Ok.. so while I’m all for saving the planet, I’ve been told my new blue inhaler, Salamol, is a CFC free equivalent to Ventolin. If I order a repeat prescription for Ventolin I automatically now get a Salamol. This happens at all phamrmacies I’ve tried. I have been told that eventually Ventolin will be a thing of the past as it is contributes to greenhouse gasses. .
The problem I have is it doesn’t work for me! It doesn’t open up my airways or bring me relief. If anything, it makes me cough and gag. It feels different and comes out slower. Is anyone else finding this? Asthma Uk are truly amazing and have been helping me tackle this problem by using it with a spacer. The ingredients are the same it’s just somehow I need to get them into my lungs. I am going to give the spacer a try. If that fails then I am at a loss. It’s like telling a diabetic they can’t have insulin anymore or have it in a form that doesn’t work for them. I really am quite worried about this. Thankfully my asthma is going through a good spell, but as you’ll see from some of my previous posts, my chest can be very difficult at times and my asthma quite severe.
Is there any way I can somehow still get prescribed Ventolin? I’ll be shopping on the black market otherwise which doesn’t feel safe either ☹️
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Helga12
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I didn’t know you could get ventolin in a blister pack. I’ve always used the spray and it works so well. I will chat to my nurse and see whether this version of ventolin might work better for me than Salamol spray. Thank you
In Australia, we have had a CFC free ventolin for many years.
I had to stop using it. It made my asthma worse.
The salbutamol is the same but the propellant is not. I don't use preventers so I think that I noticed the difference more quickly than those who use preventers and I was an adult so I could work things out. My asthma got worse. The more I used it, the worse my asthma got.
The propellant was the cause. I tried some of the old ventolin and my asthma returned to normal after a week. (I had been ten months on the new CFC free one with a progressive worsening of my asthma which almost ended me in hospital. I was about to go to hospital when I tried the old version which a local chemist still had.)
I then went on the powdered form of Ventolin with the rotahaler and blistered packs with no problems. When GSK stopped making them in Australia, I then went on the Easyhaler which is also a powdered form of Salbutamol.
Check the propellant they are using and then look it up for uses outside of medical - very interesting.
I did ring GSK at the time and spoke to many doctors but got nowhere.
I really appreciate your detailed reply. Thank you so much for taking the time to relay your experience to me. This has all happened so suddenly here and my GP didn’t even tell me. I just went to collect my usual repeat Ventolin inhaler and it was this funny little inhaler with a new name! Ok so I have some investigating to do now! Will read up on the propellant and will also chat to my nurse about the powder version of ventolin. Oh the joys of having asthma hey?!
Just adding that the taste was fine so this is probably different but please check the propellant.
The reason I checked if it was the new inhaler that was making me worse, was that the chemist brought up the subject by saying that researchers thought the the problem with the new inhaler was that people weren't breathing it in correctly. That didn't make sense to me so I thought about it and realized that my asthma had gotten worse since I had taken the new CFC free Ventolin. This proved correct when I went on the old one and got almost immediate relief (1 -2 weeks) after 10 months of struggling and progressively getting worse.
When companies start blaming the subjects and not looking at their product - alarm bells.
very good point and good on you for taking upon yourself to investigate what you were inhaling! We put all our trusting these things! I will find out more about the propellant. I’ve been happily using the old type Ventolin for 45 years. Really wish things didn’t have to now change
Using salamol with a spacer makes a huge difference to me. I used to just keep my salamol in my pocket and had a lot of trouble holding bad attacks when outside and away from the spacer. I now take the spacer everywhere with me and have stopped some horrible attacks with it. The spacer is cumbersome, but worth it.
yes they’re a bit big and clunky. Also makes a bit of a scene in a restaurant if you need a quick puff. Not ideal, but reassuring to know it works for you. Thanks for your reply
Your GP shouldn’t change anything without consulting you first and I’d complain to the practice manager about that. Actually there are many severe asthmatics who don’t get on with salamol and there have been posts about this recently. People have said it doesn’t work as quickly (because it has less propellant) and the device has a tendency to block up. It you’re not getting the same therapeutic benefit, your GP should change you back. After all, it makes no sense to give you an inhaler which doesn’t control your symptoms and risks you requiring further treatment. Also, the ventolin evohaler is CFC free anyway! It just has lower carbon emissions because there’s less propellant.
