7% Saline for Nebulizing; and Mouth Burning

My pulmonologist also prescribed 3% for me and when I asked about 7% after seeing it talked about on Mayo site, he said he had no problem prescribing 7%. He also said it is harder to get since the pandemic. My pulmonologist here in FL is a very nice man but like most he doesn’t know a lot about MAC. Understandable because it is rare but everyone I have talked to in FL and CO say MAC is being diagnosed more all the time. Saline is not a medication and some have reported it is not covered by Medicare or insurance because it is not a medication. Both 3% and 7% Saline are readily available on Amazon.com from Base Labs. I have found that 7% definitely brings up more mucous. I have no idea why there is a hold up getting saline in pharmacies unless it is due to it not being a medication. My daughter has been an RN for 32+ years. She is who let me know that I didn’t need a prescription and it was readily available on Amazon.

Another thing to consider is mixing 7% with normal saline which is 0.9% to end up with a mixture pretty close to 3%. I get 7% through my pharmacy and the 0.9% from Amazon.

I order 7% saline from Amazon. I received 3% from my pharmacy in the beginning but it is not as effective as 7%. I’ll listen to the experts at NJH who told me to use 7% twice daily instead of 7% in the morning and 3% in the evening. I can always go back to 3% in the evening rather than mixing to get a saline close to 3% if it becomes too much.