Blue inhalers at the supermarket

Reliever inhalers will be on sale in Supermarkets costing £7 which is just less than the current prescription charge. Sales of Salbutamol inhalers will be carefully monitored by an online G.P. service and the pharmacist.

So far reaction to this news appears to mixed. For those of you already prescribed this medication it will be a little less expensive, perhaps more convenient and more accessible, especially at times such as when you are away from home. The news does have a downside though and as most of our Kindred Spirits point out,

Relying on a nebuliser when you are feeling more breathless than usual and taking extra doses of nebulised relievers will only disguise and delay the need to seek medical advice. British Lung Foundation

We also see a slightly different cause for concern. One that prompted us to recently revisit the basics of nebuliser therapy Many people don’t always grasp just what a nebuliser or an inhaler actually does. The news is calling them Asthma inhalers but many of you have been prescribed salbutamol for lots of other clinical conditions, and as we witness on an almost daily basis, many people believe that an inhaler or nebuliser will help cure a multitude of passing symptoms such as a cough, dry mouth, sneezes, wheezes, and all manner of upper respiratory infections as well as minor annoying tickles.

It will certainly be interesting to see what unfolds. Why not check out our Kindred Spirits and read their opinions on the subject.