{"id":626588,"date":"2024-02-05T17:56:15","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T22:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=626588"},"modified":"2024-10-25T10:11:02","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:11:02","slug":"otc-inhaler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/otc-inhaler\/","title":{"rendered":"OTC asthma inhaler pros and cons"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting an <\/span>asthma inhaler<\/span><\/a> over the counter (OTC) may seem like a great way to avoid the expense, time, and inconvenience of a visit to the doctor for prescription medications. They can also be convenient if you’re traveling and don’t have your prescription rescue inhaler with you—you can just stop into a local pharmacy to buy one without a prescription. <\/span><\/p>\n

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OTC inhalers are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for relief of mild, intermittent asthma symptoms, like wheezing, cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. But before you get too excited about them, serious concerns about these OTC inhalers are reason enough to leave them on the store shelf in most cases. We’ll explain why and offer our thoughts on OTC inhalers for asthma.<\/span><\/p>\n

OTC inhalers for asthma<\/span><\/h2>\n

Epinephrine is the active ingredient in OTC inhaled medications for <\/span>asthma<\/span><\/a>. Although it’s available as a solution for use in <\/span>nebulizer machines<\/span><\/a> under the brand names <\/span>Asthmanefrin<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>S2<\/span><\/a>, it’s also available as an inhaler. Primatene Mist is the only handheld OTC inhaler approved in the United States for temporary relief of asthma symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Primatene Mist<\/span><\/h3>\n

You may have heard of epinephrine for its use in <\/span>pen injectors<\/span><\/a> taken for severe allergic reactions, such as a bee sting allergy. It’s available in an inhaled form as Primatene Mist, a brand-name product with no generic alternative. Primatene Mist is the only OTC inhaler for asthma. Like all other inhalers in the United States, Primatene Mist is produced using <\/span>hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) as the propellant<\/span><\/a> (the spray that moves the medicine out of the inhaler) rather than chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), which are harmful to the ozone layer. <\/span><\/p>\n

Primatene Mist was actually taken off the market in 2011 due to CFC use and not reintroduced until 2018 in the HFA form. It is approved and <\/span>labeled<\/span><\/a> for use in patients 12 and older who have been previously diagnosed with asthma. In other words, you should not try Primatene Mist for any symptoms unless a healthcare professional has diagnosed you with <\/span>asthma<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The manufacturer of Primatene Mist, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, points out a couple of nuances of the device within its <\/span>detailed instructions<\/span><\/a>. It recommends that the device be shaken and then sprayed into the air once prior to using it for an actual dose. The inhaler comes with a spray indicator on the device that counts down in groups of 20 doses, starting with 160 sprays when new to zero when it is empty. This feature is akin to a dose counter on many asthma counter inhalers available with a prescription.<\/span><\/p>\n

Primatene Mist dosing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Dosage instructions for Primatene Mist are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n