Cost of Inhalers

[Tammy2009]

What are some cheaper options for inhaled cortosterioids?

I technically do not have asthma, but reactive airways instead.  However this could just be due to the lack of consistency in my test results to point at asthma.  I am trying advair 250/50 right now, and it has improved my symptoms 90% within an hour of the first dose (minus one very stressful day that sucked and I couldn't breathe).  

However, I have always been very healthy and thus took coverage off of prescription drugs 2 years ago because I've had maybe 10 mild antibotic prescriptions in my 20 year life.  The problem now is the advair is a $120 per inhaler and it will only last 2 weeks.  I am in unviersity and thus only work one day a week and I can't afford this.  I also can't change my plan back to include prescriptions until june so I was wondering if there was a cheaper alternative I could use until june.  

I don't know if it helps but I do have allergies to cats and dust mites, and my symptoms are mainly at night (wake up coughing 3-4 times per night) and in the morning/afternoon until roughly 3pm (I believe it is due to the chalkdust in the classrooms).  However there are days that my chest is tight and I'm really anxious and lightheaded all day long.  Also I had normal spirometry (no symptoms during test) and DLCO but had air trapping occuring to the lung volume booth thing.  

[kberaun41]

Use of the term reactive airway disease in part reflects the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis of asthma in certain situations — such as during early childhood. Although it's possible for infants and toddlers to have asthma, tests to diagnose asthma generally aren't accurate before age 6.

Pft's are accurate after that.. and usually rads is asthma.. You can buy Flovent inhalers in generic form which is part of the advair which is all you need. much cheaper.. also  just get refills dont buy the cannister each time.
Advair takes about 2 weeks to work.. the anti-inflammatory action that is.. and also flovent.. it is not an as needed  drug and should be continued . I have heard of docs ordering it for a few weeks and then telling their pts. to stop.. no such do..
I  am an asthma specialist so ask away. also lungs

[brown_i_girl1971]

i also take advair but 500/50 the strongest one..there is a program from the manufactor it is called bridges to access. you need a patient advocate( someone from your drs. office) to apply for you but it covers all but i think 10.00 dollars. advair works very well. my mother who has emphysema took my suggestion and talked to her dr. and now has one and she also loves how it works.

[caregiver222]

Wal-mart has the most inexpensive asthmatic medications.

There are many counterfit products sold on the Internet and I would only buy from a reputable supplier.

[Tammy2009]

I do take Aerius pretty much daily, it doesn't work as well anymore, that is another one I have to find that works better.

The advair is a twice daily inhaler so I'm suppose to take it even without symptoms, I wasn't given a rescue inhaler since it technically isn't asthma.  

[XxScarredxX]

Do you take allergy tablets? I tend to find that they ease my asthma so they might help you as well, even though i dont find that they eliminate the problem. I tend to find that the inhalers last for longer if I'm taking the tablets. This could save you some money.