Relax: Asthma Inhalers NOT being banned...
(Just Primatene Mist, everything else remains available...)
I saw this headline in the Weekly Standard late Friday evening...
Obama Administration Set to Ban Asthma Inhalers Over Environmental Concerns
...Quite the bummer for yours truly as I've used an inhaler for years, since I was first diagnosed with asthma back in the late 1980's. This sound fishy to me, so I started digging. Something wasn't right. (Maybe Obama thinks only Conservatives use inhalers perhaps?)
The gist of the article, which you should read for yourself, is that the Obama Administration has decided to ban asthma inhalers in order to save the ozone. Not until their second paragraph do they indicate that the only effected inhalers are those sold over the counter or OTC. That's an important detail. The headline doesn't suggest that only one kind of inhaler is effected by this. The implication is that Obama is banning ALL inhalers to save the ozone while we asthmatics start wheezing to death.
It involves only those inhalers with chloroflourocarbons, which are known to deplete the ozone layer. The only such inhaler with chloroflourocarbons still available is Armstrong Lab's Primatene Mist. The more popular inhalers, typically prescribed by physicians use an environmentally friendly propellant called hydrofluoroalkane. If you've filled an inhaler prescription in the last few years for a respiratory ailment, you've used an eco-friendly inhaler.
This effected a number of different products. Another commonly known example is the change freon underwent in our AC units...
I want to address the issue of the headline's claim that President Obama is behind this effort.
He's not. This goes all the way back to an initial meeting in Helsinki, Finland in 1987 aiming to address the issue of ozone depletion. A resulting agreement, the Montreal Protocol, was signed by by 196 countries, including the United States. Former President Ronald Reagan endorsed this effort. Mr. Reagan felt strongly enough about it that he wrote the following letter to the Senate asking for a favorable action:
Letter from Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Senate:
"THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release December 21, 1987
To the Senate of the United States:
I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, done at Montreal on September 16, 1987. The report of the Department of State is also enclosed for the information of the Senate.
The Montreal Protocol provides for internationally coordinated control of ozone-depleting substances in order to protect public health and the environment from potential adverse effects of depletion of stratospheric ozone. The Protocol was negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program, pursuant to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which was ratified by the United States in August 1986.
In this historic agreement, the international community undertakes cooperative measures to protect a vital global resource. The United States played a leading role in the negotiation of the Protocol. United States ratification is necessary for entry into force and effective implementation of the Protocol. Early ratification by the United States will encourage similar action by other nations whose participation is also essential.
I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the Protocol and give its advice and consent to ratification.
Ronald Reagan The White House December 21, 1987"
There is scientific evidence that the effort has produced good results as there seems to be a correlation between the reduction of CFC's entering into the atmosphere and the recovery of the ozone layer itself.
To review, prescription inhalers are not effected by this at all and will continue to be available as usual. This, we see, was not a project of the current administration, but that of a Republican President almost twenty-five years ago.
The headline by the TWS is misleading. They should adjust it...
For anyone who does use Primatene Mist...
The FDA has plenty of information here and here on how to move forward and explore different options...
I'm not a doctor but...
The packaging for Primatene Mist specifically tells purchasers to only use this product if you've been diagnosed by a physician, aren't being treated for other conditions and follow the directions carefully. There's been some remarks on RW talk radio already and on the internet this weekend that people who won't be able to buy PM anymore won't be able to treat their asthma anymore. That's wrong. Utterly. According to an article in Chest, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, "
the occasional use of OTC epinephrine inhalers appears to be safe and effective when used according to labeled instruction by individuals with only mild, intermittent disease."
The article also states that people that use OTC inhalers like PM shouldn't be using them, and should actually be on some other medication and under the care of a physician. This is supported by the company's warnings on its packaging. I suspect that a certain number of users are self diagnosing and self medicating, which is usually risky business. Since everything "official" instructs people to be seen by a doctor before using PM, I'd echo that sentiment as well.
PM is a rescue inhaler. Its not a maintenance drug. Commonly, people diagnosed with breathing issues will be on a combination of medications. Go see a doctor and get any concerns checked out.
I can't afford a prescription inhaler...
There are several options available to a person with financial hardships. From the FDA release:
Help With Payment
Replacement medicines for Primatene Mist may cost more. If it is hard for you to pay for a new medicine:
- Talk to your health care professional about programs that help patients get medicines they need.
- Contact the company that makes the drug that your health care professional prescribes. The company may have a patient-assistance program that makes medicines available to patients at low or no cost.
