How Can I Reuse Or Recycle Asthma Inhalers
By louisa on 8 Aug 2007 | 31
Weve had another email from Am , this time saying:
My partner is asthmatic and so goes through inhalers. It seems a waste to throw them out, I dont think there is much to be done with reusing them though I may be wrong.
Does anyone know of anywhere these could be returned for reuse? Even if it is only the plastic outer casing?
My first thought would be to ask the chemist to not include the plastic part with each refill but if they get the complete inhaler from the pharmaceutical company already packaged up, they probably would end up just throwing them out from the shop. Does anyone know what the situation is with this?
And what about suggestions for reuse? Or recycling the individual bits?
Hello
I thought i would share this with you as i was really impressed with it.
We were in Wales at the weekend and had to go to a pharmacy to collect a prescription and saw behind the counter a box for recycling asthma inhalers.
As i dont live in Wales i asked if i could post them my inhalers so that they could be recycled and they are happy for me to do that for me
Its just a shame that my local pharmacy dont do it.
Thats a good idea! Wish mine did it. I take my used ones back because Im not sure what else to do with them and saw somewhere that youre supposed to, but I dont think they recycle them.
Imagine from the look of them that the various Clenil inhalers would be GSK though.
Clenil, Fostair and Atimos are manufactured by Chiesi Limited.
Improving Asthma With Tools And Devices
Asthma is a cyclical disease, with episodes that come and go. Flares dont just happen however. Subtle warning signs are there if you know where and how to look. By the time you begin coughing or wheezing, your lungs are already congested and compromised. Thats why you need to pay close attention to the subtle signs and follow the treatment plan prescribed by your doctor.
The following management tools have proven to be excellent for anticipating, treating and shortening an asthma flare. Always keep in mind that the real goal is to prevent or minimize asthma symptoms.
Recycling And Safe Disposal
Sadly the complete the cycle inhaler recycling scheme is now closing down, so getting your inhaler recycled is more difficult. A smaller recycling scheme is run by Teva in association with Terracycle .
The plastic and aluminium will be recycled, and more importantly any left over propellant gas is captured.
Dont put your inhaler in kerbside recycling it will not be recycled.
If you dont have any facilities nearby to recycle your inhaler, it is still well worth taking metered dose inhalers back to your pharmacy. The inhaler will be incinerated in medical waste, which is a surprisingly good way to dispose of them. The damaging propellants are broken down by the high temperatures into other products which are far less powerful greenhouse gases. More details available here on the recycle now site.
You May Like: Slightly Elevated Eosinophils
So How Can I Save On Inhalers
- Talk to your doctor about an inhaler that has a generic. In recent years, as patents have worn off, more and more inhalers have gone generic. Fluticasone/salmeterol , and albuterol are two of the more popular inhalers that have gone generic recently.
- Use a manufacturer coupon or patient assistance programs. Some manufacturers offer programs that can help you afford your prescription. Call your inhalers manufacturer to see if there are any programs you qualify for.
- If you have insurance, make sure your brand is on your formulary. The majority of plans do offer preferred coverage for some inhalers, but if for some reason your plan doesnt cover your preferred inhaler, talk to your doctor about submitting an appeal.
- Use a GoodRx coupon. GoodRx offers discounts for all FDA approved inhalers online. A discount can save you up to 80% on your out of pocket cost. Every little bit helps!
- Try to appeal your coverage. If you have insurance and your plan doesnt cover your medication, ask your doctor about submitting an appeal, Some plans require prior authorizations meaning you need permission from your insurance plan and a special request from your doctor before you can fill your prescription. If you have insurance, call your provider and ask how to get this process started.
Types Of Asthma Inhalers
The medicine inside an inhaler goes straight into the airways when you breathe in. This means that you need a much smaller dose than if you were to take the medicine as a tablet or liquid by mouth. The airways and lungs are treated, but little of the medicine gets into the rest of the body.
The proper medicine name is called the generic name. Different drug companies can use the generic medicine and produce different brands the proprietary medicine names. There are many different brands of inhalers. Inhalers can have generic names and be produced by different drug companies too. For some medicines there are different inhaler devices that deliver the same medicine. This means that there are many types of inhaler available on prescription, all of which are produced in different colours. This can be confusing.
Because there are lots of different-coloured inhalers available, it is helpful to remember their names, as well as the colour of the device. This might be important if you need to see a doctor who does not have your medical records for example:
- In A& E.
- If you are on holiday.
- Outside the normal opening hours of your GP surgery.
It might be helpful to keep a list of the names of your medicines and inhalers in your wallet or purse. This information will prevent mistakes and confusion.