I found the same thing with Salamol. I recently switched to the powdered easyhaler version of salbutamol which is fine, otherwise ask your GP to specifically prescribe Ventolin (instead of the generic Salamol). I found Ventolin better, it's probably more expensive which is why GPs prescribe Salamol as its generic. I found Salamol tasted a bit strange and was less effective. The usual GP thing of causing more problems by trying to save a few quid...
yep you’re right. It’s probably cheaper. It’ll be counter productive though if I end up in A&E! If I used Salamol during a bad attack I think it would do nothing other than make me cough and panic. Waiting for a call back from the surgery.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Appreciate it very much.
I'm having the same problem, my GP just swapped my ventolin for Salamol without notifying me and it just isn't that effective at all. I hope I don't have a bad asthma attack soon because I really don't think it will help that much. It also tastes horrible.
Also, take a look at your ventolin - mine says it uses a CFC free propellant anyway so it doesn't make sense to use CFCs as the reason for it. I suspect it's more about saving money. At our expense. I'm trying to find a better alternative with my GP but so far no joy. Sounds like there is no alternative.
hi whatallergy. I feel for you! There’s no way this new inhaler would get me through a bad attack. That’s such an unnerving feeling isn’t it? It’s like my worst nightmare not having a reliever inhaler. I have emailed the surgery and requested a call back. If they refuse the old ventolin version then I’m going to have to try one of the powdered versions some other forum users have kindly suggested.
Hope you get it sorted soon. Let me know if you have any joy and I’ll do the same. Good luck.
Hi Thomas. That’s good news and encouraging to hear it works for people. I guess everyone’s asthma is so different. My preventer usually does the trick and keeps the asthma flare ups at bay. As soon as I get a cold or infection I lose all control and am literally left gasping. My blue puffer is my lifeline.
Hi Helen, I'm having the same problem, my GP have been trying to switch me to Salamol for 3+ years as its cheaper to prescribe and are now telling me that ventolin isnt available atall - which it is.
Salamol does not relieve my symptoms at all! I have previosuly ended up in hospital due to this! My ventolin literally says CFC free on the canister, so i do not understand this at all!
how are you getting on?
wonder is Asthma UK can help / is there a petition for ventolin production?
Thanks for your message. I had an old ventolin still to use up so I’ve been using that as my reliever. I haven’t really even had any asthma symptoms as am now back into my usual well controlled zone. So, in answer to your question I am yet to try the powder inhaler. Once the Winter arrives I suffer from endless coughs and chest infections so that’s when it will be really put to the test. I will try to get back in touch with you later in the year and let you know if the new form of reliever is doing the trick. I still feel very sad that the old ventolin is not being prescribed. I managed to buy one over the counter when I was in Barbados at Xmas so that was a good send.
If you manage to find a petition then count me in for a signature! Good luck! X
Hi, is that a whole reliever in a short space of time? Please get some help as soon as possible if you're needing that much reliever - even if you think the inhaler might be the cause. 999 if you're too breathless to speak, eat or sleep. asthmaandlung.org.uk/condit...
If you haven't used that much all in one go and it's a bit more spaced out, you still need to see someone like your GP as soon as possible, as your asthma sound very uncontrolled currently.
New prescription - given Salamol instead of my usual Ventolin. Pharmacist said "it cuts down on gas emissions and helps to save the planet"! I didn't think much about it although spray is softer and you wonder whether it has reached the lungs as it is not "jet propelled" like Ventolin. I also use Clenil but it is still the CFC type. I am now experience a lot more episodes of asthma and having more tight chest/breathing difficulties. Coughing in the night which disrupts my sleep. The Salamol doesn't give as much relief at all compared to Ventolin and takes an hour before I feel my chest/breathing is a bit easier. Salamol is NOT as effective as Ventolin and takes much longer to work.
"Saving the planet" is all well and good but not at the expense of asthma patients who need fast relief during an asthma attack and proper effectiveness. Of course Saalmol is cheaper too.
I am very upset about this and taking it up with my GP. When you have an asthma attack and you can't breathe you need the reassurance of a fast acting and effective inhaler. It is our body, our health and we should be given the choice.
Same for me to. Sent a polite letter to GP stating no consultation with me about this and it was marked "private and confidential" but reception staff said they had to open ALL letter s and after reading it told me I had to speak to Asthma nurse. This I did but she is not responsible for checking repeat prescriptions and authorising or changing them them. (which I suspected) She let slip she had had a lot of complaints about Salamol. I have now requested the letter to be given to my GP but she is away for a week. As this medication takes 3 X as long to work and is nowhere near as effective, it puts asthmatics at a huge risk of hospitalisation or even death. I will be fighting this swop! If NHS is so desperate to save money and will put patients health at risk in doing so then there needs to be an investigation urgently.
