Warrick Inhaler vs. Armstrong?!
Question: I recently got a refill for my Albuterol and it's a new brand. I've been using a Warrick inhaler for quite a number of years. Now they gave me an Armstrong inhaler (it's blue).
Has anyone used the Armstrong brand? Is it as effective? Why did they change it?
Answers: I recently got a refill for my Albuterol and it's a new brand. I've been using a Warrick inhaler for quite a number of years. Now they gave me an Armstrong inhaler (it's blue).
Has anyone used the Armstrong brand? Is it as effective? Why did they change it?
The Warricks are being phased out due to CFCs that harm the ozone layer. The Armstrongs work just as well, and they are CFC free. I have heard complaints from just a few patients that the Armstrong inhaler doesn't work as well but I believe it's more psychological than physical. When you use the same medication for a decade and all of a sudden it's changed, it's shocking to some people who are very used to what they have been using for years.
If you find your rescue inhaler doesn't work as well as it should, ask your Doctor to switch you to Ventolin, most of my patients have a good experience with that brand. Also if your asthma is moderate to severe ask if you can nebulize your Albuterol instead of using a metered dose inhaler.
Any inhalers with CFCs will be banned in the United States come 1/1/09.
Most pharmacies have changed from inhalers with ozone damaging propellants to the new HFA inhalers. The HFA is environmental safe. That is most likely why you received a new brand.
You will just have to use it and decide for your self if its any better.
Armstrong albuterol has the SAME propellant (CFC) as Warrick albuterol (CFC inhalers are banned effective 12/31/08 to 'save the ozone layer' even though they don't harm the ozone layer)- NEITHER uses the new, much-hated HFA propellants (those that do are VENTOLIN HFA- the safest, by far, based on MedWatch data, and the only one that does NOT use ethanol- A BRONCHOCONSTRICTOR, XOPENEX HFA- possibly safe, based on MedWatch data- as long as you have NO underlying cardiac disease- DO NOT USE IT IF YOU HAVE CARDIAC PROBLEMS, BASED ON MEDWATCH DATA, PROVENTIL- has well over 20 reported MedWatch fatalities- DO NOT USE, based on MedWatch data and PROAIR- has the most petition complaints by far (both petitions)- I've tried them all, ProAir was the worst, in my experience and the experience of many others- DO NOT USE PROAIR. Try Ventolin HFA first, pay attention to side effects- if they develop, and you have no cardiac problems- try Xopenex)
Warrick quit production over the summer, but pharmacists can still get it (we have a Warrick supplier on the upper right corner of our petition to save CFC inhalers- link below).
Why can't you get Warrick CFC- only Armstrong CFC? Pharmacists must make more money on Armstrong. There's no other plausible explanation. By the way, we've gotten numerous Armstrong complaints- we've never gotten any Warrick complaints. And I've never heard of anyone who didn't prefer Warrick over Armstrong.
Here's the petition link, if it doesn't show, just google "save CFC" and it comes up at the top:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveC...