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Dr. Albert J. Polito, Director, The Lung Center at Mercy

Dr. Albert J. Polito, The Lung Center at Mercy, Discusses Government Change to Rescue Inhalers for Asthma

If you're one of the 40 million people in the country who suffers from a respiratory disorder like asthma, there's a change in your medication you need to know about—it's a decision that affects medications known as rescue inhalers.

Starting January 2009, generic rescue inhalers for treating asthma attacks are no longer available.

Whether he's involved in a challenging match or coaching on the sidelines, Ray Gordon of Parkville, MD, is a fanatic for fencing.

"I just enjoy the thrill of the fight," said Gordon.

But there's an entirely different opponent in Gordon's life—asthma.

"I can get tight, and it can get hard to breathe," said Gordon.

When that happens, Gordon turns to the drug Albuterol, also known as a rescue inhaler.

"The rescue inhaler is immediate acting when someone is short of breath. They can take a puff or two, and it will open up their airways quickly," said Dr. Albert Polito, pulmonologist and Director of The Lung Center at Mercy Medical Center.

It's fast acting, but since generic rescue inhalers can be harmful to the environment, the government is now banning their sale.

"They had to change the propellent in the inhaler, the substance that allows it to make a nice spray that will go into lungs so that it was not harmful to ozone layer," said Dr. Polito.

Dr. Polito explains brand name versions use environmentally friendly HFA propellants instead of destructive CFCs. They're now the only rescue inhaler available.

"I like that it's green and not putting CFCs in the environment, but part of the green is the money that it costs to buy it," said Gordon.

Expect to pay more for the brand name medications, and there are other changes.

Prime the pump to ensure you've got the right dose. That means give it another pump before you use it, and expect a change when you inhale.

"The forcefulness of the spray is not quite as aggressive as it hits the side of the throat and the sides of the mouth," said Dr. Polito.

So even though these name brand medications may feel a little different, Dr. Polito stresses that your rescue inhaler will still come to your rescue.

The more environmentally friendly inhalers may also have to be cleaned more frequently than the generic ones. Dr. Polito discusses the inhaler issue in detail on WJZ-TV13's HealthWatch with Kellye Lynn, learn more at http://wjz.com/local/rescue.inhaler.ban.2.921623.html.