bloggie

C'mon. Comment on this thread already. There must be some asthmatics here...

I often use Primatene Mist. First, they ban Q Vel, now this! People suck.

I've used Primatene Mist since I was a kid (I'm 54 now). This sucks. They make it sound like getting a prescription is such an easy thing. I could do it, but people who have poor healthcare coverage have to pay for the doctor visit, the prescription, etc., not so easy for them. And if I understand correctly, this whole thing stems from concerns that Primatene Mist effects the ozone layer...give me a break. We are blowing this stuff into our lungs...not out into the atmosphere. What a crock!!

"I think I would like to see albuterol over the counter with a strong advertising campaign attached to it," said Portnoy

Hell yeah, so would I!

I have mild asthma due to an animal allergy, and use Primatene whenever I visit friends who have cats or dogs. I have no health care and no money for doctor visits, but Primatene is affordable. If it's taken off the market, I'll just have to suffer. Does anyone know who I can contact to tell them what a stupid proposal this is?

I... use Primatene whenever I visit friends who have cats or dogs

Okay drug addict :OP

(j/k) ;O)

Asthma is a disease with no cure, and only temporary treatment. The best asthma preventive medicines are extremely expensive (over $100 for an Advair inhaler).

Does anyone know of an online petition? I am tired of junk science leading to the banning of a very useful product. Banning primatene is a health risk.

peterson, you may want to try writing directly to the company, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare.

On Tuesday, Wyeth asked that the FDA stay any such ban on Primatene Mist until it is ready to market an approved CFC-free version, said its representative, Dr. Sumon Wason. Wyeth hopes to have such an inhaler ready for sale in 2009 or 2010, Wason added.

"We were asking for time to continue with the reformulation process," Wason said following the vote, adding that the company would try to negotiate a delay.

I highly suggest to write the FDA as I did last week. This is purly a tactic to get you to purchase the higher costing drugs (THAT DO NOT WORK AS WELL OR AS FAST)

Keep this forum open on this subject your rights and health are being taken away.

I to have taken this over the counter inhaler for over 4o years with no side affect at all.

Stand up and voice your rights!! Write the FDA

Jeff

Everyone:

I don't believe the issue is with Primatene itself, it is with the CFC propellant, which according to the Montreal Accord (1997, http://www.american.edu/TED/MONTREAL.HTM) was to be banned in all medications.

My issues with Primatene is that it allows people to improperly treat their life-threatening disease. 5000 people each year die in the US from a preventable disease -- asthma. Primatene mist works on the smooth muscles surrounding the airways -- it causes them to relax and open the airways (bronchodilate). That's great, the same as what Albuterol does (a bronchodilator). However, many people also have an underlying inflammation in their lungs from the asthma, and this is not treated. With each puff on bronchodilator, they think their asthma is better. That's not necessarily true, it is just masking the symptoms. And then they can go see another dog/cat/cigarette smoker/heavy perfume wearer and increase the inflammation. At some point the inflammation will not be treated by the Primatene mist, and the person ends up in the Emergency Department and/or dead.

Do all asthmatics need something to treat the inflammation? No. However, this can only be determined by working with a health care professional to figure out the best way to treat each individual's asthma. If you don't, you run the risk of becoming a statistic.

Also, when I last checked, Albuterol was available for about $17. For the cost of a doctor's visit, you can get a prescription for this and use a much safer drug, and make sure that you are using the right kind of drug for your asthma management.

I know many of you will probably try to hang me out to dry on this. That's ok, I'm a big boy and can take it. I just want to try to shed some light on the real reason Primatene is dangerous. It's not some big conspiracy to make you spend big bucks going to a doctor or supporting the drug companies. Believe it or not, it's to help you better control your asthma, reduce the burden on the Emergency Departments, and try to eliminate 5000 needless deaths each year.

Jason
Respiratory Therapist
Certified Asthma Educator
Asthma Clinical Research Coordinator

Jason raises a very good point.

And Jeff (not to be confused with Jefe) is as wrong as he can be - Primatene is crap compared to the "higher costing drugs". I would be OK with the banning of Primatene only on the condition that Albuterol be made available OTC.

BTW, Advair costs over $300 for a one month's supply.

I have used an OTC inhaler for 30+ years, and consider them a godsend. I only use them WHEN I CAN'T BREATHE ! How many thousands of people have averted life-threatening emergencies how many thousands of times ? It's almost a perfect product: readily available (sometimes 24/7), at a reasonable cost ($15 - $20), and without a prescription. People will die if they outlaw this product. How arrogant ! How irresponsible ! The reason, as I understand it, is to save the ozone, because the propellant used in Primatene harms the ozone. It doesn't have anything to do with lung inflammation. They are outlawing this life-saving medication as if it's hair spray. And afterwards, I will need to make doctor appointments, to get a permission slip (sorry a prescription slip), to buy some other medication(s) for more money, and hope I never run out of the stuff on a Saturday night. I think these FDA guys are in some pharmaceutical company's pocket. I don't think they are acting in the public's behalf. They are certainly not acting on my behalf.

Jason does make some good points, but there is the philosophical issue, which the merits of his case influence not at all, namely: does the government have the right to use coercive powers, whether fiscal, regulatory, or criminal, to make you do what's in your best interest? Any true conservative (or classical liberal, or libertarian, or student of history) believes that this should be done as little possible - ideally never.

If the government should involve itself in making it harder for asthmatics to use a drug that might lead to less optimal outcomes, on what basis would you argue against the government outlawing refined sugar? As you point out, many, perhaps most, asthmatics are fine with Primatene Mist. And most people are fine with limited exposure to sugar. But some aren't - and some indulge to excess. If the government has a mandate to use its power to force you to make healthy choices, why not ban sugar? People who go to church weekly are healthier than those who don't. In the name of reducing strain on ERs, extending life spans and promoting health, should we legislate in favour of attending church weekly? That's too coercive for most people, but - how about a tax break for weekly church attendance? Breast cancer is less common in women who've borne children, and more common in women who've had abortions. Is the government justified in involving itself in birth control, childbearing and abortion on the grounds of preventing breast cancer, which is a phenomenally expensive disease in the developed world?

Everybody can think of a pet issue in which they'd sanction government involvement. But unless you are philosophically inclined to believe that it is, in fact, the government's job to prevent you from doing stupid or self-destructive things, integrity demands that you defend liberty over government, even when you personally would benefit from the nanny state. The government should require full disclosure, and should punish those who don't provide it; and it should enforce contracts, such that consumers can effectively defend themselves. Beyond that, mentally sound adults who want their every action to be blessed by the government should consider a move to the EU.

National defense and fundamental science. These are the only issues that warrant the (federal) government involvement.

Speaking of goverment demanding you do things it thinks are good for you---there's a great deal of controversy going on right now about possible connections between autism and mercury in certain vaccines, and the vaccines themselves, especially the one for hepatitius, which kids are now supposed to take at a young age, because---because, well, it's supposedly a good thing to do.

As the parent of an autistic child, this isn't just a theoretical question for me. Yeah, yeah, the government wants to do us "good", but supposing this "good" isn't really all that good for us?

To blithely presume that the millions of asthmatics out there who take primatene mist do so either because they are ignorant of the risks associated with epinephrine, unwilling or unable to seek and comply with medical prescription, or simply reckless - is arrogant, myopic and condescending to the extreme.

