Optichamber or Aerochamber (infant size) versus Aerokat?

I recently invited an abandoned cat into my house and find that he is suffering from asthma.  The vet has given him prednisolone and wants me to use an inhaler, as well.  I have been searching the net for a discount on Aerokat but find nothing significant.  My local Walgreen's has the infant Optichamber for $39 ( 1/2 the price of Aerokat).  Will this work properly?  Phil, what do you think?

Flovent at a local Rx store is out of the question.  The vet will not write for Canadian shops.  I assume that folks have gotten good results from 4Corners.  What is the dosage and usage difference between 220 mcg and 110 mcg of drug?  I notice that people say get the 220 rather than the smaller amount.  Need some advice.  Thanks.

ariellejesse said:

I recently invited an abandoned cat into my house and find that he is suffering from asthma.  The vet has given him prednisolone and wants me to use an inhaler, as well.  I have been searching the net for a discount on Aerokat but find nothing significant.  My local Walgreen's has the infant Optichamber for $39 ( 1/2 the price of Aerokat).  Will this work properly?  Phil, what do you think?

Flovent at a local Rx store is out of the question.  The vet will not write for Canadian shops.  I assume that folks have gotten good results from 4Corners.  What is the dosage and usage difference between 220 mcg and 110 mcg of drug?  I notice that people say get the 220 rather than the smaller amount.  Need some advice.  Thanks.

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i'm assuming aerokat will fit kitty's face better and he'll get the most benefit of his inhaler. i'm asthmatic and have used flovent in the past. (on symbicort now.) the difference is in strength...the 220 mcg delivers more medication in a "puff" than the 110 mcg. usually, steroid inhalers are used twice a day no matter the strength. the more severe the asthma, the higher the dosage. having said that, docs will get an asthmatic on the lowest dose that controls the disease because steroids have side-effects as all meds do. (not as extreme as oral steroids, but i've heard of people getting cataracts because of inhaled steroids.) the aerochamber can be used for inhaled bronchodilators when your kitty is in the middle of an attack, such as ventolin, etc. hope this helps...

jlc20m

Thanks, jlc.  Your info was right on and helpful!

I have asthma and take my steroid inhaler once a day just before I go to bed, but if I have a cold I step up to twice a day, and also double the dose if necessary.  Worth bearing in mind if your cat shows signs of a cold.

OrientalSlave said:

I have asthma and take my steroid inhaler once a day just before I go to bed, but if I have a cold I step up to twice a day, and also double the dose if necessary.  Worth bearing in mind if your cat shows signs of a cold.

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yes, the lowest dose to control the asthma the better. with colds, flu, etc., inhaled steroids are often doubled to keep inflammation in check. i just had a flare recently. on prednisone and doubled symbicort. hope your vet can help in this area. keep us posted??? caring...

jlc20m

Hi - I just ordered the Aerokat myself, as my girl is starting to flare up again (after we reduced a lot of chemicals in the house and she was ok for awhile). The average cost I have found locally is about $185 for one Flovent inhaler. I joined that Yahoo group, who all use 4Corners, so that is something I am considering myself. Since the albuterol inhaler is only for emergencies, I am getting that one locally as it is a much more reasonable price. If you haven't ordered it yet, you can get the aerokat at Vetrxdirect and there is a $10 coupon code (code: homepage) to use on your order with free shipping.

As a sidebar, if your vet feels albuterol inhalant will work for your cat, Target sells the generic version (.083% or .5%) for $4.  Needless to say, that’s a huge savings over Flovent.

Albuterol is a rescue inhaler, used only in case of emergencies as a bronchodilator. Flovent is an inhaled steroid. They are completely different types of medications - that's why they are so different in price. Flovent is much more expensive than albuterol because there is no generic for Flovent. The 4Corners site has Flovent which is called Flixotide - it's manufactured for the European market under that name, but it is Flovent.