Azmacort Substitute (Page 15) (Top voted first)

Azmacort has been taken off the market because of environmental concerns (they say). There really is NO substitute. All other steroids do not work. My wife could die because of it. No one seems to care. Do you?

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REPORT

Dad was in the 2238th Quartermaster Company Truck (Avn) XV Air Force, special order # 5, 37th service center, 2nd Lt. John L. Carey. They close to Foggia ,Italy when they first set up.Jan 15,1944. They hauled a bunch of bombs around. I have the historians diary of day to day activities. pretty interesting. It has been declassified.

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I would be interested in reading about this also. I would like to know the jerks name that started this whole thing. I would like to know what proof they have and why they picked on our medications first instead of the 1000's of other things they could have chosen. WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?

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Read on the Web; put that in your pipe and smoke it! Not if you have asthma or COPD, etc.
Re: Abbott rep selling Azmacort
Azmacort is a tough sell, it's a good drug, but the oldest in the market. The spacer angle doesn't really help like you are taught it should. Advair owns the market and another combo product will be released shortly that is supposed to kill Advair, so it will be tough. Managed care is so-so, this is a tough drug to move. It went unpromoted for 2 years before we picked it up, sales were in a nose dive, they are still not what they were supposed to be. Good luck.

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Hi Jack and everyone - glad this board is still up - I have been doing pretty good for the past year on Pulmicort - but I am on Medicare and because it is no-formulary (whatever that means) it costs me $90 a month. that is my co-pay on Medicare D drug plan. I can't afford it till 6/15 and I just ran out of it. Pollen and air quality is so bad, I feel trouble breathing is coming on. So I think I will figure something out to juggle checkbook to come up with the $90 is that alot of money ? I am so mad right now - !! I hope you are doing good Jack ! thanks for listening.
Linda Hanley

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Linda:

I am happy to hear you have done a little better over the last year than many who have posted herein.

However, that may not last. Medical help is going to get quite a bit different than what we are now used to having. I personally believe Medicare will be doled out according to age and the cultural viability of the person in less than four dyers if things continue as they are.

But that is future and your problem is now.

Have you tried asking the Pulmicort people for help? Or, AstraZeneca . I know Advair offers help but I believe you must use their product. And they may, indeed, have one that could help you instead of what you are using now. Ask your Pulmonologist while you still can.

Or, ask your doctor if there is an organization that can help those who have problems making ends meet?

Non-formulary drugs are those Drugs not on a plan-approved drug list. You may go here to find a substitute, if one exists: Just copy and paste in the URL block.

http:/­/­www.google.com/­search?q=no-formulary+medicare&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&pq=no-formulary%20medicare&xhr=t&q=non-formulary+medicare&cp=3&pf=p&sclient=psy&client=firefox-a&hs=ENS&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=non-formulary+medicare&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=a91b69f6bd0a7737&biw=1070&bih=839

Or, go here if you do not have PDF capability on your computer:

http:/­/­www.bcbsnc.com/­content/­providers/­blue-medicare-providers/­resources-and-forms/­RAI-priorauth-and-nonformulary-requests.htm

If you are a careful observer, you can see where all this could be going. You and I are retired, thus we contribute nothing to society regardless of what we have done in the past.

I never bothered to take Medicare Part D. My reasons are personal and have a lot to do with insurance plans. THEY tell YOUR DOCTOR what you need and what they accept. We must scramble for what can help us.

All of this may sound like sour apples, but it isn't. We all have been on entitlements for a long time. I guess we have to be more shrewd on how we handle ourselves when they pull the rug out from under us.

Jack

PS - I don't know if you knew my wife did die.

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I used Azmacort for years, and luckily I found a substitute. I do have some that is still good if anyone can use it.

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Dorothy, is this substitute which you are talking about a natural product, an over the counter medication, or a prescription drug? I don't think this discussion thread allows people to come on and try to sell or distribute products. Can you please write back with the name of the product which you have used as a substitute?

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I first tried Flovent and was allergic to it - kept forcing myself to take it - thinking there were few choices - got very ill - my dr. switched me to Asmanex and Symbicort and I am doing very well. I was panicky when Azmacort was no longer available, so if someone else had not found a substitute and needed some - thought it may be helpful, rather than throwing it away.

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I finally have found a compounding pharmacy that will make nebulizer drug using the same stuff that Azmacort used. I'm going to pick it up today I have to drive 35 miles to get it. It will cost me $250.00 a month. That is about $50.00 more than what I was paying for the Azmacort. But I was on high doses and I probably use way more than most people. I used 3 puffs 4 times a day. Most people just use it twice a day or once a day, and that would be a lot cheaper . I used about 1 1/2 containers a month. I think I will have to go pick it up once a week because it doesn't have preservatives in it. I'm allergic preservatives. Please pray that this works for me, I feel like it is my last chance. I'm once again on large doses of steroids, because I can't breathe. I will let everyone know on the site if it is working for me.
Blessings to all,
Margie

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Thank you for all your info. So sorry your wife passed away - I felt like I went thru it with you, since I was on the board at that time. I hope you are doing better & healing. Thanks for all the info. Asmanex is a cheaper substitute for Pulmicort - I just don't want to try something different now that I am used to the Pulmicort and was doing well on it. I just don't understand how it can cost so much - not sure what the cost is but my co-pay is $90 so it must cost alot. Thanks again for all your help !
God Bless
Linda

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hi,
Asmanex made every bone in my body hurt. And I still had problems like it really wasn't working. Pulmacort made me really really sick, so glad you can use it .

