GP won't prescribe dry powder beclamethasone inhaler anymore.

[albertswearengen]

My husband uses the dry powder beclamethasone inhaler and has done for about 6 or so years. He thinks it's brilliant as he hated the aerosol inhaler and had to take his ventolin before it as it made him wheezy. The aerosol one clogged up and so had to be renewed well before it was empty and he generally found the powder one much more effective.

Great until today and I went to pick up his prescription. GP has moved him back onto the aerosol inhaler - no reason why. Pharmacist checked with the surgery and that's correct. If he wants to change back he's going to have to make an appointment and discuss it. The pharmacist said it was either a costcutting measure or a problem with the powder inhalers. Does anyone know about this - have there been problems with dry powder inhalers?

We are in Scotland with free prescriptions so I'm wondering if the aerosol one is much cheaper and pinching every penny? The cost of a consultation with the GP and the nurse will probably outweigh his lifetime supply of inhalers.

The cost difference between MDIs and DPIs isn't huge but a bog standard beclometasone MDI such as Clenil is cheaper; I have heard on the grapevine of supply problems with the DPIs and that the Clickhaler is going to be phased out. (not sure how true that is)

The Diskhaler is very expensive dose-for-dose so we are discouraged from prescribing them.

I'm in England so not sure how Scotland compares.

That's very useful- thanks for that. I think he has a clickhaler and I may have jumped to the wrong conclusion. He will be disappointed as he loves it (as much as you can love an asthma inhaler). Hopefully his GP can come up with something else.

If he loves a DPI he might like an Accuhaler - you can't get beclometasone as an Accuhaler but can get an equivalent inhaled corticosteroid, fluticasone. They're bulky but easy to use.

Or a Turbohaler - they're a DPI that contain budesonide (an equivalent ICS) - they're a twist, click and inhale device so he may find that easy too.

Is there an asthma nurse at his surgery? I'm one and with all respect to GPs we know far more about devices than they do

Sidge- thanks for that. He has had the new inhaler on holiday for a week and he has made an appointment to see the asthma nurse so he can try something else. Personally I think he is making a bit of a fuss as he takes so little of the blasted thing but he might as well make his annual visit to the surgery. I will pass on those recommendations.