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Ventolin/Levalbuterol Severe Reaction - Options?

Lung Health | Last Active: Feb 25, 2022 | Replies (20)

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@jenniferhunter

@kelly7232 @sueinmn @merpreb I do much better with Xopenex for my asthma than with the generics Albuterol or Levalbuterol. My doctor had explained it this way....there are often 2 versions of chemical compounds that are mirror images of each other or a "sis" and a "trans" version if I am remembering chemistry correctly. The generic form may not be the specifically correct shape to fit and solve the issue. Xopenex is the one that fits correctly being only a single version of the compound, and the generic may have both the sis and trans versions. It's more effort to manufacture the specific version for Xopenex. I find that the generics cause my heart to race and irritate my airway. Xopnex is much better, but can also cause my heart to race if at a higher dose. I had used Xopenex in a nebulizer and gotten more of it deeper into my lungs and had my heart race for about 20 minutes, after that, the dose for the nebulizer was changed to a pediatric dose and I was only using about half of it, going slowly, stopping and waiting a few minutes before continuing to nebulize. You can really control how much you inhale with a nebulizer vs. an inhaler. If I am using the Xopenex inhaler, I don't get as much irritation and less heart racing. I also use cough drops for the menthol, or something like Vick's vapo rub to inhale the eucalyptus vapors. That opens up airways because it can temporarily "paralyze" or relax the muscles constricting the airways. When you thin the phlegm with Mucinex (or its generic) that helps too. Insurance is always trying to push the cheaper medications on patients and not what is best for the patient. If you use a nebulizer, that adds lots of precautionary cleaning and sterilizing of the nebulizer to avoid risks of lung infections. I have a nebulizer that can run off rechargeable batteries or a car connection (although new cars have electric plugs and ports).

Have any of you tried medication in a nebulizer before to control your dosage?

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Replies to "@kelly7232 @sueinmn @merpreb I do much better with Xopenex for my asthma than with the generics..."

Hi Jennifer- You bring up a great point and that is how we inhale our medications. It's very important to deep breathe, causing our very flat bellies 😏 to inflate to make sure that every drop of medication reaches the far reaches of our lungs and not just the top part!! It also makes a big difference, to me in how it makes me feel!

Jennifer - I agree, I forgot to mention that generics are sometimes different that the name brand.
I do use the neb to control dosage - and often stop nebulizing before the medication is completely used.
Sue