When this view is outlined by someone in the medical profession it is particularly egregious. I read one "respiratory specialist" cite a statistic that 70% of asthmatics did not take the drugs we are prescribed. In my business, we learn to take stats with a grain of salt. But it seems obvious to me that instead of concluding that asthmatics are somehow less capable or willing than those suffering from other pathologies, one might consider that perhaps asthmatics (at least those responding the supposed survey) stopped complying due to a lack of efficacy rather than a lack of desire for breath. Your average pre-teen who suffers from asthma understands the points Jason made above, probably in greater depth than Jason does. It is a simple matter to buy a book about asthma and how the bronchodialators work etc. at your local Borders - and most parents will educate themselves and their children at the first sign of respiratory difficulty.

We suffer from a disease that can be terrifying and debilitating at times, and for which there is no cure. For anyone to presume that the majority of us do not understand the basics is frankly, insulting. Moreover, it is probably fair to assume that asthmatics represent a cross section of American's as a whole. In other words, the vast majority of us are fully insured. Therefore, primatene mist is a greater out-of-pocket expense than albuteral, advair or any of the medications that get scribbled on prescription slips. And yet we still rush to buy the OTC drugs in droves. If anyone believes that we do this because we are unaware of the cardio risk, somehow convinced that primatene will cure us, or unable to afford proper healthcare, let me disabuse you of that preposterous notion right here and now!!! We simply crave oxygen! For some of us, the alternative is a severe impairment to the quality of our lives, or shudder the thought, suffocation!

The fact of the matter is, modern medicine does not yet have a handle on this disease. There are very few RESPONSIBLE medical professionals who will swear on a stack of bibles that they can 100% guarantee that they could get any asthmatics' asthma completely under control - WITH ANY MEDICATION. I can attest. Over the past 26 years, there has not been a day when I have not been popping a pill or inhaling a steroid ... prescribed by a physician. I have seen physicians over the years across 5 states. Nevertheless, there have been many occasions that despite having albuteral within easy reach, I would have suffocated, or at least have had to rush to the emergency room without primatene mist.

It almost goes without saying, but apparently the doctors and nurses who feel the need to opine on these blogs have forgotten - just as is the case with other diseases, what works for some of us, does not work for others. Some asthmatics get a wheeze once a month or year, and it is mild. Others must reach for a rescue inhaler every hour or so. Some are excercise induced, some allergic, and so on. Until the medical profession gets ALL of us under control, then to limit our available treatments shows a callous disregard for the quality of our lives.

If you need to use a rescue inhaler every hour, it sure as hell shouldn't be Primatene.

Also, if you need to use a rescue inhaler every hour, and you actually are seeing a doctor about your condition, you should switch to a better doctor.

We have started a petition to fight the FDA Banned Inhalers. Please help us by getting this around. We have also formed a group that you may wish to join. I myself, am suffering. Please read some of the comments and you will see just how many people are affected by this nightmare.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/300594068

Thank You,
Susan Combs
The National Organization Of Asthma And COPD Patients

So have you seen your doctor about your asthma, susan?

When americans wake up and realize that it is the goal of the elite who "run" things to reduce world population and basically watch us die, then all of this makes sense.

Just type in the following phrase into GOOGLE ("Georgia Guidestones") if you want to read the 10 commandments of the New World Order... Or just read a few quotes from some famous people on the subject...

"To feed a starving child is to exacerbate the world population problem."
- Lamont Cole (as quoted by Elizabeth Whelan in her book Toxic Terror)

"A total population of 250-300 million people, a 95% decline from present levels, would be ideal."
- Ted Turner - CNN founder and UN supporter - quoted in the McAlvany Intelligence Advisor, June '96

"In order to stabilize world population, it is necessary to eliminate 350,000 people a day. It is a horrible thing to say, but it's just as bad not to say it."
- Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, as quoted in the Courier, a publication of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

"Childbearing [should be] a punishable crime against society, unless the parents hold a government license ... All potential parents [should be] required to use contraceptive chemicals, the government issuing antidotes to citizens chosen for childbearing."
- David Brower, first Executive Director of the Sierra Club; founder of Friends of the Earth; and founder of the Earth Island Institute - quoted by Dixie Lee Ray, Trashing the Planet, p.166

"One-fourth of humanity must be eliminated from the social body. We are in charge of God's selection process for planet earth. He selects, we destroy. We are the riders of the pale horse, Death."
- Psychologist Barbara Marx Hubbard - member and futurist/strategist of Task Force Delta; a United States Army think tank

When americans wake up and realize your government actually WANTS most of you to DIE, then when you look at stupid laws like this it begins to make sense why they are passing them.

DL: Like flypaper for Teh Crazy

But if we all die, then how will the elites make any more money?

They'll just take all the money from the people they've killed. Then they'll all be equally rich. Ain't that right Dick?

"To feed a starving child is to exacerbate the world population problem."

This quote makes the baby Jesus Sally Struthers cry.

LOL!

Actually there was a scene on All In The Family in which Gloria teased Mike for using the word "exacerbate" in a letter to the editor. I can't remember the exact words but she used a mock-Lilly Tomlin voice and said something to the effect that the word sounds like something that would make your momma slap you.

This stupid, crazy secretary who used to work in my office one time 'corrected' me on my use of the word exacerbate.

"Ha, ha, Lewis, exasperate, you mean."

Um, no.

This was the same woman who was talking about how she and her husband were going to sell their current house and buy a new one, and declared:

"And this is a great time to be doing this too, because it's a buyer's market and a seller's market, so we've got the best of both worlds!"

I had to run away quickly so she wouldn't see me laughing uncontrollably at her.

Jason sounds like a Big Pharma Shill to me.

Leave ME ALONE let ME MEDICATE myself if I need something that is legal and sold over the counter.

STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY PERSONAL LIFE FDA AND BIG PHARMA and shills like Jason are the reason this is being banned.. has nothing to do with the CFCs its all about Big pharma making up a reason to FINALLY get primatean banned.

I have used it since I was a child (Who can remember those pen sized inhalers they used to make?) and have yet to have any problems. I dont want your probing doctors, I dont want you finding secondary "Problems" with my health to put me on more pills.. just leave me alone JASONS Of the world.. and let me BE.

That said, I have a VERY good amount of inhalers stocked up.. they want to ban it.. go ahead.. wont matter to me.

Leave Mike alone! I mean it...Leave Mike alone right now!

LOL!

From Frank IBC

If you need to use a rescue inhaler every hour, it sure as hell shouldn't be Primatene.

Also, if you need to use a rescue inhaler every hour, and you actually are seeing a doctor about your condition, you should switch to a better doctor.

Question for Smart Frank IBC:
And if you've gone to countless docs only to get more ineffective inhalers, sprays, pumps, pills to add to the colorful shapes that now decorate your medicine "CLOSET" --- then what do you do???? Do you really know what you are talking about when you make such generalizations???? Don't be an idiot. If you are a terribly bad asthmatic (not just exercise induced, but allergic to your own skin practically) and have lived with it since birth in and out of the hospital, you too would and should know your own body. If something doesn't work -- it just doesn't and you must get relief from somewhere in order to live another day. Once you have it, you don't ever want to run out of it.

I hadn't read this thread before and then I noticed the nick "longbits".

tee hee

Kind of an oxymoron, eh?

