving it with a rash and soar or the thing just does not work. I get the fact with the ozone layer thing but I'm positive someone’s life will be the outcome.

ProAir HFA is the worst rescue inhaler I have ever used. It is junk. It does not work properly at all and I have had visits to the E.R. since I switched to this product. There are millions of people in the boat as I am and I want to know what it will take for action to be taken?

I am sorry if this is the wrong form to fill out, but I am currently experiencing an asthma attack that my HFA inhaler has regularly been held ineffective towards. I am not doing this out of "effect", I really am having an attack, so if this becomes out of focus, please forgive me.

The new inhalers do not provide relief at all. I was well under control and have had severe asthma for years, but these new inhalers are not working. I have difficulty breathing. Something has to be done.

I have asthma and have used the over-the-counter CFC inhaler Primatene Mist for about 30 years and have usually had excellent and quick results (about 99% of the time). But I needed to buy a prescription recently because of the fact that I could not find Primatene Mist anywhere in the stores. I used Proventil which made my asthma worse! I needed to take puff after puff which had no quick result, yet caused my asthma to continue to get worse over time. I rely on Primatene Mist and have done so for approximately 30 years. I would like to see it stay available for poor people like me who can not use alternative medicines to regulate their asthma. Thanks.

I have had well controlled asthma for nine years. Since removing CFC Albuterol inhalers, I have had no relief from the HFA rescue inhalers prescribed to take their place. There are many asthma patients complaining about the exact same problem with the HFA inhalers. I have very little left of an old CFC inhaler, which works every time I have an asthma attack. I have tried to take the new ones up to six times after an attack with no relief at all. When my CFC Albuterol runs out, I am going to be in serious trouble. This will mean emergency trips to the hospital, very frequent medical care and time missed from work and that's as long as my attacks don't become fatal.

ProAir inhaler does not work like the albuteral. The FDA thinks it is environmentally friendly but in the end, it will cost the lives of many people. It is so scary not to get the relief and wondering if the next attack will kill you. Think of the people that haven’t found this site. I have made numerous complaints to the pharmacies and doctors. The only ones that insist that ProAir works are the non-asthmatics.

I have been using ProAir ever since Albuterol was discontinued due to the ozone issues. I get a prescription for ProAir 200 metered inhalations. I have been going through an inhaler every two weeks. I decided to start counting my usage, 4 times in a row I only used 36 puffs and it was empty. My doctor says I am over using it. There is something wrong with this situation because I know how often I use it. My doctor will not give me refills because of this. Not to mention that I have to pay $47.00 every two weeks. I do believe this should be looked into. I feel as though I'm being taken advantage of, and by reading all the other complaints I am not the only one. I cannot afford $47.00 every 2 weeks, not to mention my doctor will not give me refills.

I'm sure you've heard it all before but I wanted to add my voice to the mounting complaints about the new HFA inhalers. I find that it is not as effective and it gets easily clogged. You have to try to breathe really deeply to get any relief from it and if you're having a serious attack, this is impossible. I would like the government to lift the ban on the old inhalers and give me my asthma relief back!

I, like the others here, found this product does not work as well to relieve my asthma symptoms. In addition, I am finding that the canisters do not hold the stated 200 metered inhalations. They are smaller but the claim is that since they don't have the propellants in use before, you will still get the 200 puffs out of it. I have gotten several canisters that noticeably contain differing amounts from each other when I shake them. There are those who may not feel this is a reliable way to measure, so I started tallying up each and every puff I took on the inhalers and marking it on the inside of the box. I kept them in the box just in case the canister was being depressed in my purse or brief case. One box never left my bathroom counter. I have done this on two inhalers so far and at this point have only gotten 60-70 puffs out of each before it is completely empty.

Like the other comments I just read on your website, these new HFA inhalers by ProAir are worthless. My old ones worked great and gave me immediate relief. I get little to none with this new one, and am now having to exceed the recommended dosages to get a little relief. Bring back the old style. No relief for my asthma, whoever came up with these rules that now only allow the HFA ought to try living in my shoes. They don't work.

CFCs removed from rescue inhalers and daily constant asthma, prevents me from being able to find a job and go to work. I would like to know what procedures I need to take to become considered as fully disabled (as an) asthmatic since I can barely function on an everyday basis because of my asthma. My old inhaler quit working for me and new inhalers make me cough terribly.

