Asthma Support Group

When did they take Albuterol inhalers off the market? My son is on an Albuterole nebulizer and I wonder if it should be gone too? he goes to see his asthma dr on Monday, I've just never heard they took Albuterol off the market! Please let me know asap.
Thanks

The pharmacy will tell you.. that they no longer sell them because they deplete the ozone layer. I have been an asthmatic all my life and have also ran out.

I am not sure why they changed the formulation. I think it is the Freon that
they used to use as a propellant is being
phased out because of political pressure
concerning the ozone layer. I think that
the new propellant is carbon dioxide. With thye carbon dioxide propellant the alcohol makes Albuterol atomize better
i think. Merck and company has been accused of using politics to stay in control the refrigurant market- don't know if
this is so or not. The alcohol is a slight
irritant to my lungs as well. The Freon
worked better.

Another possibility is a portable Nebulizer
that uses liquid Albuterol. I have a Nebulizer. Portable ones are battery powered and are getting smaller. Perhaps Merck and company need to be made to supply them if they are sure that Freon destroys the ozone layer. Maybe we need to put some political pressure on them to make them do it.

Yes it is the propellant in the albuterol inhalers. But that propellant got the medicine into our lungs for a faster reaction time. The new one also do not get into your lungs fast enough. I also have a portable nebulizer with the albuterol liquid. It works when needed. Thank you for responding.

When did they take it off the market? Or When I get my inhalers are tehy just not telling me these things

Oops!! i wrote Merk and Company in a
previous post. I meant DuPont.
DuPont makes refrigurant.

Different pharmacies are removing it on their
own schedules I think.

My allergist gave me a website and a prescription for ProAir HFA. She explained the standard albuterol is being taken off of pharmacy shelves. The website permits you to print a voucher that provides you a free ProAir inhaler. And yes, it is still albuterol but the propellent is different. I hope it isn't as bad as described here! If anyone is interested in the voucher (good until the end of 2007), go to proairhfa.com.

Pro Air has ethanol in it..it makes some peoples lungs burn...It is up to the individual to ask the doctor. Just thought people should know why the albuterol inhaler was taken off the shelf (because of depleting the ozone). Not because it did not work.