Asthma Inhalers

User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Asthma Inhalers

Post by Mick F »

All you inhaler users out there, I have a question.

My salbutamol "reliever" and my clenil modulite "preventer" are supposed to have 200 metered doses each.
I have issues with the "metered" word.

No doubt there are 200 squirts in there, but by the time you get to about 100 or less, the drug and the efficacy have all but gone.

I started a new preventer the other day, and I'm keeping a record of how many squirts I get out of it before the taste changes and I start needing it more often.

Now I'm on a fresh new full preventer, you wouldn't even guess I was asthmatic. I've had a total of 14 squirts as of this morning and as it's a fresh new one, I'll only be squirting in the mornings. As it empties, I'll be taking it evenings as well. Usually a double-squirt, sometimes a triple one.

Any comments out there from you fellow sufferers?
Have any of you counted them?
Do you find that you get nowhere near 200 decent squirts out of them?
Mick F. Cornwall
Yvonned
Posts: 42
Joined: 19 Dec 2014, 3:32pm

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Yvonned »

Ive been asthmatic for the last 40 or so years and now at 70 after numerous trial medicines have been prescribed Fostair 100/6. It works very well for me, taking 2 puffs three times a day. It is a preventative more than a reliever, Ventolin, which I only take when necessary. Fostair claims to give 120 metered doses and has an indicator on the side which counts down each time its used. However I do find that there are a lot more than 120 doses and I continue to use it until its empty.
Oldjohnw
Posts: 7764
Joined: 16 Oct 2018, 4:23am
Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Oldjohnw »

Yvonned wrote:Ive been asthmatic for the last 40 or so years and now at 70 after numerous trial medicines have been prescribed Fostair 100/6. It works very well for me, taking 2 puffs three times a day. It is a preventative more than a reliever, Ventolin, which I only take when necessary. Fostair claims to give 120 metered doses and has an indicator on the side whic counts down each time its used. However I do find that there are a lot more than 120 doses and I continue to use it until its empty.


I am awaiting an ENT appointment

After many years of steroids I had to increase the dose this summer temporarily because of pollution in the South of England. My voice has virtually gone and what remains is hoarse and husky. I am unable to sing. But without the steroids I will have a serious problem.

I take 400 mcg of bedesonide daily. The doses count down properly.
John
goddardsharon482
Posts: 28
Joined: 27 Jun 2018, 4:00pm

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by goddardsharon482 »

I used to be on the old 'metered dose' inhalers, then got given dry powder inhalers instead. They are available for all the usual asthma drugs, salbutamol, budesonide etc, but are much easier to use and display a counter of how many doses you have remaining. And the dosing is consistent right up to the last dispensing, as far as I can tell.
rjb
Posts: 7200
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 10:25am
Location: Somerset (originally 60/70's Plymouth)

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by rjb »

Mrs rjb was on Ventolin and Salbutamol inhalers but has recently changed to a combined inhaler. The only thing I noticed was that the brown and blue inhalers have been replaced by a single pink one. She tells me it gives a much better controlled dose than the old individual ones, and her stoking power on the tandem has definitely improved. This of course may be totally unrelated. :D
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Mick F »

This morning, I had my 80th dose. Usually been two per morning once or twice been three.
The last three nights, I've needed Salbutamol, whereas I've not needed any whatsoever since starting on the new preventer.

Eighty doses, and it's lost its efficacy. I'll carry on with it for now, but I'll be taking two squirts in the evening as well as the mornings. I doubt 100 doses will be reached.

200 metered doses is load of bunkum.
Mick F. Cornwall
Tangled Metal
Posts: 9505
Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Tangled Metal »

Do you react to allergens at all? I haven't been formally diagnosed but have salbutamol which really helps. I'm also taking loratidine antihistamines. For me it's this time of year I'm bad and it's allergic related I'm sure. Could be fungal or mould spores which are more prevalent this time of year.


We've replaced carpet downstairs with laminate which has helped.
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Mick F »

When I was ill with chest and lung issues a month or three back, I was almost living on Salbutamol! I told the doc and he noticed I was dithering at my fingers. He listened to my heart (and lungs of course) and told me quite bluntly to stop taking it so much. It upsets the nervous system and should be used with care.