Sorry, if your asthma is that bad, you should be treating it with steroids, not a rescue inhaler every hour of every day of your life.

If you're using rescue inhalers that often, you're actually increasing the danger of a deadly attack, by making your lungs dependent on them and setting up a deadly rebound effect when the effect of the inhaler wears off.

And I repeat, Primatene is CRAP.

Hmmmm... my first thought was "bits and bytes"... I must be getting old...

I dont want your probing doctors

This seems to be the root of the problem here.

Two final comments -

There are long-acting bronchodilators, such as systemic albuterol and salmeterol. These are much safer than using a "rescue" inhaler repeatedly through the course of the day.

allergic to your own skin practically

While this sounds like a melodramatic exaggeration to me, if you have severe allergies that are triggering your asthma, you need to be on antihistamines and/or steroids, not puffing on a "rescue" inhaler several times every day.

I think your first comment on this thread was pretty ironic, Frank.

That's when you know something's wrong.

This is a very strange thread :-)

I dont want you finding secondary "Problems" with my health to put me on more pills.. just leave me alone JASONS Of the world.. and let me BE.

I have had asthma for 40 years, since I was 15! I have mild, nighttime asthma and get worse during seasonal changes. I have used Primatene Mist since 1985, after I had a bad reaction to the cortisone I had been on for years.

I am healthy with strong, clear lungs while on Primatene Mist but when I went on Albuterol that all changed. Initially my heart pounded and I had insomnia. I needed more and more to breathe, and by two months later, I was using it day and night, my lungs hurt and I had a wierd congestion that rattled. While in the shower, my lungs closed and I couldn't breate at all so I grabbed some old Primatene Mist and it saved me!

So then I tried Levalbuterol Tartrate and I was so happy because my heart didn't pound and I slept! But after two weeks, I was using it day and night, my lungs were tight and hurt. I was weezing and had a rash on my neck!

The pharmacist said the Primatene Mist was taken off the shelves and I was treated like a drug addict! I found some at Shopko and my condition reversed itself in one day and I only need one puff at night! I am not exaggerating!

I have a good doctor and he is baffled about the FDA wanting to ban Primatene Mist and he says I should never have been put on cortisone in the first place because I don't have that kind of asthma!

I think a lot of these doctors don't know what they are talking about because they don't understand that "one size doesn't fit all"! Doctor Len Horovitz is wrong to try and get the FDA to get Primatene Mist banned because he says Albuterol is safer!

What drug books has he been looking at?! On my Albuterol drug information, it says Albuterol may cause you to "get" asthma and can cause a paradoxical reaction! My drug book doesn't say that about Primatene Mist. And people who think that the long-acting beta 2 agonists aren't dangerous, are not doing their homework! They are a lot more dangerous than short acting inhalers!

So I've also been on Cromolyn and I get terrible headaches each time I've tried it! My former doctor put me on Azmacort and I became depressed and anxiety ridden and had to go on an antidepressant! I actually tried the Azmacort again and it did the same exact thing! My doctor said "it can't make you feel that way"! Whatever! I won't take anymore cortisone. It's a horrible drug! (eventually)

I am on Singulair and it controls my symptoms during season changes but I still need to breathe at night! Also, people without insurance will die without the over-the-counter inhalers! Don't these closed minded doctors care about the individual? It's inhumane!

If they ban Primatene Mist, the only drug that I can safely take, my life will be ruined! Don't I have a right to breathe and not be suffering or insane? Sincerely,

Having suffered from asthma since the mid-1960's,and having used Primatene Mist for most of the time since,I do not agree with the FDA panel's suggestion.

Over the early years,I was put on several different types of medicine,all of which were prescription medications. Each of the different medications contained a chemical that actually tried to shut down my lungs. One of my doctors,after seeing the effects the prescription medicines had on me,suggested that I try an OTC inhaler such as Primatene Mist or Bronkaid Mist. I tried both,and after not suffering from any ill effects from either,I stuck with using these two brands.

Now,as one of the many who are not able to afford medical insurance,not to mention the higher costs of the prescription drugs available (some of which I had tried before) as well as the constant visits to the doctors,I do not agree with a ban on Primatene Mist. This medicine has saved my life many times over the years,and until there is an acceptable OTC version of Primatene Mist available (without the CFC's,of course) it would be better to allow this medicine to continue to be sold as is over the counter.

And yes,I do know how to manage my asthma...but without a rescue inhaler that works on me...I'd be completely screwed.

Yup.

#12 Jason: #12 Jason: I have used the Primatene Mist for about 18 years now and never have gone to the emergency room yet--I think were grown-ups now and don't need someone slapping our hands just because they think we should not use something--Let us decide--it helps me breathe--I have never been rushed to the emergency room-and the stuff the doctors give you doesn't seem to work, for me, very well---I have tried pills-which work only slower--and have been nauseated because their so strong-Bronkaid pills seem to be better, for me. Can't we decide what we want to buy with our own hard earned money-why does everyone want to control us? I hate going to doctors-don't have insurance--but I still need meds--Stop trying to control us with your views--Emergency rooms are full of many different cases and there are plenty of Hospitals in this country-so one need not go to over-crowed places-I also worked in Hospitals as an Xray Technician.

Bloggie: the internet's premier Primatene Mist, Toyota Engine Sludge, DIY at-home abortion, and Dead Sea Scrolls resource.

Be careful what you wish for...

...and cheese, both dairy and gut cut types.

Go to CVS on line and stock up. Like others here I can manage my asthma, but primatene works best (and I have a good health care plan so I could get a prescription, but the crap that I've been perscribed in the past does not work as good as the OTC stuff) For the resident respiratory therapist: Do you know what it feels like not to breath? Some of the posters probably cannot afford the trip to the doctor to "manage their asthma".

If Primatene is banned, people will die. simple as that.

If Primatine Mist were pulled of the shelves, I would either go broke due to the cost of medical care, or I would die of an asthma attack worring more about going broke, I have used Singular, Advair, provental, , doctors seldom prescribe albuterol which works fine but they never prescribe enough. I was 130 pounds, after a course of treatment of prednisone I BALLOONED to 190 pounds in a matter of a couple of months. I have been using Primayine mist for at least 15 years and the only times I have had to go to the hospital was when I could not fingd it in the stores. Yes FDA take that into consideration.

Toyota Engine Sludge Do It Yourself At Home Abortion Arabic Smut Ann Reaganite

You know, that reminds me - I totally thought we'd get angry posts about our F16 smack fest, but we never did!

Hmph. Color me shocked.

Hehehehe. I just noticed this.

Be careful what you wish for.

