If you have asthma, like I do, you probably have happily used the white Warrick Albuterol CFC propelled inhaler or Proventil CFC to stay out of the ER for years. Now there has been legislation enacted that targets the CFCs in inhalers. For the past few months asthmatics, whose lives depend on their medication working, have been told their trusted Warrick or Proventil inhaler with CFC propellant is not available or will no longer be made. This is causing an increase in deaths and trips to the ER, poorly managed asthma (already potentially fatal), more upfront cost for the inhalers (HFAs are three times more expensive), and a decline in health as we are forced to switch to inhalers propelled by HFAs.
THE HFA inhalers DO NOT WORK. I speak from first hand experience on this. When I have my Warrick inhaler, I use it once a day before exercise – that’s it. No trips to the ER, no panic, no blue face, no oxygen readings under normal. On ProAir and the rest of the HFAs, I use the inhaler several times a day, even with Advair as a daily back up. Using these so many times a day creates other problems as well (as if not being able to breathe wasn’t enough). It increases the chance for heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure, among other things. Call your congressman! Sign the petition to bring back CFC inhalers! Don’t let us gasp for air anymore. The FDA on the heinous switch.
From the NO HFAs Myspace:
Asthmatics shouldn’t have to live in fear if their inhalers are going to be removed by the government, if the inhalers are going to be less effective, and what they’re going to do when the medication is phased out. We worry enough about if we’re going to get our next breath of air, and if we will live through each attack to see a new day. We worry for our children who are Asthmatics — what their allergies are, if they’re doing OK while they’re away from us in school. We shouldn’t have to worry about the government and environmentalists removing their only relief to this disease and replacing it with something that is less effective and might not even work on some.
Help us bring back CFC inhalers. Take action today.
My procrastination means that the petition has reached the goal number of signatures by the time I got this post up, but you can still email jssbears@comcast.net to get your name on it! And call your congressman! You don’t need a petition to do that.
DUGG DOOD
http://digg.com/health/Fighting_the_Forced_HFA_Inhaler_Switch
Thank you. Part of the problem, aside from the propellant not working as well and needing more maintenance, lies in the inactive ingredients. With CFC inhalers, the inactive ingredients are sll the same no matter the brand. With HFAs, they are all different, and this causes a problem for allergy suffers and people sensitive to any of the random inactive ingredients.
We have been using CFC free inhalers in Australia for the past couple of years. I am asthmatic and so is my son. My son has been completely fine with the change but my asthma has worsened. I am now on more medication than ever before and when peak asthma season hits (spring, beginning of winter) I wheeze away like a chain smoker. Things that I used to be able to do on the HFAs, like gardening, are now out of the question. My doctor says it is nothing to do with the change to CFC free, just that my asthma has gotten worse of its own accord. It is very frustrating.
Sorry, I meant to say ‘things I used to be able to do prior to HFAs’. I have had to take the day off work because I have asthma. I wish they would bring back the old medication. I find it really difficult to follow an asthma management plan that works now. I think I read somewhere that the output from CFC inhalers was almost negligible. Of course, I don’t want to contribute to global warming any more than I already do, but it would be nice to be able to breathe.
I don’t think we can stop global warming – we are 50 years or more too late. It’s more important to me to be able to breathe and to stay alive.
There is a NEW PETITION and National Campaign to Save CFC Medical Inhalers. Please sign it to let your voice be heard! The petition is located at the following link along with additional information.
http://tinyurl.com/yphmp4
i have signed other petition concerning the new hfa inhalers they DO NOT work i have tried proair and the new proventile and they make my asthma worse i still have some of my albuterol left but i am getting really worried I think if we or someone could get this information to president Obama he would do something about it thank you for reading Kelly
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