Azmacort Substitute (Page 2)

Updated

Azmacort has been taken off the market because of environmental concerns (they say). There really is NO substitute. All other steroids do not work. My wife could die because of it. No one seems to care. Do you?

342 Replies (18 Pages)

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21

Carol
Dale88
Concerned Reader
Vernon
Realist
Mary Hardy

I promised to keep you all posted on the latest and I am not sure how to do that. Whenever I made a posting thus far, I have just called out the name of the person I was directly addressing at the time. I am now hoping to get all of you up to date with a single posting by listing all of your names. If this is not the way it is done, I certainly welcome adjustments by the administrator.

The latest is this; we have been approved to receive my wife's medication delivered to our home in a couple of days. The folks at Advair do indeed have a program open to those who are eligible to receive financial help in getting the medications they need. The program is called Bridges to Access. The required forms are at that site. If you fill them out while on line, I would suggest you make copies of them and print them out before you push the send key.

Eligibility includes not having Part D of Medicare and not having any other drug insurance. It also includes a maximum income for the family. I believe the allowed income may depend on how many live in that home. I am not sure of that, but they do ask the question. The amount of income allowed seems reasonable to us.

There are two ways to apply: 1) fill out the form and submit it yourself or 2) have the doctor apply for you either by mail or by phone. Doing it through your doctor is recommended if you need the medication rapidly. You will need to send in the top sheet of your latest income tax form 1040 which, at the bottom, shows your gross income.

I now need to update a message I left for Carol regarding the medication itself.

The medication is an aerosol that does not contain any chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) in the carrier - which is why they took Azmacort off the market.

The medication my wife will receive is Advair HFA 115/21. That is not the discus you commonly see advertised. The discus uses powder that many people can handle but my wife cannot. This, as I said above, is an aerosol.

The name of the medication breaks down like this: Advair is the name of he manufacturer. HFA stands for hydrofluoroalkane. This acts as a propellant for the medication in place of the CFC.

The canister combines two medications needed by asthma sufferers - one is fluticasone propionate and the other is the familiar salmeterol. Fluticasone propionate is a synthetic corticosteroid derived from fluticasone used to treat asthma and allergic rhinitis. Salmeterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic receptor agonist drug. The 12-g canister is said to provide 120 metered inhalations.

The metered doses are expressed as numbers like, 115/21. These numbers represent the strengths of the two major medications in the aerosol. The 115 figure is the mcg strength of the fluticasone propionate and the 21 stands for the mcg strength of the salmeterol. Mcg stands for microgram. As you can see, these are very small doses as overdoses can have serious and some times fatal consequences. The amount actually delivered is dependent upon the patient’s coordination. I think the first 4 doses are shaken for 5 seconds and wasted in the air away from the face to prime the canister.

I am not an expert on this information. Please check with your doctor before you put anything in your lungs.

We will not know if it works for my wife or not until she tries it for 3 or 4 days. We are praying it will. We admit, we do have our hopes up - particularly because of the way the Lord led us to this particular drug.

We will be back in contact with you as soon as we know how it turns out. Keep good courage and try to work with what is available. Cursing the situation will not change it. Move on from there.

Jack

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22

I just called in my script for Azmacort and I am EXTREMELY disappointed that the medicine has been discontinued. What am I supposed to do now? I have never had any issues with it and now I have go back and forth to the doctor while they figure out whats best for me? This is ridiculous! I will be calling abbott tomorrow morning!!!

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23

OK, I have calmed down a bit from my last post and went back and re-read all the suggestions that everyone has written. I understand that what works for you may not work for me or vice versa.

After talking to my sister (who is a nurse practioner), she is going to look into suggestions for Azmacort replacements for me, but in the meantime, she suggested looking into Halotherapy. As crazy as it sounds, I have ordered a salt pipe inhaler which is supposed to help in the aide of people who have allergies/asthma/bronchial issues.

Has anyone else used one?

I am not going to post where I got this item until at least a few days have passed and I can make a determination to if it works or not AND if people are interested in hearing my results. Im not here to promote anything-- Im here bc we are in the same boat together.

