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Reputable online pharmacy for asthma meds?

post #1 of 14
9/17/10 at 2:45pm
Thread Starter 
One of my cats was diagnosed with asthma about 2 weeks ago. He had to see a cardiologist for a possible heart problem and the vet didn't want to start him on any asthma treatment until the heart issue was figured out. So today is the first day of his asthma treatment. I feel kind of stupid, but it didn't occur to me how expensive this would be until I bought his medicine. He's on an albuterol inhaler for now. I was just reading the hoarding thread, so please don't think I don't care for my animals! I have 11 cats though, and whenever its possible, I treat them in the most inexpensive way. I know that I'm going to end up spending an insane amount of money on his asthma treatment, and I have no problem doing that. But I just thought that if there was a reputable place where I could get his medicine for a lower price then I will definitely want to take advantage of that! I use a pharmacy overseas for their Revolution treatments, but that pharmacy only does flea and tick prevention medicine. I use entirelypets.com for lysine for my herpes cats, but it doesn't seem like they have asthma medicine. So is there even an online pharmacy where I would be able to get albuterol? Or is this something I'll just have to pay full price for?
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post #2 of 14
9/17/10 at 2:52pm
My Coco who I lost to a blood clot/stroke last friday had severe asthma.
Do you have a aerokat for the inhaler?
I used Thriving Pets for Cocos meds but they do not have inhalers.
I will get you the name of the other place her asthma meds came from.
It does save alot of money ordering the meds online.

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post #3 of 14
9/17/10 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 
I think I have something like the aerokat. Its not called an aerokat, but it looks like what I just found when I googled "aerokat". Its the mask to go on his face with the tube that the inhaler sits in at the end of it. Thats what the vet gave me today, and she gave him his first dose. He seemed freaked out, but he didn't fight it, so hopefully this will be easy to continue to do. But yeah if you could get the name of the other place that would be great! I'm sorry about your Coco
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post #4 of 14
9/17/10 at 5:26pm
Albuterol inhalers are human medications which are prescribed in doses for animals. Probably any on-line human pharmacy will be able to fill your prescription. Just ask your vet to prescribe a generic, so you can get the cheapest price. You can also call your local hospital out-patient pharmacy, and the local chain-pharmacies (Rite-Aid, Walgreen's, CVS, etc.) for prices. Good luck!

I use an albuterol inhaler for my asthma. They are flippin' expensive, even with insurance!

Here's a good link with info about feline asthma, and meds used to treat it.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_asthma.html
I'm sure you've probably researched it yourself, and probably have already seen this link.

Here's another great informational site. On the left of the page are links to some online feline asthma discussion groups.
http://www.fritzthebrave.com/
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post #5 of 14
9/17/10 at 6:58pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the links. I've been doing a lot of reading, but I'm always interested in learning more. Especially since I wasn't exactly expecting to be dealing with an asthmatic cat. And you're right - it IS expensive. I actually got his first inhaler today from Walgreens and it cost $250 there! If I got it straight from the vet (they were out of their supply) it would have been about $220. I haven't called around to other pharmacies yet but I plan to. It was the $250 that made me start to panic a little though, and thats why I'm looking around for cheaper options. If worse comes to worst then I'll just have to pay it, but I'm not going to lie, even though I knew it was going to be expensive, it still shocked me when the pharmacist told me how much it was!

I just found 2 Canadian pharmacies that I'm going to have to sit down and research a little more. If they're legit, then I will definitely be using one of them! Instead of $250, one pharmacy - petdrugs.com has it for $55.44. UniversalPetMeds.com has it for $82. So if anyone knows anything about these pharmacies I'd be interested to hear it. I'm going to take some time tomorrow to look into them more.

Also, this might make a huge difference, but I'm not sure. The vet kept saying albuterol, but I just opened up the bag from pharmacy and its actually Flovent. Is that the same thing? (again - something else I'm about to sit here and research a little). I know I've read that albuterol and flovent are both used for feline asthma, but I didn't know if they were interchangeable. I know for my allergies I can use Nasocort, Nasonex, Flonase or any other steroid nasal spray and get the exact same results so I wonder if its the same for feline asthma?

ETA: This Fritz the Brave site looks really interesting and helpful, so thanks especially for that link!
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post #6 of 14
9/17/10 at 7:30pm
NO flovent is a steroid
http://www.drugs.com/flovent.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salbutamol
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post #7 of 14
9/17/10 at 7:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooklet425 View Post
I know I've read that albuterol and flovent are both used for feline asthma, but I didn't know if they were interchangeable.
They're not. Flovent is fluticasone, and inhaled steroid. Inhaled glucocorticoids are to prevent airway inflammation, thus prevent the asthma attack in the first place.
Albuterol is a bronchodilator and is used to stop bronchospasms that accompany an asthma attack (or coughing in bronchitis). In humans, and iirc in animals, the two are actually used together with the glucocorticoid being dosed daily or twice a day in a maintenance dose and the albuterol if there is an attack - which is why they get called "rescue inhalers".