In the treatment of asthma, the medicine inside inhalers can be grouped into relievers , preventers and long-acting bronchodilators.
Recommended Reading: Does Albuterol Weaken The Immune System
How To Dispose Of Inhaler Pharmaceuticals
Fact Checked
Once those inhaler pharmaceuticals expire, its time to throw them away. Leaving expired medicine of any kind around the house is not safe. But how you get rid of the spent or expired inhaler depends on the chemicals in your inhaler and your towns disposal policy. Theres no universal disposal method for this type of medication, especially since inhalers are pressurized and some may explode if incinerated. Once youve gotten the right information, disposing of the inhaler is easy.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Review the label on your inhaler first, advises the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 1. Older inhalers may contain chlorofluorocarbons , while newer ones are more environmentally friendly.
The FDA notes that you may be asked to recycle, throw away or take inhaler pharmaceuticals to a hazardous waste facility, depending on where you live and what type of inhaler you have.
Follow the disposal procedure recommended for your town and your type of inhaler. If youre throwing the inhaler in a trash bin, wrap it in a plastic bag along with food scraps or coffee grounds to discourage children from picking it out of the trash.
Tips
Also Check: Smoking Marijuana And Asthma
Proper Management & Inhaler Use
The key message from the Asthma Society of Ireland is to gain control of your asthma, rather than letting asthma control you. With the help of an asthma management plan, which can be obtained from the ASI and completed in discussion with your doctor or nurse, you can bring your asthma under control. Then you can work on gradually reducing the medication to the point where you can find the minimum amount of medication required to maintain control of your asthma.
We strongly advise people to use peak flow meters and develop their own asthma management plans so that they can get the early warning signs of their asthma deteriorating and they can increase their medication, says Dr Shanahan.
The trick is to try to find out what is the minimum level of medication that keeps them under control, so people can control their asthma as cost-efficiently as possible and avoid the exacerbations that end up in the emergency department, which is distressing, risky and expensive.
Recommended Reading: Can Asthma Symptoms Last For Weeks
How Environmental Concerns Have Made Inhalers More Expensive
Up until 2005, available inhalers contained chlorofluorocarbons , a greenhouse gas that is known to destroy the ozone layer. They were affordable and effective. At the time most products that contained chlorofluorocarbons, like packing materials and refrigerants, were banned per an agreement intended to protect the ozone layer called the Montreal Protocol. Unter this agreement, inhalers were considered essential medications and were exempt.
But this exemption was overturned in 2005 with some help from pharmaceutical lobbyists. From 2005 to 2010, Pharmaceutical manufacturers paid lobbyists over $500,000 to work to ban old CFC inhalers, with the argument of environmental protection. But, why would manufacturers spend money to ban CFC inhalers, ultimately deeming their products illegal and unsellable?
Think of it this way, in order to remove the CFC from an inhaler, manufacturers only have to substitute the propellant used, without touching the active ingredients. This means that manufacturers could rebrand their product, with little to no drug research and development costs, and add a completely new patent protection to their product that could grant them market exclusivity. And this is just what they did.
What Is An Inhaler And How Does It Work
Inhalers are the most common device for taking medications for COPD. There are a few different types of inhalers, and well go through each of them in this guide. Using your inhaler properly ensures the medication is delivered where it is needed the lungs. Other devices, like spacers and nebulizers, can also help.
Read Also: Can I Join The Army With Asthma
What Are Common Asthma Attack Triggers
An asthma attack happens when someone comes in contact with substances that irritate them. Healthcare providers call these substances triggers. Knowing what triggers your asthma makes it easier to avoid asthma attacks.
For some people, a trigger can bring on an attack right away. Sometimes, an attack may start hours or days later.
Triggers can be different for each person. But some common triggers include:
- Air pollution: Many things outside can cause an asthma attack. Air pollution includes factory emissions, car exhaust, wildfire smoke and more.
- Dust mites: You cant see these bugs, but they are in many homes. If you have a dust mite allergy, they can cause an asthma attack.
- Exercise: For some people, exercising can cause an attack.
- Mold: Damp places can spawn mold. It can cause problems for people with asthma. You dont even have to be allergic to mold to have an attack.
- Pests: Cockroaches, mice and other household pests can cause asthma attacks.
- Pets: Your pets can cause asthma attacks. If youre allergic to pet dander , breathing in the dander can irritate your airways.
- Tobacco smoke: If you or someone in your home smokes, you have a higher risk of developing asthma. The best solution is to quit smoking.
- Strong chemicals or smells.
With asthma, you may not have all of these symptoms. You may have different signs at different times. And symptoms can change between asthma attacks.
Can You Recycle Inhalers
5/5inhalersbebeThey can berecycle Inhalers
In respect to this, how do you dispose of inhalers?