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24

Hi All, Walgreens just informed me that they could not re-fill my script so I've contacted my doctor for another option. I've been taking Azmacort for about 20 years with no problems so I will contact the manufacturer to register my displeasure.

As an aside, my father suffered and eventually died from COPD. His initial condition and scaring of his lungs was caused by fumes from a mining smelter. Blessedly, the environmentalists were able to stop this type of pollution and make the world a better place for all of us who suffer from lung disease. As a canary, I'm most grateful to the environmentalist for their outstanding work in helping keep the air clean enough to breathe - even if I do wheeze on occasion!

Jack, good luck to your wife and her new regime. May each and everyone find a drug that will help control your asthma symptoms even better than Azmacort!

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25

dc:
Your suggestion about Halotherapy is interesting. It sounds like homeopathic treatment which can work for some people if everything is just right. It may be longer term than we can afford health-wise. We will ask our doctor about it this week.

Jack

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26

Allie:

Thank you for your good wishes. I just asked my wife how she is feeling with the new aerosol, Adviar HFA 115/21. She is not sure yet because she does not know if her discomfort is due to a cold or the drug.

To me, that is encouraging. Her reactions to most drugs is usually much more pronounced and distinguishable. I promise to post as soon as I know what is going on.

Meanwhile, all of you should not give up. Work your way through your anger and be encouraged. I am speaking as a pastor.

Jack

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27

Jack and All:

I'm still on my own without an inhaler after 5 weeks. I have a cough which is concerning to me. I had a cough with the Qvar too. I have an appointment with my primary care doctor March 1st. Albuterol is the only thing I am using when I think I am feeling congested. I hope your wife finds that the new treatment is helpful. I still have the Alvesco and Pulmicort Flexhaler to try in the future if I need it.

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28

Allie
DC
Carol
Dale88
Concerned Reader
Vernon
Realist
Mary Hardy

Carol - I hope your experiment going without slugging a whiff of drugs except for the once-in-a-while Albuterol works. Please be careful. I understand the Albuterol can be too strong for many people although you must use it if an attack has already started.

Everyone - My wife and I went to our primary care doctor today. I waited with baited breath when my wife told her how she is doing with the Advair HFA 115/21. It would be a time when she would tell what is really going on - - - you women don't seem to want to let us in on how things are working out. I guess you just love us too much to worry us, huh?

Anyway, after about a week of trials it seems she may be able to tolerate the drug. The doctor cautioned me not to go overboard just yet - we won't really know how it will work with her until a month goes by. But she usually rejects the drugs by now and she hasn't.

It turns out that - where we live in Florida - the pollen is horrible right now. And cold as all get out. These are not the best of weather conditions for asthma drug trials but she is still able to tolerate it. I am optimistic at last. Thank you all for your support.

Jack

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29

Jack & All

This is not an experiment me going without an inhaler. My asthma doctor tested me and said my breathing is good, my lungs are perfect and the testing that they did showed that I did not need an inhaler everyday. I don't know if I agree with that as I had been on Azmacort for over 20 years everyday!!! So far I am doing fine. I haven't had to use the inhaler but one time. We live in Oregon and the pollen is bad this time of year as well as the cold and rain. We also have a cat which doesn't help, but we love her very much. Will check with my primary care doctor Monday to see what she thinks about me using an inhaler all the time. I am also on Fluticasone nasal spray every day for allergies.

I hope that your wife keeps up with the good signs she is showing so far.

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30

to Jack
I was so upset too about Azmacort going away. It is the only one that works for me. When I heard it was discontinued, I ran out and bought the last one in the store. I just finished it yesterday2/26, Today I started Pulmicort- but don't think I got it right- since my drs insructions did not include the manufacturers instructions about Priming the inhaler. So, I sit here thinking, did I get it or did i NOT get it? I am very scared as I am getting over a cold and having very bad asthma symptoms for first time in many months. If I had good insurance, I would have gone to ER last night, but we are afraid what the bill might be. It was $1,500 when I went in August for chest pains & tightness. So I am trying to tough it out. I am 55 y.o. You are a great husband, Pastor Jack - thank you for taking such good care of your wife, she is very lucky. My husband just tells me to tough it out, but I am scared and having trouble breathing. I just want the Azmacort back. Thanks for listening.

