Asthma drugs going generic-yay!

(AP Phot0/Matt Rourke)

I just read an article about prescription drugs that will be going generic within the next 14 months. Included in the article was a mention of asthma drugs. Wahoo! I'm a little excited for what this means for patients, it will mean a loss of money for the pharmacy companies, but it's good news for us. My husband and I and all 3 kids have allergies. And all 3 kids and I have asthma. So, we are at the pharmacy A LOT!

In fact, it's a little embarassing that all I do is walk up towards the counter, and they simply reach behind them for the prescription for Hubby/Me/Son #1/Son #2/Kitty.

Asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol lowering medication, depression, bi-polar disorder and medication for HIV are all going generic. (I wish I knew WHICH asthma medications were going generic......) Click here to read the story.

It's a little sad to see people are going without medication because they can't afford it. In the article, the doctors said they can always tell patients with high blood pressure or high cholesterol that are not taking their medication. They can't hide that during a check-up when their blood pressure is sky-high or a blood test shows they still have high cholesterol.

We found a resource that helps with medications, it's called Needy Meds. Click here for their website. They have different foundations and programs that can help with co-pays on medication.

Son #2 receives Xolair injections once a month, and our co-pay is $150. (That's in addition to all the other asthma and allergy medications we pay for)

Needy Meds is updated regularly and is a free service. Each program there is a little different, but we are able to get help with our monthly $150 co-pay.

Check it out, it can help until the prescription medications start to go generic in the next 14 months! And even then, they can still help with co-pays.

Heat as an asthma trigger

(Google images/wral.com)

I know we are in the middle of a heat wave across most of the county, and I have been struggling, along with a lot of people.

Luckily, we installed central air in our home several years ago. But, I can't hide out there forever! I do have to go to work, and we enjoy taking walks in the evening with the kids. (The mosquitos especially love it when I go walking in the evenings, the nasty little blood suckers! They bit me 10 times in one night, my legs look like I have chicken pox!)

But I have really been struggling to breathe as we walk in the evenings, and I wondered how much of that was due to asthma. I don't think I'm THAT out of shape!

I found a story online from News25abc out of Evansville, IN about the heat and asthma. Click here to see the story. I knew there was some connection between heat and asthma! I hate this asthma body sometimes, I get so tired of it overreacting to every little thing. If it's not the heat causing problems, it's my beautiful flower bed I love to putter around in, the neighbor's dog or cat, someone mowing the lawn - and on and on.

At least I'm still alive and breathing, I shouldn't complain. But how do you avoid heat as a trigger? Stay inside at home or work? I'm not going to spend the rest of my summer locked inside. I carry a water bottle filled with ice (yes, cold temperatures also triggers asthma attacks for me) but it seems to help balance the heat.

If it's not one thing, it's another-or ten other. These crazy asthma bodies of ours! Anybody have any ideas of what helps when the heat or humidity trigger an asthma attack?