salamol v ventolin

[Mons]

Ordered Ventolin and have got salamol. Ventolin works very well for me but is salamol the same. Just wondered if anyone has problems with the salamol as a friend of mine says it doesn’t act as quickly on her and she is trying to speak about it with her Doctor. Thank you as any replies would be appreciated.

[andy121]

Hi, yes Salamol is meant to be same as Ventolin but more ozone friendly apparently. I find Salamol doesn’t work as well as Ventolin so I spoke with my asthma nurse and she changed it back to Ventolin few years ago but she also said if your asthma is well controlled you don’t need it so doesn’t matter anyway. She increased my steroid/formoterol inhaler so not needed Ventolin for awhile.

[Homely2 Administrator]

For me salamol is fine. It seems to vary between people.

[janedivney]

I don’t get the same immediate relief with Salamol (the aerosol, can’t use the powder). It’s the same drug, but isn’t manufactured in the same way. One point is that I believe it has a different propellant which isn’t as effective or fast-acting as Ventolin. So it might contain the same drug, but it’s a different product. It’s a good idea to try it, because it might be fine for you. But you find it less efficacious (ie I was using more puffs every day) ask to change back

[Wouldntitbenice]

The same happened to me. I was using double the amount of salomal, had to have very intense conversation with a health worker of some sort,( not my doctor). He told me in the end that it was because of environmental concerns. When I really insisted I was prescribed ventolin again. You may get on ok with it. Good luck.

[PuffingPete]

I find Salomol doesn't work well for me. As others have said its the same drug but made differently. I asked to go back to Ventolin, but they won't change my prescription, so I buy my own online.

[MindfulBreathing in reply to PuffingPete]

That's an idea - where do you buy it and is it guaranteed not to be a fake?

[Poobah in reply to MindfulBreathing]

Most main stream pharmacies now have online sales of Ventolin. But I would definitely try your GP first and explain that Salamol isn't doing the job. If you face resistance in changing your prescription, then I would be open about buying Ventolin as your Dr/asthma nurse will still need to monitor your Ventolin use over the year, just so they're aware of the reality of your asthma control. Hopefully they will see sense and prescribe it for you.

[MindfulBreathing in reply to Poobah]

Thank you - good advice.

[PuffingPete in reply to MindfulBreathing]

I believe it was Superdrug last time, but I have bought them from others. They check with your GP first.

[Abc64]

they are the same

[Thomas45]

I was changed from Ventolin to Salamol many years ago.. I find Salamol just as effective as Ventolin was. I use it with a small spacer, called an Aero Chamber..

[lilacs15]

Same happened to me but I could not take it. It made me cough and tasted bitty. I spoke to asthma nurse at hospital and she wrote to my doctor who now prescribes Ventolin. Also spoke to the pharmacist about Salamol and he said he has had lots of people complaining about it.

[Malvasio2]

The Boots pharmacist changed mine to Salamol and I find it harder to use when I’m breathless because propellant is weaker so I asked them to change it to Ventolin - my doctor also changed it back. You may be ok with it though.

[Iceskate]

I was once told by a Chest Consultant to always make sure I have Ventolin. I was given Salamol a year or so ago and it didn't help with an attack. Thankfully, my sister found an unopened Ventolin and it definitely helped. Now I insist on Ventolin every time and discussed it with the surgery Pharmacist who agreed with me. Also, Salbutamol isn't the same as Ventolin either, it doesn't work for me at all.

[Mons]

Thank you for your replies. I will give this a try but I will be straight back to my Doctor if it is not effective and I will make sure I also carry Ventolin just in case I’m one of the people that it won’t help much. I wish you all well on your health journey as it can be a challenge at times x

[berylmcgowan1]

I have taken Ventolin for many years , my GP changed it to Salamol and I found it did not work at all the same as Ventolin.

After quite a few discussions I am now prescribed Ventolin again and am so grateful.

It seems Salamol is cheaper and apparent not as harmful to the environment but when it comes to asthma control you must be given what works for the individual.

[MindfulBreathing]

Salamol doesn't make me happy either. I can't tell whether it works as well as ventolin, but it does have an alcoholic feel to it when I breathe it in, which is very unpleasant. I hate the change and I have heard it's because it's cheaper and the NHS have to save money. Not a happy replacement. Wish they'd offer Ventolin again - which has worked for me for 30 years!

[Babbela]

I use a small spacer with salamol as I find I can't inhale the dose as quick as when I used Ventolin but the relief is the same .

[Dogeared]

Salamol is a poor product when compared to Ventolin. It doesn't work as well and it goes stale very quickly (3-6 months), so ultimately it can be very unreliable.

The environmental claims are nonsense too since the propellant is absorbed by the body during use and not released into the atmosphere.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Dogeared]

As far as I know and have checked, not all of the propellant is absorbed. Happy to see your source that suggests otherwise though.

I do think the primary concern should be what works for the patient, and it's clear Salamol doesn't suit everyone. If Ventolin works better for an individual they should be able to access it.

However, I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying it's 'not as good' for everyone. I can't speak for anyone else but I find it fine personally, when used through a spacer. If someone is equally ok with Ventolin and Salamol then why not use the one with less environmental impact?

I can't comment on how long it lasts as mine are used up by then (I have severe asthma and am on maximum medication, this isn't a situation that should be acceptable for most people). Can you link us to the source for that? I imagine it would be a concern for a lot of people who use their inhaler only occasionally, which is the ideal situation.

I do also think that as the majority of the environmental impact is from salbutamol metered dose inhalers, it would actually work better for everyone to focus on using whatever preventer medication works best for someone - then they wouldn't need as much salbutamol. That should be the main aim of treatment anyway.

[Dogeared]

I'm not referring to any studies, just my own experience. I only use Ventolin/Salamol reliever occasionally and have 4 or 5 inhalers dotted around the place in the event I need it. I have Ventolin inhalers that are 15 years old and work perfectly. All my Salamol inhalers have gone 'off' between 3 and 6 months. When using them the dose tastes like mould and is impossible to inhale. For my scenario they are therefore risky and unreliable.

I tried to find data on propellant absorption recently, but blanked. What I did find however is that the same propellants are generally used for delivery of anesthetics, which require high absorption by the lungs. I do therefore question the case for reducing effective propellants in favour of others and also powders, since the bigger picture isn't clear. Not to me anyway!