35 million people (including me) desperately need your help

Off-topic
1

35 million people across the U.S. suffer from asthma, including me. For decades almost everyone has used Albuterol or other CFC inhalers as an emergency relief medicine to help them breathe when they are experiencing an asthma attack. Recently, the EPA has banned the use of Albuterol and other CFC inhalers bacause of the CFC in them.

The CFC is used as a propellant to allow the medicine to reach the user’s lungs. Apparently, the EPA says that the small amount of ChloroFluoroCarbon released in the miniscule life-saving puffs is breaking down the ozone layer. Give me a break. In their infinite wisdom, they decided to ban a medicine that has saved countless lives (including my own) and replace it with an almost untested HFA medicine, called ProAir.

This ProAir does not treat asthma in any way. In fact, it has made mine worse because it uses Ethanol and I am allergic to corn. Now that I don’t have a rescue inhaler, my life is one big asthma attack. I am coughing uncontrollably as I type this, just like I have been for the past two days. I have no relief and there is no way for anyone else to get Albuterol.

There is a petition online to try to bring Albuterol back. please, I beg you, sign the petition. Even though I would prefer that you read the entire petition, no one is forcing you. If you don’t know what to say, read what other people have said and form your own opinion.

If you are getting tired of reading this, please sign the petition and go on with your life, because you might just save mine. If you want to hear more from me, continue reading.

People all over America are agreeing that ProAir does nothing. Letters have been sent to the company and the only reply that ever comes back says that ProAir works just as good as Albuterol, but we need to breathe in harder and deeper whan inhaling it. Are you KIDDING??? Some of you may know that during an asthma attack, people take the medicine because they can’t breathe in harder or deeper.

One man says,

That’s serious.

Currently I cannot run or do anything physical including riding my unicycle. I tried today but within minutes I felt like I was going to have to call 911. I literally thought I would suffocate to death (which can very well happen). So, no more unicycle. I might put it in my attic so it won’t tempt me and cause any serious problems.

People, I need your help. Fill out the comments box at the bottom of the petition and help me get my life back. I’m afraid that if this continues I might make a few trips to the E.R., and not for unicycle injuries.

2

Holy crap Joe that sucks! I feel terrible, and MAD about it and I’ve already signed the petition! I will tell my friends and relatives to sign it also! I hope you can get the medicine you need, and soon!:slight_smile: This is just more proof that the freaking government think they know what’s best for the citizens! They are elitist, ignorant buffoons!

***EDIT: Looks like you can still get it here: http://www.canadadrugsonline.com/DrugMoreInfo51.aspx?refid=ggl&gclid=CLe2nJ6FhZYCFSQWiQodK1ksFQ

It’s Canada, and I get some of my meds from there and it’s less $$$

4

i signed

5

Thanks much, and yeah I’ve been thinking about Canada or Mexico.

Thank you.

6

Signed.

7

signed

Edit: The devaluing of human life based on something not proven, :(.

8

signed.

9

Yeah, this ‘green’ crap is going a bit to far. Let’s all be ‘green’ and pretend to care about the world, now we’re trendy!

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signed

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signed

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I’m so glad this is getting such a great response from everyone. Thank you all so much!

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Unfortunately, I can’t sign it because it’s only for U.S people. I could still lie and pretend to live in Alabama but I prefer not to. I don’t know, I wouldn’t want this petition to be void because of one fake signature:(…
…But as an “occasional asthmatic” (read: smoker :o:o) I feel your pain.
Good luck and take big care of you;)

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My father suffers from asthma. I know how asthmatics are very dependant on their inhalers. It’s terrible. I’m not sure if I can sign the petition, being from outside the US. But I wish you all the best of luck, my thoughts are with you.

One more thing, of maybe lesser relevance, is how much CFC actually goes into the atmosphere when you inhale. Or does it escape your body afterwards? If it doesn’t, maybe the inhalers’ design could be modified so that all the medicine goes into recepient’s lungs?

But, knowing the state of things, it’s probably some really big money that stands behind the new law and ozone layer is merely an excuse. Lives damaged and destroyed in the process are just a side-effect.

15

thats a pathetic idea to ban them… I have friends that would have died by now with out an inhaler. Why ban something that saves peoples lives everyday of the year!