Hi all. Have been a bit chesty this last week, not sure why. So I opened my new dry powder ‘Salbutamol Easyhaler’ and it did nothing. Absolutely no relief at all. Although I dislike the salamol spray I feel it works a tiny bit more for me than this dry powder. Neither brings relief though so I’m going to have to contact my GP and ask for the old ventolin back. I really don’t think asthmatics lives should be put at risk like this. It’s quite distressing and I am already dreading the Winter as that’s when my asthma gets very scary at times. Hope my surgery will agree to prescribe the old ventolin. Not quite sure what I will do if they say no.
I have COPD and the same problem. I’m an active person and to stay active I need that dose and I’m not getting it anymore. I’m super concerned about it myself.
I agree, Salamol doesent work for me either. I dont see how it can effect the planet as it is sprayed into the mouth,not in the air! I dont feel at all safe with them with an Asthma attact,I was wheezy the other night and it did not help aat all, whereas a couple of puffs of Ventolin worked a treat.
I see it's been a year since your post and I'm here for the same reason. Doctors now forcing this on me - I can still access the ventolin inhayler that uses a more forcefully delivery method but it's always a fight. They are aware its not as good as the "new" one but this less powerfully one has landed me in hospital. I don't get how they can keep trying to push it on me everytime I ask for it at the doctors
Hi there. Sorry to hear you ended up in hospital. Yes this new one really doesn’t seem to deliver in the same way. In the end I had a long conversation with the pharmacist at the dr surgery and they have now agreed that I will only be prescribed the traditional ventolin now. It was a battle and they tried me on various other alternatives, but they simply don’t clear an asthma attack for me. It seems such a shame we have to battle for such a thing!
I am late to this particular party but yes I am having the same problem. I've recently picked up what was supposed to be 2 Ventolin inhalers and been given one Salamol.
About ten years a previous GP surgery tried to switch me over and I got into a lot of trouble with it. There are multiple problems. The main one is that it blocks every two or three puffs. They recommend cleaning it weekly, but when my asthma was bad I was having to clean it daily. Because it clogs so regularly you are washing about a third of the product down the sink, (and using a lot of water) so the inhalers run out really quickly. I was finding they lasted me maybe a quarter as long, possibly even less, than the Ventolin ones and I was having to renew my prescription every few weeks, which was also costing me a fortune. They are also very lightweight and don't have a counter, so an additional issue is that it's impossible to tell how much you have left.
But I also found that it didn't work very well, if at all, and that it irritated my windpipe, making me cough and causing me to bring up phlegm for hours after using it I don't know if they actually made my wheezing worse, but they certainly didn't help. I would take more and more in an attempt to stop the wheezing, and my airway got more and more painful with very little effect on the asthma. Eventually I persuaded my GP to put me back on Ventolin, but only after I had experienced some very unpleasant situations.
So I was a bit dismayed to open my prescription and find that they have switched me over, without telling me or consulting with me. I am going to see my GP tomorrow so will try and address it then. I might have to seek out a private prescription - but that would involve paying for a private GP as well as paying for the inhalers... but better than than dying I feel.
The CFC free argument is also false one. In part because the cost to the environment of washing such large quantities of it down the drain, and the increased amount of plastic used because you need to replace them that much more quickly, ameliorates any CFC benefit. But also, any propellant is a greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming. The damaging thing about CFCs in particular is that they destroy ozone. But because most propellants these days are HFC not CFC the ozone holes are rare, and their effect on climate change is negligible (see the NASA website on this). I suspect that the increase in energy and materials used to produce the less effective inhalers, and the significantly increased use use running water to clean them, will completely outstrip any CFC benefits, and do more harm than good in terms of the environment. I suspect that some sales person for IVAX has done a bit of a number on the NHS in terms of convincing them of it's benefits.
All in all it's not a great situation. I am a little surprised that the NHS have gone ahead with the switch in light of the problems that people are reporting, but it seems to be that this is a national thing now.
hi, and I was exactly the same , previous reply in Pilgrim old boys, Salomol was useless for me, back on ventolin now , got through four inhalers inside a year !!! One ventolin would last into two to three years, Salomol is just a very cheap alternative to ventolin . Had no problem returning to ventolin through my gp and no indication whatsoever of it being completely discontinued .
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