When the FDA ordered the switch from CFC albuterol inhalers to HFA inhalers, they claimed that while the HFA inhalers would require a bit more maintenance then the previous inhalers, they would be just as "safe" and "effective". While this is true for some people, perhaps even a majority of asthmatics who have made the switch, it is a complete falsehood for others. Many using the new HFA inhalers have suffered from a rapid deterioration in their asthma or ability to control it, while others have been unable to stop an asthma attack. I can only imagine that it is worse for those who have COPD, as their breathing problems are much more difficult to reverse than those of an asthmatic
Below is a picture of the two inhaler variants. I believe the right is the CFC and the left is the HFA
The FDA response? Breath deeper.
Thats right. In the reasoning of the FDA, if you can't get the medication into your lungs as easily as you could with a CFC inhaler, you should simply breath deeper. Which is pretty sound advice, when you think about. It just has one glaring problem. In an asthma attack or with COPD, your airways are getting smaller and smaller, making it harder to pull more air in. A lot of the time you are gasping for breath. So, how do you solve this? Breath deeper! Thats right, the FDA somehow thinks that despite the fact half your small airways are nearly closed, breathing deeper will somehow fix the problem! And it will! If you're not having an attack in the FIRST PLACE!
But it gets worse. The old, effective, reliable CFC inhalers were banned because the propellant used causes slight damage to the ozone layer. Which, to me, makes it perfectly understandable why the FDA would want to transition away from those products. However, while chlorofluorocarbons (what CFC stands for) DO damage the ozone layer, the damage is insignificant and would only pose a major threat over the EXTREMELY long run. Cars and other fossil fuel vehicles damage the atmosphere in far greater amounts and far faster, too.
So, as of RIGHT NOW, we should act to BAN ambulances. Why, you ask? Simple. They are BAD for the environment! Sure, they may save a few hundred thousand lives every year, but whats that when they are damaging the ozone layer and earth! But what about a replacement? Well, we'll just build a few out of pipe and solar panels and hope for the best. Sounds Eco- friendly and just as effective to me? The new ambulances might not work as fast, or might not work half the time, but again, a small price to pay for saving a tiny chunk of the atmosphere!
And why stop there? Let's do the same for fire vehicles and police cars! After all, those fire trucks sure are gas guzzlers and police cars obviously spew out all kinds of nasty fumes. Just ignore the fact that these vehicles save lives, because the environment is FAR more important! We'll just put up half useless vehicles instead that only work part of the time, and everything will be just fine.
To us asthmatics, that is how this situation looks to us. You've effectively banned our ambulances because of an amount of air pollution so small compared to EVERY other type of pollution in the world. Not only that, but you've failed to provide an adequate replacement for some of us. In some cases, the propellant in the HFA inhalers AGGRAVATES people's asthma. See, there are many, many various complaints over these new inhalers. For some of us, the medication simply just does not work, or even makes our asthma worse. For others, it works just fine until you have an asthma attack, when you actually need it, and then it doesn't even help without taking multiple puffs from it. Sometimes the inhalers, which claim they have between 100-200 doses, run out in weeks. In one complaint, an asthmatic complains she only got 36 puffs out of an inhaler. 36 out of 200. And she still had to pay the full, massively bloated price of these new inhalers, which can be more than triple the cost of the old CFC inhalers.
Now, believe me, I am all for things that help the environment. But this time, you are trading people's lives for a small, small gain. You've introduced a new product that was obviously poorly tested if you failed to realize the difficulties that would arise. I say, if an HFA inhalers works the same or better for you than a CFC does both with and without an asthma attack, keep using it and wait for the drug price to lower a bit. For those who have difficulties with HFA inhalers, they first should be checked to see if they are operating it correctly. If they are, and still have problems, they should be allowed use of CFC inhalers until an Eco-friendly inhaler that is just as effective as the previous inhalers is developed. We understand your intentions were good when you made this switch. We just don't want people paying their lives for it.