Anyone familiar with pH balanced 7% saline, rather than acidic type?

I asked my pulmonologist to prescribe the PulmoSal and she told me all saline is PH balanced and that is just a name brand?

@med08 You would think all inhaled solutions would be pH balanced. Here is a study using 3 different brands of 7% hypertonic saline for inhalation. Pari HyperSal pH 5.86, Nephron generic pH 6.6, and PulmoSal 7% pH 7.4 The study was comparing efficacy in the 3 salines against the bacteria Pseudomonas. Big difference in pH levels of each one, and a big difference in effectiveness. PulmoSal was the clear winner in this study. https://www.pharmacaribe.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/pH-dependent-Pseudomonas-aeruginosa-killing-2014-11-18.pdf In my own personal experience PulmoSal is less irritating to my airways than the HyperSal brand that I used previously.

Thank you for that info. Of course my pulmonologist didn’t order the PulmoSal. I mean we rely on our pulmonologist to know these things! It’s crazy all the knowledge out there. I feel like my doctor doesn’t know much of anything when it comes to my disease. It’s so scary we have to fend for ourselves. Thank goodness for these forums. She never even told me about nebulizer another doctor did and I couldn’t do it because it was so harsh on my throat. Thankfully someone suggested having a little yogurt to coat throat throughout using my nebulizer, and learning how important it is to use it, I have been doing so faithfully, with not much irritation! But I lost about 8 months of doing so.

Would results for mycobacterium avium complex be the same as for PulmoSal?

How do you purchase the PulmoSal? Only through a pharmacy with a prescription? What is the average cost? Sounds like it would be worth trying. I have been using a brand that i buy on Amazon without a prescription. But i am sure my pulmo would give me one as i have Bronchiectasis with chronic Pseudomonas. Thanks for this information.

PulmoSal should work the same as every other 7% saline neb - it is the salinity that affects the bacteria. PulmoSal is a specific, brand name version that has a neutral Ph of 7, which is less "foreign" to the body than those with lower Ph - most brands are between 5.6 and 6.5. That variation is probably the reason some saline nebs feel more harsh on our throats than others. I keep meaning to get out the Ph test strips and check mine when I neb.
Sue

Wow, I had no idea there were any differences in saline brands!! Thank you all so much for this info - learn something new every day!!

Irene @irenea8 It is only available with a prescription. My cost is $40 a month out of pocket for Pulmosal 7%. I have read where anyone getting any brand of 7% saline can reduce their cost by making sure the doctor puts certain info on the prescription. So I asked my pharmacist and she said for Medicare part B to pay anything there must be a medical diagnostic code in the prescription. So I looked on Google and found there is a medical code for Bronchiectasis being J47.9 (Full code being: 2023 ICD-10-CM J47.9) Does anyone on this forum have experience with this? Thanks Bill

I just spoke with my pulmo today and asked him to prescribe PulmoSal so thank you for this information. I sent a message for him about the medical code. he probably already knows but not sure and the salt is very expensive otherwise. I pay a ton for mine from Amazon!

Well, I tried to order Pulmosol with a prescription a month ago after reading this thread, and my pharmacist said they couldn’t order it because the original Pulmosal went out of business, but a new company has bought them and we should be able to get it again in a few months…..

Have any of you heard about this???