Re: Cromolyn sodium inhaler

[Guest guest]

I'm new to the board so I haven't seen the posts you are referring to,

but my son does use nebulized cromolyn sodium in his omron ne-u22v at

least once a day...we really try to use it twice a day (morning and

bedtime) but miss either one of those doses maybe once a week. I

really felt like when we added the cromolyn sodium on board, that it

improved things for him...at the time he was on flovent rotadisk DPI,

and then had to switch to pulmicort turbuhaler DPI, and now it is

pulmicort flexhaler DPI... I think the cromolyn sodium really helped

cut back on the allergic triggers for him. Because his nebulizer is

silent and small, he just holds it while watching TV, or reading a book

or comics in the paper, or while laying in bed. If it was one of the

noisy compressor types, I know he would balk but he doesn't mind

nebbing twice a day with the quiet nebulizer.

>

> I have seen Cromolyn mentioned several times on this board. Is it the

> Cromolyn sodium inhaler that is being referred to or is it something

> else? (The pharmacist at two different drugstores did not seem to be

> familiar with the inhaler.)

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Merrywbee,

Welcome to the group!

Alana

>

> I'm new to the board

[Guest guest]

mlbbb -- The brand name I use is " Intal. "

Carolyn

[Guest guest]

Carolyn,

Is what you are using the same as what is listed below? If so, would

you please let me know where to get it. I have tried the pharmacies at

both WalMart and Walgren and neither knows what is is. (They only know

about NasalCrom and the neublizer, not an aerosol canister.)

This is what I am after:

Intal Inhaler is supplied as an aerosol canister which provides 112

metered dose actuations from the 8.1 gram inhaler and 200 metered dose

actuations from the 14.2 gram inhaler.

Thanks very much.

>

> mlbbb -- The brand name I use is " Intal. "

>

>

> Carolyn

>

[Guest guest]

Yes!

There are two similar metered-dose aerosol inhalers containing

cromolyn sodium. These are Intal (Cromolyn sodium) and Tilade

(Nedocromil sodium). Tilade is newer and has a slightly different

form of cromolyn. They are manufactured in the U.K., and supplied in

the U.S. by King Pharmaceuticals, Bristol, TN. They are also

available in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand, I

understand.

Ask your doctor to find out about cromolyn and prescribe it for you.

The pharmacist should be able to find it if you persist. Intal is

NDC 60793-001-08 and Tilade is NDC 60793-120-01.

When my allergy specialist (M.D. and Ph.D.) started me on

maintenance inhalers 18 year ago he put me on equal doses of a

steroid inhaler and Intal. The Intal is non-steroidal and has very

few if any side effects. It is intended to reduce the amount of

steroids you have to inhale. He said, the whole idea is to keep

people off steroids as much as possible. I was taking only a child's

dosage of the steroid inhaler because the cromolyn supplemented it.

This worked very well for me for over 15 years.

I find it incredible that doctors don't seem to be aware of this

option, so many of these children with asthma are inhaling more

steroids for the rest of their lives than necessary. If they used

cromolyn I believe they could cut the steriod dosage in half, in

many cases. It may not work well for everyone, but it certainly does

for many people.

A couple years ago I suddenly found I could no longer fill my

cromolyn prescription (I live in Canada) because the pharmaceutical

company that imported it into Canada was no longer selling enough to

be worth it (at least that's what the pharmacist suggested as a

likely reason). Doctors just weren't prescribing it. Most of them

seem unaware of its existence, especially general practitioners

(family doctors) who aren't necessarily up to speed on all aspects

of asthma.

When I couldn't get cromolyn, my allergy specialist doubled my

steroid inhaler dosage but it wasn't working as well. So I tried all

over to get cromolyn inhalers. I finally found a way to fill my

prescription in a U.S. pharmacy a short drive from where I live.

They don't carry it, and they have to order it in each time, but at

least I can get it, and I am now able to bring it back into Canada

after a lot of discussion at the border. My asthma is better

controlled now, too, than it was on the double dose of steroid

inhalers.

Recently someone on this list mentioned that at the end of 2008 the

U.S. will clamp down on CFC propellants in inhalers. The pharmacist

comfirms this is likely. This will affect Intal and Tilade. If the

market for them continues to shrink, I'm speculating the company may

very well just drop them rather than go to the trouble of

redesigning them to use a non-CFC propellant. This already happened

to the Canadian market.

I think it's very important to let people know of this alternative

and to encourage the use of cromolyn inhalers, to try to make sure

they remain available as a viable option. For me, they provide a

better solution than full doses of steroid inhalers.

Thanks,

Stan Olson

Abbotsford,

British Columbia

Canada

> >

> > mlbbb -- The brand name I use is " Intal. "

> >

> >

> > Carolyn

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you very,very much. I use NasalCrom and find that very soothing

to my irritated nasal passages. That is what put me onto looking for

the aerosol canister for my asthma - I thought it might soothe the

irration. I have thought, but have not done it, if that I cannot get

the aerosol canister, to just spray the NasalCrom at the back of my

throat and breath it into my lungs.

mlb

> > >

> > > mlbbb -- The brand name I use is " Intal. "

> > >

> > >

> > > Carolyn

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I should have mentioned that cromolyn inhalers are available only by

a doctor's prescription. You won't be able to get them just by

asking a pharmacist. This is true in Canada, and I'm sure in the

United States also (since I'm filling my cromolyn inhaler

prescriptions there). You can get the nasal spray form of

cromolyn " over the counter, " but not the asthma inhalers. I have

used the cromolyn nasal spray, called Rinacrom here in Canada, for

years also, and it works well for me, but since I started taking

Singulaire I seldom need the nasal spray any more. There is also a

form of cromolyn eye drops, called Opticrom in Canada, for those

whose allergies affect their eyes. The nasal spray and the eye drops

are both available over the counter -- no prescription needed.