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I've read every post in this thread. First off, Jack, I cried when I read you wife passed away. You have become more than just another poster thru letting us be a part of your saga. I need say little knowing where your faith is. My Father was an IBC Preacher all his life - I grew up in the parsonage. Regarding the purpose of this forum, unfortunately I've contracted Adult Onset Asthma. Over the past 15 years it has come and gone without predictability. Azmacort provided me the best relief when needed. I tried several other inhales but none worked as well (noticably better) as Azmacort. I don't think I've learned here what has been a good substitute for it. Can anyone advise if Triamcinolone (Azmacort) is available in any form (poweder?)? Is Advair or Nasacort a viable substitute? I'd rather be armed with information from people on this forum before talking with my Doctor. I've learned that if I do my homework I can usually persuade his decisions, especially if there are several options.
Rich in Seattle

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BTW, Dorothy. If no one has yet asked for your old Azmacort, I would be happy to pay you for it. You can reach me at RichardMoratAOLdotcom
Thanks,
Rich

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Rich:

Thank you for your words of comfort. I cried too when my wife died. it has been just a little over a year now.

Just today a friend of mine called and asked me to go with him to the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. His wife died less than a month ago and he wanted me to go along so that he could place a yellow rose, his wife's favorite flower, there. I dropped everything and went with him - - - how could I not?- - - and I read Psalm 15 over her grave. Then we went to where my wife is interred and I read Psalm 1 for her. Since it was especially for her and the only one hearing me was an understanding friend, I did something I NEVER would do otherwise - I feminized the pronouns in the Psalm. And, yes, I do understand "man" as used the Bible includes women. It is often used in the gender neutral form. As you know, the only people who are offended by such things are non-Christians.

So, the beat goes on.

Just to let you know, those orange numbers in the heading is the number of entries made herein. I tell you this because if you read all the entries in this thread, you would have done a lot of reading.

I don't remember when it was posted, but perhaps this will give you some information of the various forms of Triamcinolone Acetonide in a condensed place. I have uses it as a skin salve for years but apparently there does not seem to be a way to make it work for asthma cases even as a nebulizer.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­Drugs/­Triamcinolone/­

Jack

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Hi All,
I have been using the Azmacort nebulizer medicine I had made at the compound pharmacy. I haven't had any problems with it yet. But I won't give a sigh of relief until I have used it for about a month or two. That is about how long it takes to really mess me up. Maybe all the prayers are working Thank you Lord! I really feel good about this but afraid to get to excited, yet. I've done so much crying since I have lots my friend AZMACORT that I can't tell you. I know it seems silly but I was just devastated and scared. I'm still taking steroids but if this works maybe I can get off of them.I am breathing better but don't know if it is from the new neb or from the steroid burst.But I should know in a couple of weeks. I have a Azmacort that I paid $150.00 brand new never used but it has been expired for 9 months and they told me not to use it. Blessings,
Margie

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Margie;
Why don't you try the Azmacort inhaler you have. Since my asthma has recurred, I used those I had with a date of 3/17/99 (that's TWELVE years old!) and they worked great. The "safe" answer for all pharmaceutical and medical workers is to tell you to not use something that's out of date. It does NOT necessarily mean a medicine has gone bad. In most cases it MAY mean the potency of the medicine is reduced. However, I can confirm that even 12 year old Azmacort still worked extremely well. Regarding what you had mixed up, would you provide more details of how you accomplished that?
Thanks,
Rich in Seattle

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Hi,
I called around and told them I couldn't take any of the inhalers on the market. That I had just tried to use the Budesinide (sp) nebulizer medication and it is the same thing as the Pulmacort and Pulmacort made me very sick. But I thought the reason I couldn't use the the other medications was because of the preservatives since I'm allergic to them. But, the Budesinide nebulizer medication doesn't have a preservative in it so it has to be something else I'm thinking the steroid itself. So my thinking is if they can made a nebulizer from the steroid that they use for Pulmacort why couldn't they make one for AZMACORT so I called around for a compounding Pharmacy ,that is a Pharmacy that makes up medication just for you they aren't regulated by the FDA, not that that makes a big difference to me seems like the FDA didn't do such a good job with our AZMACORT since they made them stop making it. I don't have a lot of faith in the FDA anyway. So at first they said no they couldn't do it and then they said yes they could. So I have it now YAHOO! I'm sooooo excited can you tell. This was my last hope and the Lord made it avaliable .Thank You. I'm just praying that it will work for me. I hope that the rest of you can find what will work for you. Look up Compounding Pharmacy on the internet and they will tell you who makes it near you.I called a few pharmacies close by and some of them did compounding but they need a special hood or something to make it . But they are out there. I hop-e this helps.
Margie

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Azmacort used triamcinolone. Most on the market now use budesonide. Azmacort was the only one that worked for me. I bit the bullet and tried all forms except Qvar which I think is budesolinide. It seems, to me, the HFC propellants do not deliver enough of the medication. Since I was already using a nebulizer for my Albuterol and Atrovent, I decided to try budesonide for the nebulizer. Medicare covers it under Part B!!
I still is not as good as Azmacort but it seems to work.
It would be nice if triamcinolone was available in a nebulizer suspention.

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I should have read the previous post by Marge. I will look for a compounding pharmacy near me.

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So far the AZMACORT nebulizer is working. I'm a little worried that it will not work after I use it for a while only because all the other medications I have tried takes a while before it starts to really cause problems. But I hope since it is what I used before and it worked in the inhaler I will be able to use it in the nebulizer medication. So far it is good . I can at least stand up with out leaning on the counter out of breath. I'm really praying this works and I'm believing it will. I was able to cook my husband a full meal, vacuum one room and mop at my floors. So for me that is a lot and I'm sooooo happy I can do it.
Blessings,
Margie

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