Complain about a product or service

HFA Inhalers

Catherine of Port Charlotte, FL September 25, 2009

The new HFA asthma inhalers are not working. I do not understand why the government would put people lives in jeopardy. For 38 years I have used cfc inhalers without any problems. Since the inhalers were switched to the new kind I constantly have to take 4 or 5 puffs.

Having an inhaler that works immediately is a matter of life or death for asthmatics. Everytime I have an attack coming on I fear that the inhaler will not work. Because I have to use so much more medicine( 3 to 4 times more) I spend more for out of pocket expenses since my insurance only pays for one a month. I am appalled that no one has tried to file a class action lawsuit against whoever is responsible. This is going to be a major problem as this continues because it is causing more er visits and even deaths. As I write this I hope that the coughing and tightness in my chest will not have to depend on my new inhaler because if it is like any other time it will take a lot of puffing to breathe easy again.

Nancy of Chicago, IL September 22, 2009

I am a senior citizen. I have had Asthma most of my adult life. I used the cfc inhalers for many years with no adverse results. I tried ProAir at first after the cfc inhalers were banned. It was horrible. Now I am on VentolinHFA. I agree that it works well. The problem is after 1 month on it, I'm having trouble sleeping at night. I did some real research on it today and found out that I'm overdosing with it. Up to this point, I knew I was using it less because of the counter on the back.

I'm terrified now because I still need it. I won't be alive for health care reform. I need to breathe and sleep as do all humans. I am not sleeping at night. The government has a new weapon for population control. The people with Asthma will die off much sooner.

Keshia of Newport News, VA September 22, 2009

This new inhaler that they have out now for asthma patients is horrible. I use to could take 1 inhaled puff of my old inhaler (that had CFC in it) and I was fine. But now with this new inhaler; I have to take 4 puffs of the HFA inhaler versus 1 puff to hopefully get the same results that I use to get from the old one. It cost more and works less, Congress and the FDA aren't trying to save the the Ozone layer their trying to line their pockets and the drug industry pockets at the expesense of all asthmatic lifes.

Were not going to stop buying the rescue inhaler; so why not raise the price give us something that barely works and keep us coming back. To give us something that actually worked for us would be beneath them because they wouldn't make any money off of a population that's not sick and need the medication that the industry provides.

Davina of Sheboygan, WI September 16, 2009

What happen was all of a sudden when I had to use my "new inhaler" I did not get enough relief or air I needed to breath. I felt devastated and immediately tried to find my old(CFC) Albuterol inhaler, with no luck. What do you think a person goes through after that? Well they sure don't just sit down and things are solved. We still can't breath. I have tried all "approved" inhalers, one I am allergic to and doesn't work, and nether do the others.

I don't care how softer the spray feels, I don't care about cost.I don't care about rules, I don't care about anything else, but the fact of the problem and that is breathing. You can not take the right of a persons life away that enables them to breathe like others. I can’t believe some of us have to actually fight for our life in this absurd way.

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.