The government has, within the last 18 months, mandated the use of CFC free metered dose inhalers for people with lung diseases. I have COPD and asthma brought on by a genetic defect called Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency. Since the advent of the HFA inhalers, I am not getting as good of results as with the CFC inhalers. More pronounced shortness of breath after using the medication which is supposed to help. I have been using this sort of medication for a very long time and know the consequences and symptoms of an accidental overdose (or under dose). What is happening is if I am having a severe event, such as is caused by polluted air, the medicine is of almost no benefit.

I am very disappointed in Pro-air. This medication is a rescue inhaler. It doesn't work; It caused me to have a severe asthma attack. It's supposed to rescue me from having an attack, but it didn't.

I have a touch of asthma and bronchitis. The doctor had me on Albutaral for years and really helped me. Now that they did away with it and replaced it with HFA, my condition has gone back to square one. I hope the idiots that had Albutaral off the market have to prop their self up in bed at night to breath, to get some sleep as I have to.

ProAir HFA Inhaler is a dangerous and fatally flawed replacement for a rescue inhaler. I have asthma and COPD but it has been easily controlled until the switch to this fraud of a prescription inhaler due to the enviro freaks who say CFC’s can't be used any more. Balderdash - if you have contacts in Mexico you can still get CFC-powered inhalers there! But to return to my immediate concern; today I was working in the back yard when a house a few doors away fired up their wood stove since the temperature had dropped and I inhaled the smoke. My lungs reacted very badly and that damned ProAir was totally useless. Ten puffs did absolutely nothing! I would have had to call an ambulance if I had not had the presence of mind to get into the house and use the power nebulizer we have had - just in case - and used it. Even the literature that comes with the ProAir package notes that the idiotic crap does not expel the medication as forcefully as previous medications. Then what the hell is it good for when an asthmatic – in crisis - is already having trouble and can't get his or her breath to begin with?

I have asthma and had my first asthma attack since Sept. '08, the weekend of 4/10/08. They've always been pretty mild; however, due to the change in the law, I had no choice but to use the Proair HFA inhaler which made things worse very quickly. I thought I was going to die. If I didn't have a nebulizer at home with the meds available, there would be a lawsuit filed right now. That inhaler does not work! I have had asthma for about 15 years and no relief when I feel it. I know how to read a pamphlet and work my inhalers. This inhaler was brand new, primed and supposedly ready for action. I had to take it twice as much to get enough relief in order to get on the nebulizer. I was scared. I called my doctor's office the following Monday and explained what happened only to be told it's the same medication as the old CFC inhalers. The ** it is. All of my old CFC inhalers worked. This piece of crap they issued is not.

I had a choke up and when using fast-acting HFA, I turned blue and became worse. It took about two hours to get back to how it was before taking the second puff on the fast action HFA. I waited about an hour and tried it again. Same choke up and I turned blue. I called the doctor and he said not to take anything. I just have to stay on Advair.

I am 51-year-old female with Multiple Sclerosis. When I catch a cold, I suffer with asthma. In October, I got my prescription renewed and received the old CFC inhaler of Albuterol. My cat, Lucy, also has asthma which I did not know is common in cats. In January, I renewed her prescription for Albuterol. I give her Albuterol as a rescue inhaler and Flovent twice daily, an inhaled steroid.

Since I switched to HFA inhalers, my asthma has been way out of control. I thought it was weight gain - yes, I am obese - but I didn't have as much problems with the old CFC inhalers. I've been short of breath; any type of exertion causes me to feel light-headed, short of breath; just taking a shower, a shower, or walking down the stairs to my vehicle and I feel like I'm going to pass out. I use the HFA inhaler and I have to sit still just trying to get enough air into my lungs. The old CFC inhalers cost approximately $20 for 200 metered inhalations. With the HFA, the price has more than doubled. Walmart sells Ventolin for $9, but it has only 60 metered inhalations. I've gone through 3 inhalers in 2 weeks, whereas with CFC inhalers, it would last a month to 1.5 months.

I just want to emphasize how awful these new inhalers are, how betrayed I feel that the FDA has received so many complaints and continues to believe that the ozone is more important than all asthmatics including myself being able to breathe. My asthma has been controlled for about 7 years. I considered myself so lucky that I finally had stopped visiting the ER whenever I fell short of breath and my CFC inhaler didn't come to the rescue. I see myself heading down that path once more. These HFA inhalers do nothing for me.