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31

All,

I am glad to hear at least we are all surviving. :)

I have been using the salt pipe inhaler for a little over a week now. The post nasal drip has seemed to clear up a bit, and I havent needed to use albuetrol. Ive been checking my peak flows twice day, morning and evening, and everything seems to be ok. Right now, I would recommend it, however, the real test for me will be when allergy season hits. :(

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32

Dc
Linda
Carol

Dc
For those of us who do not know, Salt Pipe therapy is a homeopathic way to help people with breathing problems. It is not like a Sherlock Holmes thingy that you fill with salt, light up and smoke. But it is a pipe in that it is a tube through which you inhale air that passes over a substance; in this case, salt, usually from the European caves or Himalayas. (I tried to include a couple of pictures but they wouldn't attach)

According to Dr. Weil on line, there appears to be no scientific data that supports their use. There certainly are testimonials - as there are for all homeopathic products sold. To use a salt pipe, you inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose. They cost around $60 but could much lower and they seem to last for years. Hope you have great success and do not have to seek further for relief.

Carol:
You could be lucky and not have to use an inhaler every day. You wouldn't know that unless you went off of it for a while. And, you are right - the weather has a great deal to do with the lack of comfort for asthma sufferers. Our family doctor emphasized that point. We have yellow Oak and Pine Tree pollen that sticks to everything. We are just coming into the season. It is quite cold here in Homosassa, but it doesn't seem to slow down the trees any. Now I know why Arizona is so great in places - no trees.

The Fluticasone you mention is the main ingredient along with Salmeterol in the Advair aerosol inhaler. It may be one of the reasons why you do not have to use the inhaler so often.

Linda:
I was surprised, too, when I read that before you use the Advair HFA aerosol inhaler, you have to prime it four times away from your face. Seems like a waste to me.

Apparently hour inhaler is different. I found this at rxlist "Before you use a new Pulmicort Turbuhler for the first time, you should prime it. To do this, turn the cover and lift off. Hold Pulmicort Turbuhler upright (with mouthpiece up), then twist the brown grip fully to the right and back again to the left. Repeat. Now you are ready to take your first dose (see instructions for 'Taking a dose'). You do not have to prime it any other time after this, even if you put it aside for a prolonged period of time."

Your husband is probably frustrated at not being able to provide you with serious care on this one. If he knew more and how real the condition and the suffering is, he would probably climb mountains to get you the best help around. After all, he did love you enough to marry you. He certainly thinks you are worth $1,500 when you need it - especially if the doctors know what to do and what they do is going somewhere.

Not being able to breath properly can be very scary. Sometimes my epiglottis will slam shut because something triggered it. For example; if I am in a deep sleep and some stuff comes up from the stomach to cause the involuntary reaction, I am immediately fully awake and on my feet. I pace around while trying to relax and force air down past a closed valve. It makes a terrible noise and it is very, very hard to do without going into a panic mode. I have come close to passing out many times. I have been told by doctors that, if I do pass out, my throat will automatically relax and I will come out of it. Since I think they are just guessing, I don't want to try it to see.

The Lord gave us two ways to get air as far as the throat where it goes down to one. It can get pretty antsy if it is blocked from there.

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33

Caught this video clip about a new asthma treatment being studied and thought it may be of interest. I had not heard of it before and do not know where the procedure is available at.

Bronchial Thermoplasty:
http:/­/­www.cnn.com/­video/­#/­video/­health/­2010/­03/­03/­am.gupta.asthma.treatment.cnn?hpt=T2

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34

Well, I am on week number 8 without my inhaler and went to my primary care doctor this week. She said to continue what I am doing and use the inhaler as necessary. She also wants me to start taking Zyrtec as the asthma doctor told me to do. I am noticing that I am coughing more and actually had to use the Albuterol inhaler today for the first time in a couple of weeks. The cherry trees are blooming here in Oregon and are killers for me. I also had to use some cough syrup because I have this nagging cough. Hope I can get through the allergy season okay. Still have the samples of Alvesco inhaler and Pulmicort Exhaler to use as well as a prescription for both. Just need to get through this allergy season. We are going to Hawaii (Kauai) in May and I don't want to have to use an inhaler if I don't have to.