#12 Jason: yes I am going to hang you out to dry.
1. For the price of a doctor visit to get albuterol is astronomical for MOST people. The cost of The visit and time away from work, family ect ect and the growing Reluctance of Doctors to prescribe Albuterol at all is just stupid and unresonable when there is a solution.
2. The Time it takes to make an appointment and then to keep it is unreasonable as many asmatics who also take advair and singular and live in a dust free pet free environment still need a rescue inhaler at least 2-3 times a day.
3. I have been using primatine mist every day for 15 years and my Doctor says My heart is just as strong as it was 15 years ago.
4. I can think of a few times I would have died or at the very least spent 7-8 hours of my life in hospitals being treated for an asthma attack simply because Primatien was not readly available.
5. Health professionals need to know that An asthmatics life can not evolve around weekly to bi weekly doctor visits when an OTC Asthma rescue inhaler is available. I am not interested in being diverted to see more doctors who will use a trial and error approach to find the best strategy of treatment, and in the meantime I am out of commission because The doctor has refused to prescribe me more albuterol and Primatine has been discontined (and Yes Doctors have denied me) so what do I do...I get some primatine mist and I am better with in seconds, notice SECONDS...not Weeks for medicen to kick in, not mesured in doctor visits SECONDS.
6. I would like to know if you as a health professional knows what it is acctually like to have an asthma attack....if you did you would see the need for OTC treatment. Doctors have failed to condition the population as a whole to seek health care or have failed to understand the human condition of which they cannot change is the need a trust people really have for running off to a doctor. Oh yea and one more thing for severe asthmatics Prednisone is a much more dangerous solution than Primatine.

#41 Frank IBC:
Frank , do you have asthma, do you know what it is like going from doctor to doctor trying to get a good astma stratagy, one that is endorsed by a physician and after spending countless amounts of money and nothing works only to find that the OTC method is the best, and because prevention is ineffective with many many people. If Primatine Mist is discontinued then there had better be an OTC albuterol. Doctors shold not assume knowledge of Asthma based on MD education,books and statistics, they should have it them selves and see what it is like.

#44 Frank IBC: Steroids are much more dangerous than Inhalers... Duing a Time I was not using Primatine I was prescribed prednisone for 3 weeks and the doctor kept on wanting to up the dose...with in a matter of 4 months I went from 130 pounds to 200 pounds and developed a weight problem that lasted for more than a decade and lets not forget all the bystanding problems that come with being overweight and "moonfaced"....and dont tell me it was because of lack of diet and exercise..... Antihistamine are also ineffective because they make you groggy and unable to be effective in ones everyday life.
Give me an OTC any day of the week

#62 סטרמי Stormi: check out #56 :-)

D'oh!

It's almost this thread's two-year anniversary! It's a young-un by Bloggie Undead Thread standards.

Three years, even!

Where is that thread that had over 1,000 posts a few years back? Is anyone still posting on it, or will it even load?

Asthmatics are just so goshdurned SPECIAL, ya know?

That's what I love about diabetics, they aren't such flaming drama queens.

You apparently don't watch TV or know any old people.

Have you ever seen that commercial for the at home "dye-beetes" test kit? Good lord.

I don't think that the drama is less for people with diabetes, it's just easier to avoid them. :P

You've obviously never met my mother. Although... she was a drama queen before she was a diabetic, so it's not necessarily a contributing factor. BUT, in public she'll act like a piece of candy is coated in anthrax but in private entire boxes of Godiva seem to mysteriously disappear around her.

And she still manages to have a waist with the approximate circumference of a Bic pen.

Oh, now that you mention it, I remember the look of perpetual martyrdom on the face of a certain Southern lady I knew as she said, "I will have some ice tea, please, WITH NO SUGAR."

#75 franco cbi: You mean she didn't add, "Because I have DYE-BEETES!" at the end?

Every old diabetic person I know does that.

"No, I can't have any dessert. I have DYE-BEETES."

"No, you all have that ice cream! I'll sit here and talk to you because of my DYE-BEETES."

I had gestational diabetes with one kid (the first one), which led to ecclampsia. Anyway, while I was just in the diabetes part, I never did the "NO I CAN'T HAVE SUGAR [clutching heart like my life was threatened with malice aforethought] I HAVE DYE-BEETES."

My Pop, on the other hand never saw diabetes on this side of earth and he was a sugar holic. The man could simply not make it through the day unless he ate half a thing of cookies. He wasn't fat, either. Oh, and his day was ruined if he couldn't have ice cream for dessert after lunch and dinner. RUINED, I tell you!

And the last year, when his dementia set in and my G'ma had to take care of him she tried to make him eat healthier. In his lucid moments he would sneak away from her and hide candy, cookies, and junk food in his room.

Hey - it IS martyrdom to not have sugar in your tea if you're from the South! Just the looks you have to deal with if you ask for unsweetened tea down there should be worth some compensation!

#77 Lyana: I think Stormi can attest to that!

Oh good lord, yes.

I always order 'Iced tea, no sugar please'. And they ask me 'Do you mean UNSWEET?'.

If I do cave in and order it 'unsweet', they bring me sweet tea. 'I'm sorry hon, I musta heard you wrawng'.

Harumph! True test down south: You been offered Sassafras Tea with Attic cured ham yet?

No. But I don't go out that much here.

AFG has trouble in the fake south that is NoVa because he HATES mint.

How can you hate mint in the south? They put mint in freaking everything. Mint in pies, on lamb chops, in tea... And if you're sick apparently mint cures everything.

Good thing I like mint.

And speaking of mint, girl scout cookies go on sale in exactly one month. I'm taking orders then, if anyone wants to order some. I'll mail them.

Mint is for tooth paste. You mean they put it in food!!??

What, don't they use it in Tabbouleh in Dearbornistan?

Yeah, and we all know about how toothpaste and I get along.

Paula Deen puts it on top of whipped cream, to make the deep fried double chocolate butter fudge caramel cake 'healthy'.

Like I said, she was a Southerner. The moment of pained silence afterwards was all she needed.

I don't like it in sweets. I like it somewhat in tea. But I love Indian mint chutney.

You mean that soggy parsley goat and hamster feed? Lord knows what they put in it gaaaak!!...me, I eat Fatoush.

All I know is that a few weeks ago...I had a severe asthma attack. I am uninsured, and could not get a prescription and my inhaler had run out. (My gf has asthma too so she used to get them for me)

Anyway those new small red inhalers that they replaced the white albuterol ones with are TERRIBLE. I ran out of what was left and I could not breath. My face was pale and my hands were white. I seriously thought I was either A) going to die or B) come home from the E.R. with a 9,000 dollar hospital bill.

My gf decided to do some research and she found primatene mist was being sold at walgreens. I went and picked some up at 4:30 a.m. and had immediate relief.

PRIMATENE MIST SAVED MY LIFE. THEY CANNOT BAN THIS PRODUCT. IF THEY DO, IT WILL BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES.

#90 Adam: Ive been using this since I was like 9 (now 14) and it actualy works faster than the prescription I had. Today I had an severe asthma attack for like the first time in half a year and primatene also saved my life. YAY I cant wait to die when they cut us all off. (No money to pay for a prescription)

Joy -

Have you tried soggy parsley goat and hamster feed?