Believe it or not, inhalers cannot be disposed of in your medical waste disposal box, pharmaceutical disposal box or sharps container. Most inhalers are considered hazardous waste, and the easiest way to safely dispose of them is giving them to your local pharmacy.
Additionally, can you use old inhalers? If youre in an urgent situation and need asthma medication in order to breathe, only use an expired inhaler as a supplement until youre able to find an unexpired inhaler or youre able to seek medical treatment. Most inhalers are also safe to use up to one year after the expiration date.
Similarly one may ask, can asthma inhalers be recycled UK?
Complete the Cycle from GlaxoSmithKline is the first UK-wide recycling and recovery scheme for all respiratory inhalers. You can safely and responsibly recycle your empty inhalers or inhalers you no longer require through any participating pharmacy.
How do you dispose of Albuterol?
According to knowyourotcs.org, follow these steps:
You May Like: Can You Join The Army If You Have Asthma
Best Asthma Inhalers Names
It is rather difficult to choose asthma inhaler medications, but nowadays there are so many effective means devoted to arrest the attack and in combination with other drug, you will surely cope with this respiratory disorder easily. As a result you will get some kind of asthma inhaler case.
If you want to buy the best asthma inhalers, you may visit online pharmacies including this one to find your own medication in-stock. The most popular among them are:
- Ventolin
- Proventil
- Serevent.
There are also generic asthma inhalers but sometimes there quality leaves much to be desired. It is better to grapple with this generic not to be involved in health troubles, provoke more side effects or even fatal case. The majority of brand medications have generics and they are the method to save money and obtain high quality treatment.
Great People Are No Exception
Asthma is a very common disease worldwide. Many famous people have suffered and are still suffering from bronchial asthma, but it does not prevent them to achieve outstanding success. Asthma Inhalers Online will tell you about patients, who are characterized strong-willed, goal-oriented, commitment, internal ambivalence etc., that is, those negative characteristics, which could be fundamental obstacle to solve their life problems. These people, in spite of chronic illness, managed to become a prominent and well-known
Also Check: What’s An Asthma Attack Feel Like
Some Tips At Getting Inhalers Cheaper
How To Get An Inhaler Without Seeing A Doctor
Tessa Chatham Registered Nurse
Tessa Chatham Registered Nurse
Tessa is a MSN prepared Registered Nurse with 10 years of critical care experience in healthcare. When not practicing clinical nursing, she enjoys academic writing and is passionate about helping those affected by medical aliments live healthy lives.
Po-Chang Hsu, M.D.
Po-Chang Hsu, M.D.
Dr. Hsu received his medical degree from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and holds a Masters of Science degree from both Harvard University and Tufts University. Outside of the medical profession, Dr. Hsu loves to write, learn new languages, and travel.
Recommended Reading: What Does A Nebulizer Do For Asthma
What To Make Of This
Again, free is good. Im going to be taking Symbicort for the next year. Once the year is up, I will keep my eyes open for other deals. I see that dulera.com has an offer for one free inhaler. So, thats better than nothing. Have you ever taken advantage of similar offers? Let us know in the comments below.
Everything You Need To Know About Asthma In Children
Asthma spares no one: neither young nor old people. Childhood asthma often develops before the age of five. In the United States, for example, the disease affects 10-12% of children and their number is steadily increasing. Asthma in children: Causes There are many factors of the emergence and development of the disease, but psychologists distinguish eight main asthma causes: Presence of any, even the most minor allergies heredity frequent diseases caused by air-borne infections low
Don’t Miss: Does Weight Gain Make Asthma Worse
Asthma In Children & Infants: Symptoms And Treatments
Bronchial asthma is characterized by recurring attacks of heavy breathing or suffocation due to bronchoconstriction, mucus hypersecretion and swelling of the bronchial mucosa. Online Asthma Inhalers recent researches suggest that there are . Asthma is one of the most common diseases among children: 5-10% of children suffer from this disease, and this figure increases each year. Currently childrens asthma is treated as a chronic disease, which is based on allergic airway inflammation and bronchial hyperreactivity. A terrifying
How Can I Open My Lungs Without An Inhaler
Feeling short of breath or congested is one of the worst feelings in the world. If you do not have an inhaler and are waiting for medical treatment, you can do a few things to open up your lungs.
Some things you can do at home to open up your lungs without an inhaler include:
- Sitting up straight
- Move away from triggers
- Take vitamins C, D, and E
Home remedies can often alleviate mild symptoms of asthma and other breathing problems. However, if you have chest pain, rapid breathing, or bluish tint to your skin, seek emergency medical care.
Also Check: What To Do When Having An Asthma Attack