This is why the Flovent is so expensive. All the inhaled glucocorticoids still have pending patents on them because they're newer. Albuterol is cheaper, usually costing closer to $40 an inhaler without insurance. There's also other bronchodilator inhalers like levalbuterol that have fewer side effects (what I have since I have tachycardia issues).
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post #8 of 14
9/18/10 at 8:12am
Strange_wings said it better than I could have, re: Flovent and albuterol.

One of the good things about Flovent; since it is an inhaled steroid, it is much less likely to cause the systemic steroid problems, like diabetes.

I just started Advair this past spring. It has helped my allergy induced asthma quite a bit. Unfortunately, it isn't something that will work with our kitties, as you have to forcefully inhale through the device to actuate the medicine....something that we certainly won't be able to make a pet do!
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post #9 of 14
9/18/10 at 9:36am
Thread Starter 
I talked to my friend who works as a vet tech at the clinic I go to, and I'm the one who was all confused. I think I'm just so overwhelmed by all the information out there. I asked her why the doctor was talking about albuterol, but gave me flovent, and somehow I completely missed the fact that she was telling me the differences between all of the different medications used to treat asthma and somehow I got albuterol stuck in my head. So I feel kind of stupid at the moment . Thanks for the info though. I've given him 2 doses of flovent already (last night and this morning) and he isn't really fighting me about it, so hopefully it stays that way. I'm just dreading the day when he sees me coming near him with the mask and he starts to realize what's going on. Right now he doesnt associate the mask with anything bad. I've pulled it out twice and he's been curious about it twice, but I have a feeling thats going to change. As you mentioned though, I know this is the best form of treatment as far as hopefully avoiding systematic steroid problems, so I'm hoping it will continue to work out. I know she mentioned a daily pill and a monthly shot, but she doesn't want to use those 2 options unless the inhaled option ends up not working out at all. So we're hopeful that we won't ever have to switch to a harsher version of treatment.

So far the Canadian pharmacies that I've been looking at seem to be legit, so hopefully they work out because there's just such a drastic price difference. I also live pretty close to the Canadian border so it occurred to me that I can probably just take a written prescription to a pharmacy up there and still get it for a lower price.

As a side note, one thing I forgot to ask the vet was how much worse will this get as he gets older? I know that as cats get older they become more prone to health issues. So I'm obviously not assuming that he'll always be a spry and energetic as he is now. I know asthma can be degenerative, so I guess I'm just wondering if there are statistics out there or information that I haven't found yet about how it progresses as he gets older. I have another cat that needs her final round of kitten vaccines in a few days so I'll ask the vet then, but thought that someone here might have info in the mean time.
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post #10 of 14
9/18/10 at 11:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pookie-poo View Post
I just started Advair this past spring. It has helped my allergy induced asthma quite a bit. Unfortunately, it isn't something that will work with our kitties, as you have to forcefully inhale through the device to actuate the medicine....something that we certainly won't be able to make a pet do!
My DH takes Advair and has for a few years. It made a huge difference with his asthma. His has a lot of allergy involvement and he's allergic to a lot of things. I honestly think he'd be house bound in the warmer months without it.


Yes, it can get worse as a cat ages. The key to preventing that is regular check ups, keeping a cat as healthy as possible, watching stress, and of course keeping the asthma in check. In humans untreated or not well controlled asthma will cause airway remodeling - instead of going into a big description of this, I'll just give a link that explains it simply enough.
In short, you don't want that happening so you have to get control of the inflammation.

Your other job is working on what could be triggers. Just about everyone, asthmatic or not, is bothered by dust mites - cats are, too. So clean and do whatever you can to decrease dust and dust mites in the home. Wash both your bedding and any cat bedding regularly.
Watch the cleaners - though just chemicals they cause irritation to the airways which sensitizes things to allergic reactions.
Be on the look out for any food related reactions.

Use an air filter or two in the home. Change filters every ~3 months on any forced air systems. Use a vacuum that has a hepa filter in it so you're not blowing stuff right back out.
Carpet depends - if you think you can keep it clean enough. (personally I hate carpet and want the last bit gone but have to wait till we can afford to tile - I think everyone in the house will benefit from that)

Last, but not least, litter. What do you use and what is it in? Ditch covered boxes if you have them.