I don't think it would be a good idea to try to inhale the nasal

spray through your throat, as you suggest. The inhaler spray is a

much finer mist than the nasal spray and the dosage is properly

metered, while the nasal spray dosage is dependent on several

factors and not very consistent. The nasal spray is designed to be

absorbed where it lands, on your nasal passages, while the inhaler

spray is designed to remain a fine mist long enough to penetrate

deep into your lungs to reach the small airways. So the nasal spray

would be very unlikely to get down into your lungs where it's needed.

Besides, the cromolyn inhaler is designed as a maintenance

medication, not an " as needed " rescue medication -- you don't get

optimum benefits until you have take it consistently for a couple

weeks.

I would say, ask your doctor to prescribe Intal or Tilade for you,

and give him the NDC codes if needed to identify them, and do the

same with your pharmacist if they can't locate the medication. Intal

is NDC 60793-001-08 and Tilade is NDC 60793-120-01.

Unfortunately, both inhalers are rather expensive (around $100), but

if you have a choice, Intal costs a bit less and has 8 more puffs

per canister than Tilade. Intal has 112 puffs, Tilade has 104 puffs,

unless you can get the 200 puff size canister, which doesn't seem to

be available any more, at least around here.

At a dosage of 2 puffs in the morning and 2 in the evening, Intal

lasts 28 days and Tilade 26 days. That's the dosage that has worked

for me for many years, as a supplement to my steroid inhaler taken

at the same dosage.

You'd have to work with your doctor to find out the best dosage for

you.

I wish you good luck.

Stan

> > > >

> > > > mlbbb -- The brand name I use is " Intal. "

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > Carolyn

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

<<I should have mentioned that cromolyn inhalers are available only by a doctor's prescription. You won't be able to get them just by asking a pharmacist. >> You mean you can get inhalers over the counter, without a prescription? Here, you have to have a prescription for all inhalers. Even my peak flow meter was prescribed, though that could have been because a presrciption charge is less than the cost of the peak flow meter. Does anyone know if this is also in Beclometasone Dipropionate - I also have dermographism, but since I started taking a brown inhaler, the dermographism also appears to hvae got a lot better. When I googled it, it did say that cromolyn sodium is one of the few known treatments, other than antihistamines. Jenn

Hill Tha can tek t'lass outta Yorkshire...! Don't brand me, don't classify me, don't tell me what to wear. I'll be who I want to be, and I'm proud to be me.

Yahoo! For Good. Give and get cool things for free, reduce waste and help our planet. Plus find hidden Yahoo! treasure

[Guest guest]

Hi, Jenn

No, I didn't mean to imply that any inhalers might be available

without a prescription. I was only responding like that to the

person who asked about it because I got the impression they might

not realize that cromolyn inhalers require a prescription.

In Canada, and I'm sure also in the United States, all inhalers

require a prescription.

Your Beclomethasone doesn't contain cromolyn. It's a steroid (more

correctly a corticosteroid) inhaler. It's the steroid inhaler I use

regularly also.

Stan

>

> <<I should have mentioned that cromolyn inhalers are available

only by a doctor's prescription. You won't be able to get them just

by asking a pharmacist. >>

>

> You mean you can get inhalers over the counter, without a

prescription? Here, you have to have a prescription for all

inhalers. Even my peak flow meter was prescribed, though that could

have been because a presrciption charge is less than the cost of the

peak flow meter.

>

> Does anyone know if this is also in Beclometasone Dipropionate -

I also have dermographism, but since I started taking a brown

inhaler, the dermographism also appears to hvae got a lot better.

When I googled it, it did say that cromolyn sodium is one of the few

known treatments, other than antihistamines.

>

> Jenn Hill

>

>

> Tha can tek t'lass outta Yorkshire...!

>

> Don't brand me, don't classify me, don't tell me what to wear.

I'll be who I want to be, and I'm proud to be me.

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! For Good. Give and get cool things for free, reduce waste

and help our planet. Plus find hidden Yahoo! treasure

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Stan,

You are correct -

Intal is prescription only in the US.

Have never been on Tilade -

but I would bet that requires a prescription also.

Have never been to Canada -

but I hear it's beautiful -

and the people there are the nicest you will ever meet.

Is that true?

Alana

>>>>>> In Canada, and I'm sure also in the United States, all

inhalers require a prescription.

[Guest guest]

Hi, Alana.

Yes, Tilade also requires a prescription.

And thank you for your kind words. You are of course correct. Canada

is a beautiful country, and most Canadians are wonderful people.

I have lived in the US, have traveled in several parts of your

country, and have many American friends, and I know the same is true

of you folks.

I have also been to Ireland, Scotland and England, and I found this

to be true there, too.

Thank you for the encouraging comments you so frequently add to this

group.

Stan

>

>

> Hi Stan,

>

> You are correct -

> Intal is prescription only in the US.

> Have never been on Tilade -

> but I would bet that requires a prescription also.

>

>

> Have never been to Canada -

> but I hear it's beautiful -

> and the people there are the nicest you will ever meet.

> Is that true?

>

> Alana