---------------------------------------

The whole thing is about Rx companies and Doctors making money. I have had Asthma for 30+ years, I have taken everything known to man and even some herbal things just to manage my illness. I changed diets, got rid of animals and pets in my home, had machines to make the air clean. Over all the years I took rescue inhalers and management meds, my asthma just got worse. I had illness all of the time, I was in the hospital here and there with other breathing issues. I was not even able to take phys-ed in school, to do so would send me to the ER and needing to be admitted into the hospital. I was not able to even run 20 feet without throwing up a lung. I had one of the worse cases of asthma that the doctors have ever seen. Then the worst thing ever happened to me I turned 18 and had no insurance at all... So I took Primetine Mist because I needed something to make me be able to breath and it worked, and the funny thing is that it worked better than the prescribed medication. As a matter of fact over the years I needed to up my dosage for both the rescue and for the maintenance meds, but after a couple of weeks of getting the prescribed med out of my system my asthma seem to have gotten better. Odd, right? Well after a few years of not really needing my inhaler all that much, and no maintenance medication at all. Which at one point I was up to 4 prescribed rescue inhalers a month, and then the insurance company came down on me for using so much. They said I didn't have my asthma under control and wanted to try other meds, well all they did was make me dependent on them, the more I had the more I needed. So the loss of my insurance was the best thing for me. Then a few years later and only 12 to 15 Primetine Mist bottles later, not the 150+ prescribed bottles, but only 12 to 15 of the Primetine, the worst thing that could ever happen to my asthma happened. I got insurance again, my doctor somehow talked me into taking prescribed medications again, and wouldn't you know it, I was down the same flipping path again. Within a year I was back to the same pattern, and was getting pneumonia 3 to 5 times per year, back in the hospitals and needing machines to help me breath. Sometimes in for oxygen, or breathing treatment. At one point it was so bad that we had to call 911. Because I passed out and fell through a glass coffee table, I was coughing so hard that I blacked out. Somehow I got worse over the years. Then I lost my insurance once again, yeah it sucks not having insurance, but my asthma is back to a point where I can go to the gym and live my life.

I so love it when someone that comes on here and says they are a Respiratory Therapist, did he even say if he had asthma or did he just speak from a book and what is feed to him. If you don't have this problem then you can not speak about it from your heart! Yeah I know that you are trained and educated about something but until you live with it don't speak to it.

By the way your data on the prices is out dated, I will over look that because your post is over 2 years old. Out of pocket it is now $40+ for Albuterol because they replaced the propellant, and lets not forget the maintenance meds that are over $400+ for one I took two at one point that was a month that was about another $300, and the testing we need to make sure that we are at a safe level (labs) $200+ every 4-6 months, and in the end the $75-$100 doctor visit which I had to go to 12 to 18 times a year near the end with perscribed drugs I was going 2 times per month. I was close to $10,000 a year while I was taking the prescribed meds. So with no insurance what is a person to do? Spend 1/4 to 1/2 of what they earn a year on scrips? Really?!?! Don't ban it. Make a safer OTC.. also put a warning on it like smokers have on cigs... really don't ban something because of Propaganda from Rx companies! But there is no money in that for Rx Companies, Doctors, and Respiratory Therapist, yes I just lumped you in with the problem... and unless you suffer from this disease don't open your mouth. You offend everyone with your spewdum.

One last thing I get physicals often, and Besides my asthma and some other minor back problems I am as strong as an OX.

G.F.O.A.D.

Fenix Bloodstone

Woo hoo - dead thread day on bloggie! Any bets on what comes up next? Will it be Vitamin C? Toyota S1udge? Dalits?

The suspense is unbearable!

Try reading the thread, drama-queen dumbass.

Boy, am I glad I included the quote in my previous comment. :P

Whoa, this is gonna be another long thread :-) Thanks Franco :-) and Lyana is too blame as well ;-)

LOL

Asthma! It make you strong like bull!

I would die without Primatene mists. These idiots tried to tell me I needed Advair, first time I woke up and took it, short of breathe, I ended up having to goto the friggen ER it felt like the crap made my throat close faster, did nothing, and it costs a fortune.

I wake up at 3AM, nearly unable to breathe, grab my Primatene and you know what, seconds later I feel fine and back to sleep.

I can't thank Primatene Mist enough, the Pharma industry makes me sick. Primatene mist is just fine, I have seen plenty of medications that are prescribed with the side affect listed as "In Some Rare Cases, Death May Occur". So don't hand this crap about Primatene mist being dangerous, it's a do-send.

You all are ridiculous, the pharma industry. Seriously.

BUMP

Email:sponsor@saveCFCinhalers.org
Original Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveCFCinhalers/
New Website: https://www.savecfcinhalers.org/THE_PETITION.html

Phone: 1-800-284-4619
Phone: 1-415-295-4509
Fax: 1-415-295-4504

Four years almost!

BTW the "Annie" on this thread way up at the top at #6 is not me. Thank G-d I do not have asthma and I do have an animal at home. Plus, I have health care (universal, single payer, Israeli. Take that, you Republidemolibertarians!)

Too late to abort Jesus, but at least now there won't be another one :-0

But how do you feel about Vitamin C?

And Toyota engine sludge?

Oooh... did you get the idea for that from Heathers?

#101 Luis:

Amen Luis - I agree 100%. These inhalers are better than many prescribed medications which choke me to dea-- instead of opening things up.

Superstitious much?

Heh... I guess if would have worked better if he had omitted the last half of the last sentence.

Are there any actual asthmatics still reading this thread? If so, here is some good news and some bad news.

Good News: As it stands now, the effective date for the ban has been pushed to Dec 31, 2011, so we have 2 years to stock up. And more importantly, Armstrong is apparently working on a non-CFC formulation. They lobbied hard to move the effective date from Dec 2010 to 2011 for this reason.

Bad News: Wyeth and Armstrong are economically motivated. This is a double edged sword. It is good that asthmatics and more specifically epinephrine users have an economically motivated advocate. Money talks. The bad news is that there are even deeper pockets who stand to make even more money if there is no OTC rescue inhaler.

Moreover, we are neither organized nor well represented. On January 24, 2006 11 people met at a Holiday Inn in Bethesda, MD to decide our fate. NOT ONE OF THEM WAS ASTHMATIC. The "Patient's Representative", Nancy Sander is neither asthmatic, nor does she have a medical background (her kids are mild asthmatics and she has been crusading for decades against Primatene Mist -NOT because her kids suffered any ill effect, or even tried it, simply based on early conversations with her kids' doctor. Personally I suspect she suffers from a severe case of Munchauser's by Proxy, but maybe I'm just angry). What is perhaps even more revealing is that they needed a special waiver to allow her to attend (yes she had a vote) because of a conflict of interest - a FINANCIAL conflict of interest. That means she owns bank debt, bonds or stock in one or more of the competitors, Frank (Frank doesn't get out much as you will soon see). Read the transcript. It is like a Kangaroo Court. Ditto the public comment period. 23 million asthmatics in this country, and FDA got 32 comments, a fraction of which were from asthmatics. Needless to say, the notice of the comment period and how/where to comment was well hidden.

Once again, as a reminder - this has very little to do with the safety or efficacy of epinephrine. Primatene Mist has been around for more than 40 years. This has everything to do with CFC's getting into the ozone, and whether epinephrine inhalers should be exempt (according to the FDA most of the CFCs are immediately exhaled after inhalation, and therefore still get into the atmosphere).

The argument of the Nancy Sanders' and her ilk is roughly as follows:

1) Primatene Mist users use primatene mist because they are not aware of the risks, and not aware that there are better treatments out there.

2) Removal of primatene mist will force users to get better treatment. Note: Although our Bloggie friend Frank who is clearly neither asthmatic nor does he have any medical background (and Jason is no more qualified to discuss your treatment options than a dental hygiensist is to perform a root canal), is is ironic that at least 19 published clinical trials found that 80% of asthma related deaths were caused by Seravent and Flovent (which have been combined to make Advair). But hey - thanks for the unsolicited medical advice Frank.

3) Prescription drugs will actually be cheaper for the uninsured because a hit of albuteral lasts longer, and perhaps a daily regiment of Advair or Seravent/Flovent will require fewer hits.

All 3 arguments conveniently ignore the obvious. Starting with #3, proponents of this argument flunked basic math. Without insurance, a month's supply of Advair and a rescue inhaler can top $300, throw in perhaps Singular and maybe some Allegra, and now you are paying about $600/ month. Then what do you suppose the doctor's visit will cost? Yes, we are essentially throwing a segment of our population to the sharks.

As for the other two, these are also non-sensical. There are not 3 million asthmatics using primatene mist because they are uninsured, ignorant or lazy. Primatene mist sells just as well in the affluent neighborhoods as it does in the not-so affluent ones. Wyeth demonstrated that at least 2/3 of their users use Primatene Mist as a back up.

The real asthmatics on this thread (as opposed to the "bloggies" who enjoy poking fun at them) will know this all too well. No doctor in his right mind, anywhere in the country will prescribe steroids only, and not a rescue inhaler. The reason for this is because even if your asthma is "under control", an asthmatic will have asthma attacks. Whether your asthma is severe and you have frequent attacks, or whether it is mild and it happens once a year, the absolutely salient point here is that IT ONLY TAKES ONE. There are 5,000 asthma related deaths a year. And finding yourself in the hospital, back cracking, lips blue is no fun at all. So if you are out of state, out of the country, or find yourself having an attack on a Sunday night, and you find yourself out of albuterol ... Most Primatene users will have several back ups, in the car, around the house. If not, find an all-night drug store, and voila! You can breath again. With out an OTC solution, this relatively benign scenario will end up in the emergency room.

The FDA itself casually estimates a drastic increase in the number of emergency room visits once Primatene Mist is removed from the shelves (imagine what this increase in hospital visits will do to the cost comparison for our uninsured friends). Wyeth puts the cost of the incremental emergency room visits at roughly $1.1 billion a year in the aggregate (that figure has not been contested). In human terms, that means that if you are otherwise spending most of your time hitting the slopes, biking, hiking, riding your hog, flying airplanes, scuba diving, traveling, working on your career ... you will be spending an awful lot of time in the emergency room after 2011, and avoiding activities that could get you into trouble.

In other words, your life will look something like the one that Frank and friends are living. Has anyone else seen this phenomenon? Frank started the blog. It is clear he is not asthmatic, nor is he a medical professional. Once he got it going, he has been making snied remarks, and poking fun at asthmatics and more recently diabetics. On closer inspection, he is a bizarre creature of the new age called a "bloggie", as are a number of the other posters here. You will notice that a real asthmatic posts, and regardless of the day or time of day, Frank is there with a response within minutes (like asking Susan if she has spoken to a doctor!), as are the other "bloggies". They are part of a cadre that leave their comments throughout the web on such weighty topics as Canada banning incandescent light bulbs and they spend an awful lot of time making inane comments on forums like "Bloggies of our Lives" and they showcase what they consider to be their most clever quips in "Best of ..." series. Of course, they are utterly and profoundly silent on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear ambitions, healthcare reform, the deficit, the housing bubble, illegal wildlife tracking, global warming ...

Its almost Kafkaesque. Like Gregor they have morphed into these beings who create blog threads for the express purpose of entertainment, so that they can sit in their dark, damp basements munching cheetos and poke fun at the "melodramatic" asthmatics who post on the very same thread. You guys need a hobby. No a REAL hobby. One that requires you to go out into the sunlight. Maybe find a girlfriend, or heaven forbid a job. And lay off the cheetos, have your mom do some laundry, those sweat pants you are wearing are starting to get pretty ripe.

For those of us who are enjoying rich, fulfilling lives, and worry about what the loss of an OTC option will do to the quality of those lives after 2011, WE SHOULD GET ORGANIZED

Liar. There was no Holiday Inn in Bethesda in 2006.

In other words, your life will look something like the one that Frank and friends are living. Has anyone else seen this phenomenon? Frank started the blog. It is clear he is not asthmatic, nor is he a medical professional. Once he got it going, he has been making snied remarks, and poking fun at asthmatics and more recently diabetics. On closer inspection, he is a bizarre creature of the new age called a "bloggie", as are a number of the other posters here. You will notice that a real asthmatic posts, and regardless of the day or time of day, Frank is there with a response within minutes (like asking Susan if she has spoken to a doctor!), as are the other "bloggies". They are part of a cadre that leave their comments throughout the web on such weighty topics as Canada banning incandescent light bulbs and they spend an awful lot of time making inane comments on forums like "Bloggies of our Lives" and they showcase what they consider to be their most clever quips in "Best of ..." series. Of course, they are utterly and profoundly silent on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear ambitions, healthcare reform, the deficit, the housing bubble, illegal wildlife tracking, global warming ...

Its almost Kafkaesque. Like Gregor they have morphed into these beings who create blog threads for the express purpose of entertainment, so that they can sit in their dark, damp basements munching cheetos and poke fun at the "melodramatic" asthmatics who post on the very same thread. You guys need a hobby. No a REAL hobby. One that requires you to go out into the sunlight. Maybe find a girlfriend, or heaven forbid a job. And lay off the cheetos, have your mom do some laundry, those sweat pants you are wearing are starting to get pretty ripe.

But I rebutted that entire 1,346 essay in just 11 words.

But I still take very strong issue with the "Cheetos" allegation.

Hah... spooky in retrospect.

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/2006-4200T.pdf

Proof 1): The transcript (I was remiss not to post the link anyway). Location and date in the heading.

Proof 2): I posted at 11:38, Frank's response - 11:45AM. And there are some stale pizza crumbs on his response. His mother is yelling at him in the background. "Frank you are 35 years old! Clean up your room!"

Right now, I have a reason to be here. You do not Frank. Right now, the other things you are not doing:

Reading a book
Reading the papers
Reading an editorial or a magazine
Studying either for pleasure or career advancement
Skiing
Ice Skating
Biking
Fighting for a cause, or equipping yourself to do so
Working on a hobby
Giving yout time to charity
Educating a child

For those actual asthmatics out there:

We really should get organized.

Whose interest is it in to pull Primatene?

1) All the manufacturers of prescription drugs AND generics like Schering and Glaxo

2) Doctors! If you don't need a prescription ...

Because we are not organized, these are the very people who are speaking for us ... oh wait, I forgot. Frank cares about us melodramatic crazies, and get online at any time, day or night, and Frank will be happy to administer some free medical advice based on his years of NOT GOING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.

And some of you have talked about efficacy here. I agree. There are times when Albuterol simply does not work, and Primatene does.

Read the FDA's responses to the public comments. Its absurd. We are the patients. The job of the medical community is to solicit feedback from the patients to determine efficacy, not tell us which part of the lung an agent works on ... and so therefore it works. Them logic behind the FDA's responses turns the entire mission of the FDA on its ear! The point of clinical trials is to test whether or not a drug actually works as it is theorized to do, not to theorize how a drug works and then force feed it to the patients.

Do any of you remember Marax or Theodur! Has anyone taken Zyrtec! Oh My! Talk about side effects! The drugs our doctors have been prescribing for us have been A) responsible for 80% of asthma related deaths and B) causing crazy side effects. And the medical community wants to PROTECT us from the one medication that has NOT killed anyone, and MAY cause a few harmless palpitations. In the transcript, as I recall, the Wyeth representative references a study where users inhaled almost an entire bottle in a relatively short time frame, and experienced a slight increase in heart rate with no lasting effect.