(funny thing about the cleaning info. My vet and his son were asking about what I used around the house, they seemed surprised about how spartan the cleaners I use are and that I use absolutely no air fresheners. Not with asthmatics already in the house)
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post #11 of 14
9/18/10 at 11:30am
Brookelet, I wanted to add that I too have a cat with asthma. He's been on Flovent for almost two years now. When I began, I wasn't sure I would ever get him to accept the inhaler, but he adapted pretty quickly. It doesn't hurt that I give him and his brothers their evening treat shortly after administering the medication.

I've come to believe that the trigger for my guy is dust, so I do try to keep the house clean, as strangewings suggests. He does much better in the summer, probably because we have forced-air heat that adds dust to the environment during the winter. I'm fortunate in that his asthma seems relatively mild. He never coughed on a daily basis, but as my vet explained, even a couple of times a week is too much for cats.

Anyway, I hope you feel free to post again or even send a PM if you have additional questions!
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post #12 of 14
9/18/10 at 11:41am
^That reminds me, I forgot to mention that cool mist humidifiers are a good idea - especially in winter.
I had to use one last winter because of my coughing, my lips getting too chapped, and poor Blann's nose getting chapped. Too bad he's spook of the darn thing. Ironically my respiratory issues are much better in summer too, with only the occasional coughing fit.
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post #13 of 14
9/20/10 at 1:28pm
Thread Starter 
I guess the good news about all of this is that making changes around the house will benefit the cat AND me. I have chronic sinusitis triggered by chronic rhinitis. I've had 3 sinus surgeries in the past 7 years, so basically my sinuses are pretty much useless and my sense of smell is almost non-existent, so I really need to stay away from certain triggers too, and I don't keep the house nearly as allergy free as I should. It seems like the same things that will trigger his asthma are the same things that will trigger another sinus flare up for me.

I already have a cool mist humidifier running daily, and I try to keep up with the dust and cat dander by vacuuming daily or every other day. The litter might be a problem because I'm not sure which to switch to. Right now we use Special Kitty clumping litter. We've chosen to use it because its a fairly cheap litter, it clumps really well so the boxes are easy to scoop and it keeps the smell at bay. However, its definitely really dusty and I have a hard time scooping the boxes because of that. However, with 11 cats we go through a LOT of litter, so if I switch litters it would have to be something that is still affordable for us. For now though, we have the litter boxes in a spare bathroom and a hallway - some are covered, some aren't. Some of the cats refuse to go in uncovered ones and some refuse to go in covered ones. The cat with asthma though, prefers the uncovered boxes so I guess thats good.

I've been cleaning out my garage though, and luckily when we moved in here, the people before us had put a cat door in the door leading to the garage. Right now the garage is one giant storage space, but I'm hoping to clear it out enough so that I can move the litter boxes out there. That would at least keep the litter dust inside the house a little better. If anyone has any suggestions of affordable litter to switch to I'd definitely be open to ideas!

Strange wings - what kind of cleaners do you use? I'm paranoid about all natural cleaners because i feel like they don't clean well enough, but at the same time, any other cleaners bother my own breathing problems so it would be great to switch to something healthier that still cleans really well.
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post #14 of 14
9/20/10 at 1:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooklet425 View Post
Strange wings - what kind of cleaners do you use? I'm paranoid about all natural cleaners because i feel like they don't clean well enough, but at the same time, any other cleaners bother my own breathing problems so it would be great to switch to something healthier that still cleans really well.
I keep it simple. Dawn dish soap for most things. When I need to sanitize something I will use a bleach, vinegar, and water solution, and rinse it. In the bathroom I do use a bleach toilet cleaner gel in the toilet - double flush. And for the kitchen and bathroom sinks (white enamel that stains easily) I'll use Ajax or Comet. They have bleach, too, but not much and it doesn't have a strong smell. For my wood floors I'll use murphy's oil soap and thoroughly rinse them. Cats aren't allowed in the room when I'm cleaning bathrooms or the wood floors.

I don't allow shoes on in the house so I can avoid scrubbing the wood floors too often (kills my back). Daily to every other day I'll sweep and dust them with a slightly damp dust mop.

But still, mostly Dawn. You can use white vinegar for light sanitizing, as long as you know and remember it won't kill the really bad stuff.

For the most part your green cleaners are just variations of common things people have cleaned with for a long time - like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice.

ETA: Just so people know. I'm heavy on the bleach use in certain areas because I am a C. diff carrier. With no gallbladder and bile issues it makes it easier to spread those spores if I'm not careful (sorry if that TMI for people ). So I use bleach on any area that they would be readily spread too - bathroom, and on the counters before I prepare food on them.
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