- Visit free local clinics and public hospitals for additional assistance with your medications.
In summary...
1) Only Primatene Mist inhalers are effected by the regulation...all previously prescribed inhalers will continue to be available.
2) If you use Primatene Mist, ask your doctor for his advice on what to replace it with.
3) This was not an Obama thing...it goes back to President Reagan...
Sources:
I've rarely sold Primatene. Usually it's when someone finds themselves somewhere with an attack and realize they didn't pack their normal inhaler. very rare. and as you mentioned, the HFAs are what's out there now. I haven't heard if Primatene is going hfa.... probably should if they want to remain viable as a product, but I can't really picture it affected the ozone layer. jer
ReplyDeleteHi, Bill -
ReplyDeleteThank you for the rational explanation of what is happening with asthma inhalers. I posted a link to your article on the wall of a conservative FB friend, who never misses the opportunity to praise the Tea Party or blame the current administration. He does often cede a reasoned debate to me, so hopefully this will help broaden his horizons! Please keep offering sourced information for those of us who want to live in a fact based world!
One of the things I find most intriguing here is not the use or non-use of Primatene Mist, but the need to credit a former president for action on an environmental issue. Based on your sarcasm-riddled sidenote that perhaps President Obama believes only conservatives use PM, I'm wondering about Mr. Reagan's support of a ban on this propellant which contains CFC's, which are linked to global warming.
ReplyDeleteI thought only liberals believed in human-caused global warming?
I credited President Reagan because he was the President that signed it and lobbied Congress to ratify it into law.
ReplyDeleteWho gives a damn whether Reagan, Obama, or Henry Ford is at fault? Bottom line is that I just woke up having an asthma attack and my prescription inhaler was out so I carted my blue face into the local drug store to find out that Primatene Mist can no longer be had. No worries though because several hours and a couple of hundred dollars later I was out of the ER and back at home with my prescription inhaler. If I had died in the interim they could just have inscribed my tombstone with "Here lies David, he suffocated to death but he did not hurt the environment which is what is really important. PS - It wasn't Obama's fault so it's cool".
ReplyDeleteThank you. Why is this so impossible for the environmental nuts to comprehend?
DeleteAs a fellow asthmatic, I know that feeling, David. Bottom line, its our duty/burden/etc. to make sure we have the meds necessary around and ready to go in case something flares up.
ReplyDeleteHindsight's 20/20, but when you get that low, you need to take action. Whether its refilling a script, calling your GP/specialist to see if they have any free samples that can tide you over, etc.
Good luck...
I cannot help but realize that you do not know what the hell you are talking about. Breathe through a coffee stirrer all your life, 24x7x365 and then you may have input that is worthy of merit. Every asthmatic is different. Each has differing triggers. So you find what works for you by chance most often. For millions, Primatene works. The albuterol inhalers do not work for me -- get it? The Advair doesn't either, get it? Get off your high horse and go breathe through a straw for an entire day and then try to get a good night's sleep. For Christ's sake, some asthmatics are allergic to the damned ethanol and to the propellant in the HFA inhalers, what do you propose they do Einstein?
ReplyDeleteMaybe if these "tree hugging" peoples family members had an asthma attack they would understand how we feel if we can't get our medicine! I have no insurance..can't find a job.. (thanks to The prez) And I have asthma! No other meds on the market help me! BRING back primatine mist!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have used several different prescription inhalers. I use an albuterol prescription one now. I have always also used primatene mist. There is no substitute for the relief I get from Primatene mist. Period. I hope they come up with a substitute. There are a lot of desperate sufferers wanting a replacement for this.
ReplyDeleteI have asthma and years ago used abuterol inhalers. For the past ten years I have used Primatene mist because I have no insurance. I cannot afford to go to the doctor to get a prescription for an inhaler even if they give me the inhaler for free. I live in a very rural area where there are no free clinics to get a prescription. I am certain I am not alone in this situation. I cannot believe that the ozone layer is more important than peoples health. My Primatene inhaler is about 1/2 gone and then I will be out of luck. Thank you FDA for banning a necessary medicine that could save many lives, but after all we might prevent a tiny hole in the ozone layer.
ReplyDeleteThis is total bunk. My husband has severe asthma. The new inhalers that replaced the cfc inhalers clog and are inferior. The clogging renders them useless as a reliable rescue. Also, even albuteral is no longer generic, so our copay literally went up six hundred percent for inhalers that are likely to clog and are generally less effective because the propellent is less effective. Nice try to defend this idiotic ban.
ReplyDelete