If you have been using a “rescue” inhaler, changes are coming to you. After Dec. 31, you won’t be able to buy an inhaler that uses chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants. CFC damages the ozone layer, and although the amount used in an inhaler is small, there are millions of inhalers in use every day.

The types of inhalers being changed contain albuterol or levalbuterol, active ingredients that help quickly open the airways during an asthma attack. The inhalers that contain corticosteroids are not in this changeover.

So what are CFCs doing in your inhaler? They are there to help propel the medications to where they are needed in your airway system. Without the propellant, medications do not get through to the locations they are needed in.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated that starting on Jan. 1, 2009, manufacturers would only be allowed to sell inhalers that use more environmentally friendly hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants, which don’t damage the ozone layer.

The medications have not changed, but you will notice differences in the delivery system.

• Priming. When first used, or when used after a period of time of non-use, the inhaler will need to be “primed”. This ensures that the delivered dose is accurate. Priming will require you to spray one or more doses into the air, although details will differ by inhaler. When you purchase a new inhaler, ensure that the package has an insert for your inhaler’s priming requirements.
• Inhaling. Since the spray comes out of one of the new inhalers less forcefully, you need to make sure you are doing your part of the process correctly. Again, check with your pharmacist to ensure that you understand the required techniques.
• Cleaning. The new HFA inhalers will need more frequent cleaning than the older CFC ones.
• Cost. Most of the new inhalers will cost more than the old ones they are replacing.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Asthma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.