But wait, we should ask FRANK for his educated opinion based on NOT HAVING ASTHMA, NEVER HAVING READ A BOOK ABOUT ASTHMA, NEVER HAVING BEEN HOSPITALIZED FOR ASTHMA, NEVER EVEN HAVING SEEN A DOCTOR ABOUT ASTHMA AND HAVING ABSOLUTELY NO BACKGROUND WHATSOEVER. You're right Frank, you probably do know better than the asthmatics who have been managing the disease for decades, popping every pill, enhaling every concoction the medical community could come up with.

You kind of remind me of a guy I knew in college. He chained himself to the Dean's front door to protest Apartheid, but was embarrassed upon questioning by the school paper et al, that he had never even heard the term constructive engagement, and therefore could not argue the pros and cons. The difference between him and you is that HE had a cause. HE had a reason to be there. HE was OUTSIDE!

This could be better than Jayd.

See #120.

I need to go but I can't pull myself away from reading this firecracker! LMAO! From now on, I'm going to preface any health advice I give with, "Based on my years of NOT GOING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL, I think you should..." I might actually shout the CAPS PART.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm listening to the neighbor kid's mom yelling at him.

"But MOOOOM!! I have a REASON to be here!" LMAO

Is this guy for real?

In other words, your life will look something like the one that Frank and friends are living. Has anyone else seen this phenomenon? Frank started the blog. It is clear he is not asthmatic, nor is he a medical professional. Once he got it going, he has been making snied remarks, and poking fun at asthmatics and more recently diabetics. On closer inspection, he is a bizarre creature of the new age called a "bloggie", as are a number of the other posters here. You will notice that a real asthmatic posts, and regardless of the day or time of day, Frank is there with a response within minutes (like asking Susan if she has spoken to a doctor!), as are the other "bloggies". They are part of a cadre that leave their comments throughout the web on such weighty topics as Canada banning incandescent light bulbs and they spend an awful lot of time making inane comments on forums like "Bloggies of our Lives" and they showcase what they consider to be their most clever quips in "Best of ..." series. Of course, they are utterly and profoundly silent on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear ambitions, healthcare reform, the deficit, the housing bubble, illegal wildlife tracking, global warming ...

OMG, I'm so glad I didn't miss this!

Do Zorkie and Ev know about my promotion to Blogmaster?

HE was OUTSIDE!

On closer inspection, he is a bizarre creature of the new age called a "bloggie", as are a number of the other posters here. You will notice that a real asthmatic posts, and regardless of the day or time of day, Frank is there with a response within minutes (like asking Susan if she has spoken to a doctor!), as are the other "bloggies". They are part of a cadre that leave their comments throughout the web on such weighty topics as Canada banning incandescent light bulbs and they spend an awful lot of time making inane comments on forums like "Bloggies of our Lives" and they showcase what they consider to be their most clever quips in "Best of ..." series.

I'm dying here.

I went outside. It was just too damned cold so I turned right around and went back inside.

I AM serious.

And stop calling me "Shirley"!

Just don't ask for a raise, we're broke.

I thought it was a guy at first but something about the spunky fieryness makes TwoCent seem female to me.

Of course, they are utterly and profoundly silent on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear ambitions, healthcare reform, the deficit, the housing bubble, illegal wildlife tracking, global warming ...

I think it's Sean Gleason :-)

Ain't bloggie great? All the bloggies in fact!

Ain't bloggie great? All the bloggies in fact!

LOL! Exactly!

#137 floranista :

Somewhere in the New York metro area or its exurbs. You could be right. ;)

They are part of a cadre that leave their comments throughout the web on such weighty topics as Canada banning incandescent light bulbs

Very paper-centric, no?

OK, TwoCent's posts are 99% comedy gold, but this is utter, unmmitigated bullshit:

#143 franco cbi: Based on your years of not going to medical school?

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

That's because he's the snied piper.

#119 TwoCents
The drugs our doctors have been prescribing for us have been responsible for 80% of asthma related deaths

Franco, before you call a statement like this "bullshit" maybe you should do your homework.
As an asthmatic who nearly died one week ago due to using Primatene Mist to try and deal with an asthma attack, (since I haven't experienced problems with my asthma for almost two years, I didn't have an albuterol inhaler) I can relate to this issue from both perspectives. I cringe at the thought of being unable to access something over the counter and affordable when in need, especially since I have no health insurance and already am in debt from previous medical bills. But the reality is, people DIE from using Primatene Mist. It took a night in the ICU on oxygen and two more days pumped full of steroids intravenously along with nebulizer treatments every couple of hours before I even came close to being able to breathe normally again. and I remained in the hospital for two more days after that. It just so happens that the nurses and docs, as well as the emergency team that picked me up in an ambulance, told me that Primatene Mist is actually a very bad idea for people who actually have asthma. Not allergy related shortness of breath, ASTHMA. The effect on someone who already has constricted airways can be the exact opposite of what is needed, and has already caused numerous deaths. I think the packaging of Primatene Mist, which says that it is intended for treatment of asthma, is the reason something should be done to change this. Those of you who adamantly defend it, imagine yourself reaching for a familiar relief and not getting it. So you puff it again and sip some tea and try to calm your breathing, but it feels like there's now a 50 pound weight welded to your shoulders, and each time you try to get a breath you can't because the only space in your lungs feels like it's been stuffed with sawdust, so after trying to keep from panicking, and kind of beginning to level out again after a couple hours maybe, you decide to puff it once more since it used to always help when you needed relief, so you figure now that you're a little calmer and some time has passed then it'll probably work better. Then the next thing you know, you can't even make it across the room and you can literally feel your lungs collapsing on themselves, the harder you struggle for air, the more impossible it is to get any. And I'm not talking about your average asthma attack; I'm not exactly inexperienced when it comes to severe attacks out of nowhere. But this time there was the very real possibility of my life coming to an end, I have never experienced having to mentally come to terms with that, and all in such a short period of time! I truly could not contain the panic and it took every scrap of will in my body to hold on. At the ER they took four blood tests in a row to make sure the oxygen level in my bloodstream could even be possible. I am lucky to have lived, others have not been as fortunate. Over the counter relief is something that should not be denied to anyone, but until you experience how something like Primatene Mist can go horribly wrong in such a short moment, you won't understand why it really is such a big deal. I agree with what someone said earlier, why is an inferior treatment the one that is made readily accessible? And I also FIRMLY believe that the entire lifeblood of the pharmaceutical industry depends on people being dependent. How would they keep up their insane profit flow if they actually presented us with a cure for the problem, rather than a crapass treatment of whatever symptom we experience, and then on top of that, whatever side effects we experience? A little background- my asthma didn't resurface until I moved to WA state from a dry, high altitude climate. My whole life I was on this and that pill and inhaler with no real effectiveness, until my sophomore year of HS I saw an acupuncturist and herbalist. THAT was the only time in my life that I experienced life-changing relief from asthma, and I'm going back to it now! Say what you want, but I think that a superior treatment option is one that targets your problem and treats your body so that it functions the way it's supposed to, as opposed to a life of increasing strengths and dosages of chemicals that create dependency and encourage your body's INability to heal itself. As for die-hard supporters of the pharmaceutical monolith, I'm not trying to take anything away from you! Choose what you want, like I did, but don't argue ignorantly about something you really truly do not understand. Primatene Mist might be instant relief for you and easy to get, and for plenty of people it will never be anything beyond that, but there does need to be a much stronger warning on the label at the VERY LEAST. If the doctors themselves told me this shit almost killed me, does that mean anything to you?

sunshine - more than 10 lines in a row without a line break or paragraph break rapes my eyeballs.

