Which Asthma Medication Is Best?

Kathi MacNaughton is feeling good! Health Professional Living with Asthma Kathleen MacNaughton, RN, is a licensed registered nurse and consumer... Send Message Subscribe: Kathi MacNaughton

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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One of the most common questions we get here on the site is some variation on, "Which asthma medicine is best?" So, I thought it might be helpful to write a post that addresses this issue for asthma. (A similar post on the Allergy site continues to be one of the most viewed posts I've ever written.) ...

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singulair
Anonymous
Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 09:35 PM

Please be aware"singulair" made me depressed,I just noticed that the fda put a" black box notice"on this product for this last week....too your health

re: singulair
Kathi MacNaughton
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 03:37 PM

Yes, Singulair & a few other asthma meds have received new warning labels recently. But remember, these medicines are considered generally safe for most people. It is a very small number of people who've had the negative side effects; you are apparently one of them.

So, for everyone else, please discuss concerns with your doctor. All drugs have potential side effects, so deciding what/if to take is always a matter of weighing potential risks against potential benefits. Decisions should be made jointly with your physician.

To your health,

Kathi

Inhalers
Mindy
Thursday, July 09, 2009 at 03:50 PM

I just visited with my pulmonologist yesterday and was complaining about how I'm not getting the relief with the new inhalers as I did with the old. He said I was not the first to complain and there wasn't anything we could do about it. I think that this stinks!!! I understand the reason for changing BUT I also am a fan of breathing!! I think that the drug companies need to come up with better meds that will actually work. I have tried Proair, Ventolin and Xopenex. Proair is the absolute worst!!! My doctor agreed and said he would not prescribe it to anyone. Ventolin and Xopenex are about the same. It'll take 4 to 6 puffs to get any relief. This is not good for me or my insurance, because I am having to use more inhalers than it should take and costing me and the insurance company more money, which in the trying times is very difficult. The price of the inhalers have increased with the change which I think is not right. I think that if the government is going to mandate the change then they need to make provisions for the change.

Just some thoughts from an upset asthmatic patient.

re: Inhalers
Kathi MacNaughton
Thursday, July 09, 2009 at 04:59 PM

Mindy,

You are not alone in your feelings about the new inhalers. I know it's frustrating, but to date, I haven't heard that there's much we can do about it. The changes came out of environmental concerns on a global level. They were not initiated by the drug companies, who had to put all new processes in place. Unfortunately, they're passing on the cost of doing that to us, the consumer.

Hang in there,

Kathi