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TechnoratiLeo has another concern: Only one of the new inhalers counts doses used. He's monitoring emergency-room statistics to see if cost-conscious patients trying to squeeze out last drops wind up using empty inhalers.
What do patients need to know as they switch?
_Expect a softer puff instead of the CFC version's cold blast of air in the back of the throat.
"They are getting their medicine," says Dr. David Rosenstreich of New York's Montefiore Medical Center. "They have to get used to it and be aware that it's working."
_The new inhalers clog more often because HFA makes the drug stickier. Clean the hole weekly, following the instructions unique to each brand.
_Never get the whole device wet.
The FDA says there's plenty of supply; it gave manufacturers several years to ramp up before the ban.
But don't wait until the last minute. When Eric Stoermer of Ann Arbor, Mich., made the switch in August, he waited a week for a new inhaler for his 11-year-old son Ethan. Their drugstore was temporarily out of stock.
"I ended up having to hunt around on an emergency basis," Stoermer says. "This is a bad thing to run out of."