I know this is an old thread, but today I began researching the facts on Primatene Mist, and I stumbled across it and thought I would chime in. Sunshine, that is a horrible story, and I can relate. I had a virus that gave me what felt like a regular chest cold. It got worse and worse, until one night I woke up coughing, and every time I tried to breathe in, i would cough harder. I didn't know it, but the illness had triggered my asthma, which I hadn't had a real problem with in years. I started to black out from lack of air. I remembered that my Grandmother, who I care for in my home had an inhaler she never used from something a few months before. I made it to her closet, grabbed it, and got a couple puffs in me. I know they didn't get far, as I couldn't breathe enough to draw in the medicine, but it was enough. Shortly I was able to get a little more of a breath, and my vision was returning to normal. I took another couple puffs over the next 5 minutes once I felt I could get the medicine further into my lungs. I am convinced that it saved my life. I have had a couple other experiences in which I thought I was going to die, but never one where I felt so helpless.

My point to that story is that having an inhaler that works for you is so very important. The simple truth is that for some people, Primatene Mist works. NO, it is not the perfect solution for all asthma sufferers. It should only be used as directed, and anyone with asthma NEEDS to see a doctor about it if at ALL possible. Some people have very bad reactions to Epinephrine, and obviously Primatene is NOT the inhaler for them. But for those of us who HAVE seen a doctor, (In my case many doctors over many years) and who have a mild problem with asthma or other breathing issues, who need occasional relief, Primatene works. NO drug is 100% safe for 100% of people, including Albuterol. Cost is also a factor sometimes, and needs to be considered.

Banning Primatene because of CFCs however is just flat out STUPID. Even if you do think that Man Mad Global Warming is real, this is NOT something that needs to be banned. The global warming scare is a farce. It is a lie that the masses have bought hook, line, and sinker. However, more and more research, done by people who don't stand to gain anything from EITHER outcome is proving that all the claims have been HIGHLY overblown. But even if it WERE real, there are millions of sources of greenhouse gasses that need to be addressed before we worry about these tiny little bottles of MEDICINE.

Many people have used Primatene with no ill effects since the 60s. While their have been problems for a number of people, this is true of every drug on the market. On top of that, there are some newer studies done that show Primatene to be even less dangerous than previously thought. Even with the drugs problems, it has done far more good than harm, and to ban it for environmental reasons is so insane and stupid it makes me want to scream.

Used correctly, Primatene helps a lot of people live more comfortably (Or in some cases LIVE at all) and gives them relief they can afford. And I promise that even if everyone were to use Primatene twice a week, the world will not come to an end any sooner. The FDA needs to focus on REAL issues, and not screw with people's medicine in order to prevent something that isn't even happening.

Thanks for allowing me vent.

Hopefully with Universal Healthcare, with an emphasis on preventative care, we'll see a lot less of this self-medication crap.

Yes, hopefully when the govt takes all of our salaries, and gives us EVERYTHING they think we need in return, we can truly be fat, dumb, happy, and well taken care of.

Those who trade their freedom for security deserve neither. That security can come in the form of so called national health care, protection from meanies with turbines, etc etc etc. I am afraid people will not wake up and reverse this course until all is lost and they realize what they had.

As for Primatene Mist, I came here looking for negatives on using this since I have a job which does not come with health insurance. I also do not make enough money to eat and buy health insurance. Oh well, maybe I will starve this month so I can buy health insurance and be in 'full compliance' with the new 'national healthcare' mandate. If I don't, they will impose a tax penalty on me which, if I can't pay, they might throw me in jail. Then I will get health insurance. After all, they DID promise to take care of all our healthcare needs.

Am I way off base here? Someone please correct me if I am wrong........

Let's see... SM's employer doesn't provide health insurance, SM doesn't make an effort to budget for coverage... and who does he blame... THE GOVERNMENT, of course.

Universal healthcare is the equivalent of Stalin at the gates of Budapest, I tell you.

SM is budgeting for coverage... its called buying Primatene Mist at Walmart. People cannot spend what they cannot afford. I simply cannot afford health insurance. I am not blaming the government for me not having health insurance. I am blaming the government for getting involved in our lives when we do not want them to. I believe the states that are suing the federal govt because of this bill are doing so on the basis that it is unconstitutional for the government to MAKE you buy something that you do cannot/do not wish to buy... ie, health insurance.

How do you justify imposing a tax penalty on someone who cannot afford health insurance? If someone cannot buy health insurance, where will they get the money to pay the fine? The pres did not sign a bill to give everyone health insurance, he signed a bill to say 'get it or else.' This does not fix the problem.

Reading this thread makes me hungry for a Five Guys burger.

I think I'll go get one.

So we dump on people less forunate, it's called Christianity as practiced by a wide variety of gov and corp sleeze to justify profit. We need to find out whether there exists a substitute out there in the world market. Do you mean every heavy breather in Japan buys Primetene? How about the billions in India, what do they do.

Free trade. They're going to monitor every transaction on Ebay and Amazon.

Same with the health care. Import doctors from Cuba, whatever. Let them compete with the greedy docs here. Free trade, it's their game, see how they like it. The only thing that changes things is the threat of taking away their money.

Greets

No, they like to buy magazines with pictures of high school girls.

Primatene is not dangerous, i've used it for 30+ years and to tell you the truth it works better than albuterol. The FDA will ban it because the pharmaceutical companies don't make money on it. The FDA approves neurotoxins like aspartame and says nothing about monosodium glutamate among the many toxins in our foods but they like to ban things that actually work because big pharma controls them.

Is primatene good for vitamin c abortions?

#1 Franco CBI: I hope that someone uses some common sense on this issue. I have been using a rescue inhaler for 40 years. In May of 2009 my inhaler was discontinued due to the @#$%^& E.P.A. and the F.D.A.. So, my Dr. prescribed Albuterol. I didn't know it at the time but it put me in the hospital for 3 days. The constant efforts of my Doctor's to stuff medication into my body - Spiriva, Flovent,MaxAir, ProAir, Xopenex, Ventolin, ect, etc made me more and more sick. It wasn't until I discovered Primatene Mist (and 5000 i.u. of Vitamin D3/day) that I started to get well. After a year has passed, I am finally getting back to normal. Oh, and I use ONLY Primatene Mist.

It's called a medical "practice" so that they can practice on you. They cannot open your lungs to see what it's doing and everyone is different. When I have an allergic reaction to mold, my chest is so tight that it's hard to breathe. My last doctor sort of yelled at me when I made an appointment with him because he said that I should have tried this FIRST! He prescribed Albuterol, which was fine for me but he told me NOT to use it all the time and to use and OTC(which this is on the only one and I found it strange that he wouldn't mention it by name so he must believe that it's okay for people like me...). If only 5000 people in a population of millions are dying from supposedly this drug, then that is better than the tens of thousands who will when it's gone. I just bought some yesterday after a weekend of playing my garden and it's the best thing!!!