Over the counter asthma inhaler?

Does anyone remember when Primatene made a rescue inhaler that you could buy without a prescription? I remember the controversy when it was pulled off the market.

It looks like the company that makes it, Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, is asking for approval from the FDA to put it back on the market. It's the same medication, but has a different propellant now.

Is that good or bad? An inhaler that you can buy without a prescription?

The CEO and President of AANMA,Tonya Winders, is opposed to the Primatene inhaler. Why?

• Primatene contains epinephrine, which is not recommended for treating asthma. Rescue inhalers usually contain Albuterol. 
• Primatene doesn't have a dose counter. Ms.Winders says that "studies show that patients who carry an inhaler with a dose counter are less likely to require an emergency room visit than those without one."

• The Primatene inhaler has 200 doses, which "could encourage patients to wait too long to seek necessary medical attention or a follow up appointment" It sounds like it would give people a false sense of security. So they wouldn't bother about seeing a doctor if they feel they have an inhaler with 200 doses, enough for a year!

I don't think that people know that you should NOT use your rescue inhaler more than twice a week. If you do, it means that your asthma is not controlled, and you need to use/adjust your daily, maintenance medication. Maintenance medication controls the swelling in the lungs that happens when you have asthma.

Dr. Kyle Hogarth (an assistant director of medicine and medical directory of the pulmonary rehabilitation program at the University of Chicago Medical Center) was quoted in a 2012 article in the Los Angeles Times. He says that "The danger in treating only symptoms, he said, is that repeated asthma attacks can permanently damage the lungs. Poorly controlled asthma can progress to a point where, "in their 40s and 50s, [patients] have the lungs of someone who is 80 or 90 who has smoked."

 

Let me know what you think about Primatene Mist inhalers. I would rather go to Asthma Doc, who we've been going to for the last 14 years. He knows us, and how each of my teenagers and I all need different medications and treatment plans for our asthma.  

 

I wouldn't buy asthma medication that is sold over the counter. If you don't know what you are doing and try to treat your asthma by yourself, it can be a deadly decision. 9 people die in the US every day from asthma.  

Studies show that patients who carry an inhaler with a dose counter are less likely to require an emergency room visit than those without one. - See more at: http://www.aanma.org/2014/02/proposed-asthma-inhalers-puts-patients-at-risk/?utm_source=e-News%3A+Proposed+Asthma+Inhaler+Puts+Patients+At+Risk&utm_campaign=E-news+1&utm_medium=email#sthash.jNwN08Tl.dpuf

Studies show that patients who carry an inhaler with a dose counter are less likely to require an emergency room visit than those without one. - See more at: http://www.aanma.org/2014/02/proposed-asthma-inhalers-puts-patients-at-risk/?utm_source=e-News%3A+Proposed+Asthma+Inhaler+Puts+Patients+At+Risk&utm_campaign=E-news+1&utm_medium=email#sthash.jNwN08Tl.dpuf

Studies show that patients who carry an inhaler with a dose counter are less likely to require an emergency room visit than those without one. - See more at: http://www.aanma.org/2014/02/proposed-asthma-inhalers-puts-patients-at-risk/?utm_source=e-News%3A+Proposed+Asthma+Inhaler+Puts+Patients+At+Risk&utm_campaign=E-news+1&utm_medium=email#sthash.jNwN08Tl.dpuf

No thanks, I would rather stay alive long enough to annoy my kids (and spend their inheritance!) Ha!

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