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Post by sophie on Jan 31, 2017 15:42:04 GMT -5
Asthma is not generally a life-threatening condition. One of my closest friends in med school died from an asthma attack. Please do not speak of what you do not know! It appears this has struck a sensitive emotional cord, so please let me preface this with my condolences. This is a sensitive topic so I will try to tread lightly, although I hope it isn't a mistake to even continue the conversation. Furthermore, it gets even harder for me to ask the questions I want to of you due to the sensitivity of the topic. If it's too much, I understand. The reason I qualified my statement with it takes several hours to die from asthma was for that very reason. It is deadly. My point was that it's not something that sneaks up on people. I get the impression you only read the first part of my post without reading the rest of it. I don't know the particulars of your friend's death, but the argument revolved around the use of albuterol vs OTC epinephrine for treatment of asthma. I would be willing to wager that your friend knew they had asthma and this was not their first attack. In that case, they should have had a prescription inhaler on their person at all times, especially if they had a history of violent episodes. Here is where things may get too personal, and I don't know how to avoid the question, but I'm curious on what your thoughts on the matter were, then. If you were in charge of their care, would you have recommended an albuterol or epinephrine inhaler? That's really the crux of the argument, although I admit it's not as important to me now as it was before. I am really sorry that your friend died.
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Post by liane on Jan 31, 2017 16:08:08 GMT -5
Yes, my friend knew he had asthma. Whether he had his inhaler with him or not, I do not know. He was visiting friends on Christmas eve and sustained a hyperacute attack after being exposed to an allergen. It's possible that no inhaler would have helped after a very short time. O2, shot of epi, intubation, and an EMS ride to the ER would be what's indicated.
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Post by mango on Jan 31, 2017 18:19:21 GMT -5
This is simply not true. Ever wonder why Albuterol is prescription only? Take a look at the exhausting list of side effects from a previous post. And, somehow inhaled Epinephrine has been an OTC medication and Albuterol has not. Why is any drug prescription only and not OTC? Drugs in general are not safe and people shouldn't be allowed to self medicate. Asthma is not generally a life-threatening condition. And I can already predict you'll try to pick that comment apart, so hopefully I can explain what I mean, although I feel it will be in vain. Asthma attacks, while serious, are not like anaphylaxis where someone can die within minutes if they're not treated. You typically have several hours to seek help before reaching a critical condition. The majority of fatal asthma related incidents are due to uncontrolled chronic asthma, not a random spontaneous event. For this reason, epinephrine is a horrible treatment method. Epinephrine is a very short acting drug and should only be used as a last resort if nothing else is available. In essence, it's better than nothing, but not by much. It can keep someone alive longer to seek help, but it will do little to nothing to treat the disease. If an analogy would help, it's probably similar to a tourniquet. A quick fix to prolong life but further intervention will still be required. Everything wildthing said was 100% true, except for maybe the near impossibility of it getting approved. I personally don't see a reason why the FDA would grant approval. If you don't want to take my word for it, I'd strongly encourage you to ask a knowledgable physician about their thoughts on the matter. I won't continue arguing with you since it hardly ever goes anywhere. I know of what I speak and I don't know why you and others on here get so hostile when people try to help you understand different concepts better. It's not an attack or a bash on the company. I'll leave this with you instead of dancing around and around. Form whatever opinion you want on it. Ask a doc if you wish, but at the very least, consider why a prominent disease like asthma doesn't have more OTC options or why epinephrine- a drug that has been around for well over 100 years doesn't have several companies rushing to make an OTC inhaler for it. If there was a market for it, companies would cater to it. Yeah well considering all the kids, adolescents, and adults I have personally seen have to be put on a ventilator from asthma attacks I would have to say you are 100% wrong. I am not sure why you persist to post stuff like this. Sad.
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