This is not a rescue inhaler. I have had asthma for 32 years; have always maintained control through health and occasional use of my Albuterol inhaler. I cannot get my breathing under control since filling my prescription for the HFA inhaler. Every day I have more attacks and I use it more often. It's become a vicious cycle over the last 60 days. I now have an assigned Respiratory Therapist and I will see another specialist in 5 days for more alternatives for additional medication.

Upon use of my new ProAir HFA inhaler, I did not get any relief from my asthma symptoms. It also caused my lungs to burn and gave me a severe headache.

Let's face it, the new HFA inhalers are pure crap! Most people, who suffer from Asthma like me, cannot take slow, deep breaths when they are having an asthma attack or trouble breathing. Apparently, they did not understand this when they released these obviously inferior inhalers. I'm all for helping the environment and going green. But when it affects my health and my son's health, I say screw it all! I find it highly, highly unlikely that the old CFC normal inhalers affect the ozone. That's just nonsense. What about hair spray? What about the cooking spray? What about the thousands of cars that pollute the air? What about all those factory shooting that crap in air? Are you telling me all those things are safer than my little CFC normal inhaler? What a laughable concept this is.

I have not had the difficulty with effectiveness with the HFA inhalers, and although I do find the doubled copay from my insurer obnoxious, I have discovered that the inhalers appear to be defective. That is, once the inhaler is first used, they are pretty much dead after 30 days, whether they are used once or a hundred times. They are supposed to be 200 puff inhalers. The most I have ever gotten from one is about 100 or half the expected product. Worse, because my doctor is computerized, she is of the opinion that I use the inhalers too often because they wear out and run out long before I have used them up. She assumes that a replacement inhaler means I have used 200 doses and she has restricted access to the inhalers on this basis! This is a product defect that is cheating the users and insurers. There may be issues with the strength of the propellant but in part, they run out fast because the sprayer is apparently defective. I strongly suggest you log each usage of an inhaler and return any that were defective and contain significantly less than the 200 puffs claimed.

The medication in the new eco-friendly inhaler is not effective in relieving my bronchospasm which is secondary to allergies. Despite maintenance medications for allergies, I need to use Albuterol to relieve the spasms. When I am having spasms, I cannot take large deep breaths because I can't get the air in.

These new CFC-free inhalers just do not work. I get relief for about 10 minutes then the tightness resumes. I have a few puffs left of an old Albuterol Inhaler and I treasure those puffs because I knew it will work and the effect last for hours.

I have had to use my Pro-Air HFA more frequently than my CFC inhaler. I now have to resort to an electronic ProNeb machine when I have chronic attacks as I cannot take deep enough breaths to inhale the HFA dispensed inhalant. I can't believe that they can release enough chlorofluorocarbons to make that much of a difference. I understand cow farts do more damage to the ozone. What about all the methane that is being released from dumps and not burned off or harnessed to power a local facility? I am not a happy camper!

I thank God that I came across the websites with other people complaining about the new inhalers. I am 53 years old, a lifelong asthmatic; and since the beginning of the year, I had started to think that my lungs were just getting old and there was nothing that could be done. I am so grateful to hear that it's not my lungs; it's the new inhaler. I changed from the Pro-air HFA to the Ventolin HFA and am getting a little more relief but not like my old Ventolin! It's scary that we are being forced to use these inhalers. Obviously, the people making up this law do not have asthma! Please bring back the old inhalers. People are dying!

The FDA took Albuterol USP inhalers for the treatment of asthma off the market due to the propellants. The replacement inhalers do not work. I cannot breathe.

I have been an asthma sufferer for the past 15 years. Once the new HFC inhalers came on the market, I have had more trouble with controlling the asthma. Last Friday (March 27, 2009), I was on a college visit with my daughter and traveled from South Dakota to Lincoln and Omaha, NE. I had difficulty in breathing and tightness. I used my Ventolin HFC inhaler over and over again. Our first stop was Lincoln. Arriving at the school, I had difficulty getting air but I was able to manage to make it to the admissions office and listen, but I did not partake in the tour, due to tightening of the lungs. Second stop was Omaha. During the drive, I noticed I wasn't getting better. We arrived at school #2 and I thought it was best I stay in the car. After a short time, I thought I really need to be with my daughter on this visit. I walked 10 feet to the entrance of the school. My lungs were so tight I was gasping. I walked extremely slowly to the admin office to wait for my daughter and school personnel to get back from the tour as I was not able to get my breath.

I do not get the same results with new inhaler. In fact, it makes me worse. I find using my nebulizer compressor with Albuterol much better and I find it hard to believe we must use something that does not work. If I end up in the hospital because of this, I will sue .