Steroid and antibiotics sorted me out, and within a day or two, my asthma attacks had ceased.

So long as I get a decent dose of Beclozone (or whatever it's called) preventer, I'm not an asthmatic at all.

My OP was saying that the dosage per squirt isn't metered in any way. Basically, the drug gets used up whilst there's still loads of propellent in there. Maybe you can get 200 "metered" actuations, but when only 50% consumed, it's worthless.
Mick F. Cornwall
hayers
Posts: 168
Joined: 27 Apr 2016, 1:50pm

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by hayers »

Only been using for 6 months or so, but I have gained the same impression. Asked the nurse last week and was told should be ok until it's noticeable that there's nothing being squirted out with the propellant. Will count the doses when I next start a new one to be more scientific.
fullupandslowingdown
Posts: 614
Joined: 11 Oct 2007, 5:47pm
Location: missing Snottingham, the home of Raleigh and Boots
Contact:

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by fullupandslowingdown »

I don't want to insult you Mick, are you shaking it up enough? Is it possible that you are getting a stronger dose to begin with then as the active ingredient is used up, only the propellant gas remains
As an aside, in the good ole days, when you used an entonox gas cylinder in the cold, you had to make sure it's well mixed else the patient gets either a dose of neat oxygen, or neat nitrous oxide, depending which way the cylinder was up, as the two gases separate according to their physical properties.
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Mick F »

fullupandslowingdown wrote:I don't want to insult you Mick, are you shaking it up enough?
Definitely shaking it up enough. Don't worry about the insult! :D

I've been using these things since 1991 or so ........ when I was still in the RN. I had a shore job at the time up in the West of Scotland, and stress used to bring on my asthma. It took a while to find out what triggered it. These days, stress still brings it on, as well as the onset of winter. Generally, I'm fine so long as I get my daily dose of Cenil Modulite 100 ................... just looked at the canister!
Mick F. Cornwall
ChrisButch
Posts: 1188
Joined: 24 Feb 2009, 12:10pm

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by ChrisButch »

I think I was in the first cohort to use the new aerosol inhalers in the mid-60s, and have used salbutamol (Ventolin) ever since. One thing noticeable since the CFC propellants were replaced by non-CFC is that the small hole in the plastic dispenser clogs up much more easily, and needs washing out regularly. (I just put it under the cold tap at full blast). If you don't do this, then you definitely get less coming through.
Incidentally, I've never noticed the slightest performance-enhancing effects of salbutamol (pace the French conviction that it won Chris Froome the TdF). However, before inhalers came on the scene I was given ephedrine throughout my childhood, and that was a different matter. It beggars belief nowadays that as a 10-year old I was free to use it unsupervised whenever I felt the need!
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Mick F »

96 doses so far, and it feels almost empty. There's a slight feeling of some liquid still in there, but I reckon after tomorrow, it'll be in the recycling bin.
Mick F. Cornwall
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Mick F »

On a new preventer inhaler now. Different stuff as I'm not well at all.
Usual stuff is Cenil Modulite 100 made by Chiesel and says there's 200 metered actuations. Doubt there's any more than 100 "metered" in there.

New preventer is also made by Chiesel and is Fostair 100/6 (mixture of stuff and is very good indeed).
The canister says it has 120 actuations.
Same weight as the old one, but 80 actuations less.

More per squirt, or are they seeing that their statement of 200 actuations is wrong?
Mick F. Cornwall
Yvonned
Posts: 42
Joined: 19 Dec 2014, 3:32pm

Re: Asthma Inhalers

Post by Yvonned »

Hi Mick. I was transferred to Fostair about a year ago and it has transformed my control of asthma. I have to take 3x2 puffs a day but that’s fine because it means I don’t need the Ventolin. It’s supposed to give 120 inhalations but I find I get much more than that. I’m happy to have transferred to it as it has helped with cycling enormously. I’ve not had a bad attack all through 2019. Hope it has same effect for you. Yvonne
Post Reply