Intal Inhaler is being discontinued. What is a good replacement?
The Intal Inhaler is being discontinued. What is a good alternative to this inhaler? Some have suggested Tilade but that has been discontinued as well. I have been using this inhaler for years. I mostly use it before exercise, before going up tons of stairs or walking far, going out in very cold weather or on bad hot humid heavy air days. I am sorry to see it go. It doesn't work 100% but it does help enough! Hope someone can help. Thanks!
Intal was once a top line asthma therapy for treating inflammation and preventing asthma and it was very safe. In fact, for about 15 years I used it. In fact, I used it way back in the 1980s when it had to be taken with a spinhaler which has been obsolute for quite a few years now.
With the advent of newer asthma wisdom, and the advent of medicines like Advair and Symbicort that are better at treating inflammation and equally safe, Intal is no longer considered a top line asthma therapy. Intal works rather well, but you may find that trying medicines like Flovent, Advair, Symbicort or Singulair may work even better than Intal at managing your asthma.
Personally, while Intal worked great for me for years, I find that Advair works much better.
At least now you have some options you can discuss with your physician. For more information, here is an excellent post you should read.
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cac
Thursday, September 03, 2009 at 03:34 PM
cac
Thursday, September 03, 2009 at 03:34 PM
Thank you for getting back to me.
I have tried Advair and was highly allergic to it. It made my throat close up and swelled my vocal cords. Is Flovent similar to Advair- meaning does it have the same ingredients? I am very nervous to try a different inhaler after my terrible experience with Advair.
Anonymous
Monday, November 16, 2009 at 01:38 PM
How can an inhaler containing steroids be "equally safe"? The NYT had an article just last week saying that long-term use of inhaled steroids has been implicated in other health issues. I am amazed at the degree to which steroid inhalers are being prescribed. If one has allergic asthma, minimize the baseline through exercise and diet (e.g. there is some form of soy in many food products nowadays, even though soy is a leading allergen). It is a hassle to read food labels but once one adjusts one's habits it is far easier. I can eat small amounts of soy now without getting an asthma reaction.
Elsewhere in this blog is a discussion of Nasalcromm, and that seems the safer and more promising alternative. The question is, as King Pharma says, how to deliver inhaled cromolynn sodium in an environmentally friendly way.
Thanks for listening.
Flovent is one of the two medicines in Advair. I can understand why you wouldn't want to try it, but you might want to talk with your physician. Advair has both Serevent and Flovent. Which medicine did you have the negative response to? The only real way to find out is to try Flovent (with your doctors permission of course). However, I can see why you wouldn't want to take the risk.
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Try inhaling Nasalcrom (sodium cromolyn). It seems to be working for me. I double the number of puffs from 2 to 4.
Good luck!
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cac
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 02:28 PM
Thanks for responding. I see 2 different types of the Nasalcrom-
1. NasalCrom Nasal Allergy Symptom Controller, Nasal Spray and
2. NasalCrom Allergy Prevention Nasal Spray.
Can you please let me know which one you are using? Thanks again!
belle
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 04:21 PM
Hello,
I am also looking for a replacement for Intal. You mentioned Nasalcrom. There are two different brands of that product. Which do you use? Thanks.
jeffn1
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 08:31 PM
I wasn't even aware there were two types. I am using:
NasalCrom Nasal Allergy Symptom Controller
Now, I am curious what the difference is.
Jeff
For the @ 3 million of us in the USA that do not have allergy -related asthma; little is available. Medications that are antihistamine cause severe asthma symptoms and can be life-threatening. The pharmaceutical industry has had decades to come up with an alternative. When they said they did in the mid-90's many patients like me suffered severe reactions as the chemically- induced asthmatics were not included in the clinical trials. After, many deaths and hospitalizations and adverse reactions, those in authority , Congress gave a waiver, but still did not address the issue of FDA discriminating against my minority group of asthmatics. I am beginning the process of settlement negotiations with federal workers compensation. i will have to add in the amounts needed for added needs.
Since the inhalent is basically a saline wash for the lungs; isn't there some way of getting a minute vapor into the lungs safely without the use of propellents? I'm not a scientist, just a patient. I'll be asking my doctor about a salt water vapor(steam)! Linda Joy Adams (query my name on Bing or Dogpile and click on washingtonpost.com to go my personal page and read my story.
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It looks like King Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. will not reformulate the Intal inhaler explaining its inavailability in the U.S. I have found that many Intal inhaler users are reluctant to switch or substitute their therapy with other asthma medications including Singulair or steroid-based therapies. If that is your situation, I would recommend seeking assistance from a mail-order pharmacy that offers international products. CanAmerica Global supplies Intal inhaler from the United Kingdom (http://www.canamericaglobal.com/products/Intal_Inhaler/5/) It has provided continued therapy for many Intal inahler users. CanAmerica Global offers a worldwide network of international pharmacies. CanAmerica Global and its pharmacies have been verified by the Pharmacy Checker Verification Program (http://www.pharmacychecker.com/ProfileRx.asp?PCID=514A367E-19BE-483E-9579-FCF6A3DC127B) As a pharmacist with CanAmerica Global, I invite you to contact us toll-free at 1-866-648-9142 to discuss your Intal inhaler therapy and discuss the most suitable continued therapy that best meets your needs.
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Thank you for getting back to me.
I have tried Advair and was highly allergic to it. It made my throat close up and swelled my vocal cords. Is Flovent similar to Advair- meaning d0es it have the same ingredients? I am very nervous to try a different inhaler after my terrible experience with Advair.