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35

Carol:
You have been blessed in 3 ways - 1) you live where you can grow cherries, 2) you are getting a handle on how to control your own particular brand of asthma and 3) you can go to Hawaii, hopefully free of worry.

Allie:
Bronchial Thermoplasty may be our final ticket to get free of this debilitating problem. Thanks for sharing.

Jack

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36

Jack,

The cherry trees are the flowering type. Very hard on a person's allergies and they are everywhere.

Yes, I am blessed to be getting through the asthma dilemma pretty well. I will take my inhaler to Hawaii as Kauai is the Garden Island and has lots of pollen in the air.

How is your wife doing? You said you live in Florida? My brother lives in Florida and has no problems with allergies or asthma.

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37

Carol:

We live in Homosassa, Florida - about 60 miles north of Tampa on the west coast.. The temperature can go down into the teens in the winter, so we are above the muggy and buggy. Lots of Pine trees spew out their yellow pollen over everything at this time of the year - but only where human beings would be bothered by it : ). It is a lovely area with 7 rivers flowing out to the Gulf. It was a great fishing village until the environmentalists got hold of it. The baseball player, Ted Williams lived in the area because of the fishing long before it became famous.

Don’t get me wrong - I think our Lord created a truly beautiful world for us to live in and I do object to abuses - but I think there are extremists who carry things too far. They seem to have an unholy agenda.

I don’t think you can get away from pollen unless you live somewhere where there are no plants: - really high up, in a desert or on a house boat in the middle of the ocean. One thing about having asthma; you get to notice the plants. Without the pollen, there wouldn’t be any. You may be pleasantly surprised in Hawaii. There is pollen, yes, but there are also ocean breezes coming in from all sides that may mollify the effects.

My wife is doing fine so far. I rejoice greatly in this. She suffers physically and I suffer emotionally. I do not have allergies but I see the effects on her and I am bothered. I certainly pay more attention to her because of it so, even asthma is not without its blessing. As long as things are getting under control we do not plan to move

If you need to try anything else - and I pray you do not - you might consider the Advair HFA at various strengths. Keep it in mind. - and work through your doctor. They see much more than we do and have the expertise to help us best.

Flowering cherry trees with no cherries? What a waste.

Jack

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38

Jack,

We have both flowering and regular cherry trees. The flowering ones are like the ones in Washington, D.C. that people rave about. They are pink and white and cause me to sneeze a lot. Also Easter Lilies do the same to me. My brother lives in Tarpon Springs, FL. His is a fisherman. He got all the good stuff when it comes to health. I got all the other stuff. Asthma is one of those things. We've been to different islands in Hawaii in the past. Been to Kauai and they have the trade winds that blow the pollen all over the place. It is a beautiful place though.

Glad to hear that you wife is doing better though. Will keep praying for you both.

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39

To Jack, Carol & everyone else on here. It has been a week or so with NO Azmacort - and I am getting over a cold, which usually makes me have bad asthma symptoms at the end of the cold. So I tried Pulmicort for 3 days, but stopped entirely Thursday, because it worsened my symptoms. I have burning & pain in my throat and signs of sinus infection and chest tightness-, feeling like my throat is closing up. I just need to get thru tonight & tomorrow, and go back to drs Monday. I started Amoxicillin tonight-dr prescribed by phone, thank God. I just want my Azmacort back & right now would pay any amount of money to get it back. I am very scared & haven't felt this bad since I had pneumonia years ago. I just have to hold on till Monday. I will let you know how I make out - thanks for your encouraging answer to my earlier posting. Sincerely, Linda

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40

Linda,

I agree about the Azmacort. If only the company that made it knew what we all are going through. I agree about the Pulmicort and the other inhalers. I tried Qvar and had the same symptoms you are having. My throat was sore, I had a hoarse voice and felt tight in the chest. Sounds like you may need some Prednisone. I know lots of people don't like to take it, but with the chest tightness it may be a necessary thing. My asthma doctor said he believes that everyone with asthma should have a packet of Prednisone in their house for those times when you are at your worst. Feel better.

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