I would sign if I lived in America

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crazyjoe- thanks for mentioning our petition

crazyjoe- THANK YOU for the plug and thanks to all who signed!

You CAN get Warrick CFC at the drug store mentioned in the upper right corner of the petition- $30/each. (We are not compensated for any referrals we make, by the way.) If money is no object and you read this and call them today- you can ask Heather to overnight it and you can be having a couple of puffs of Warrick in the morning.

DO NOT EVER USE PROAIR HFA OR PROVENTIL HFA!

Use Ventolin HFA (the only HFA rescue MDI without ethanol- a known bronchoconstrictor) or Xopenex HFA.

You can get cheap generic HFA from Canada but ONLY get Ventolin HFA or Ratiopharm HFA- NOT Apotech- which has ethanol. But ALL HFA is inferior to CFC albuterol which gets banned 12/31/08.

[B]Google: ‘save cfc’ to find the petition quickly (#1 spot) or go here- if this site allows links:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveCFCinhalers/
[/B]
Mexico is an option for CFC albuterol- but I have no feedback on quality/manufacturer. Canada is not- they went HFA years ago.

If you have time- try these guys (I’m waiting for my first order) $3.14 for generic CFC albuterol- sounds too good to be true but we got good feedback from someone. You need to wait a few days for a return phone call IF you want one- or you can order on-line without a prescription. I spoke to the Indian rep after waiting for a callback for a few days and it seems legitimate.

http://www.alldaychemist.com

NOTE TO ALL IN OTHER COUNTRIES:

If you know someone in another country who is suffering from HFA inhalers- a comment from you (and/or them) to that effect would be TREMENDOUSLY appreciated on the petition- just pick any state to sign-up- then disclose your city and country in the petition comments.

BETTER YET, PLEASE put these foreign country HFA complaints on the GUESTBOOK page of our new website (no sign-up is needed to post your comment in the Guestbook).

The reason this is so valuable is because it undermines the EPA/FDA’s big lie that HFA inhalers are well accepted by all patients all over the world. We KNOW this is false- your comments to that effect would be OUTSTANDING.

The new website is at www.saveCFCinhalers.org It’s obviously not done but everyone can post comments in the Guestbook and U.S. residents can sign-up.

Thanks to All,
Arthur Abramson
The National Campaign to Save CFC Asthma Inhalers

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I don’t doubt that because of the 35 million people using this stuff on a regular basis, that it has an effect on the environment.
But there are other things that we need to ban/cut down on before we crack down on something that’s saving people’s lives every day.
I signed.

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Well, Arthur has given you more information than I ever could. If you live in another country but support ths petition please read his post to find out what you could do. It might only take a few minutes and it would help tremendously. When the American FDA hears that even people from other countries are mad about this, they may listen. Thanks again to everyone who signed it, I’m sure it helped.

Hypothetically, if about 3,000 people have signed it and it and a bill gets passed today, that means you helped 11,666 people. That’s meaningful.

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Almost all of it.

FYI (just to answer your question), from the www.saveCFCinhalers.org web site (this page) –

[I]COMMON (BUT INCORRECT) ARGUMENT #1: CFCs are absorbed into the body when inhaled and are not released into the atmosphere, so how can CFC MDIs (metered-dose inhalers) threaten the ozone layer?

FACT: They DON’T threaten the ozone layer, but the argument is INCORRECT. After you inhale the CFC propellant, you exhale almost all of it intact into the air, immediately. The CFCs are NOT broken down in your body. The tiny amount that is absorbed gets exhaled or excreted intact a short time later, as well. Virtually all of the inhaled CFCs do end up in the atmosphere.[/I]

As the site mentions, if people really, REALLY want to make a difference, they should contact their government representatives. Information is on the web site (also go to the above page to understand how NOT to argue).

Signed. #2918

21

That was my thinking exactly. The drug companys probably stand to make more money on the new inhalers than the old ones.

They are pushing to ban Bio-identical hormones which are totaly safe so they can sell more of their synthetic versions which a lot of people have problems with.

Edit. Oh yeah and I signed the petition and I will send it out to co-workers, friends, and family

22

Wow, this is total bull.

Signed.