Having asthma is not an easy thing to deal with all throughout your life. You will only know that you are already having one when you feel symptoms like severe coughing, you feel your chest getting tighter, wheezing, and breathlessness. Because of the symptom of breathlessness, another problem arises, which is the inability to speak and do physical tasks. You don’t know when and where it will occur to you. But when it does, the only thing you can do is to stay calm and take steady breaths.
Luckily, there is a medication that now treats the effects of asthma, the Albuterol. It is a drug that helps lessen or remove the effects of asthma-like wheezing and difficulty to breath. It can also be used by people with chronic lung conditions. Some people even use it to prevent breathlessness when they have an exercise. Having an Albuterol by your side is one way to make your lives easier, but how much does an Albuterol Inhaler cost?
Many years ago, an albuterol could be bought for as little as $5 up to $10. But as time passed by, prices increased because of economic growth. The price also increased because of the changes in the formulas in the albuterol to make it environmentally friendly, but not budget friendly for the regular consumers.
Average Cost of an Albuterol
Albuterol inhaler cost depends on the dosage and the brand of the product.
- A brand named Advair 50/250 would cost you around $300. This is for patients who don’t have any insurance.
- If the patient has insurance, then the cost of an albuterol brand named Advair 50/250 would decrease from $300 to $50.
- If the brand above doesn’t completely treat the effect of your asthma, then they also have Advair 50/500. Use this brand when your asthma can’t be controlled effectively by the other brands or when your asthma condition is severe that it needs more than one medication every single day. For people who have no insurance, Advair 50/500 would cost around $400.
- If you have insurance, then an Advair 50/500 would only cost you around $100.
- Another brand of albuterol is BreoElipta. It has a price of around $300. The price given is for people who do not have any insurance with them.
- If you have a health insurance, then the cost of BroeElipta would go down to $100.
- Of course, you can’t use Albuterol without an inhaler. The price of inhaler for people who do not have insurance would run up to $50.
- The inhaler price would normally go down if you have insurance. From the price of $50, it would go down to $40 for one.
- There is also generic inhaler that has a price range starting from $5.
- Some doctors recommend the use of nebulizer machine when treating patients with asthma, especially children under four years and those patients whose asthma is severe and sometimes have a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People without insurance would spend around $200 up to $300 for a nebulizer machine.
- If the use of nebulizer is very urgent, some hospitals allow patients to rent one. Although, the cost would be different in every hospital.
- If your asthma is not severe and you only need small dosage. There is albuterol that can be bought for $0.40 for every ten doses. Albuterol will cost you around $12.10 for every ten doses.
- Younger patients might need another type of inhaler since they need to be treated calmly and naturally. That is why asthma inhaler spacers are needed. This is an accessory that is specifically intended to help patients take their medications in a way that is natural. Asthma spacers can cost you around $4 up to $25 or more. There is also an Asthma spacer with a mask that typically costs around $50.
Albuterol inhaler cost might be expensive, but it is the best way to treat life threatening asthma and other chronic lung diseases. The cost of preventing might be less expensive than when it is too late to prevent one.
Inhaler price depends on the brand name, and the dosage needed. Some doctors would prescribe you a specific type of inhaler that might be expensive or cheap. The most recognized brands of inhalers are Accuneb, Ventolin HFA, Proventil, and ProAir HFA. HFA inhalers is short for Hydrofluoroalkane. It is the one that has replaced CFC, which is also known as chlorofluorocarbons albuterol inhaler. CFC are banned since Dec. 31, 2008.
- The price of an inhaler with a brand name of Ventolin HFA is around $56 in Walmart. While on a pharmacy, it will cost you around $68 for 90mcg.
- How much does an Albuterol Inhaler cost if you use Proventil HFA as the albuterol? Well, it has a price range around $70 up to $90. These prices are gathered from major stores and pharmacies. It may increase or decrease depending on the location.
In order for the doctor to know how many doses of Albuterol you need, they will require you to take a peak flow meter. A peak flow meter is used to measure the lungs’ speed in pushing out the air. Before you can take your medication, you need to take this test. A peak flow meter usually costs around $20 up to $70 at a pharmacy or local drugstores. Do not take any medication if you didn’t take your peak flow meter, especially if your doctor recommends you to use one.
Ways to save money
Having asthma is not easy. Sometimes, it is even a matter of life and death. That is why people who are suffering from asthma and other chronic lung conditions do things to prevent them from suffering gravely, even if it cuts their budget too deep. Albuterol Inhalers are expensive. But just like the other things you can buy, you can still find many ways on how to save on your budget.
- The best way to save money is to have insurance. People who have signed up for insurance can have a discount of 10% up to 25%.
- You can also buy a generic type. The counterpart of Albuterol that is generic is Salbutamol. It is recognized mostly on the countryside. You could buy four inhalers of Salbutamol 100 mcg for only $102.57. You can also buy Salbutamol solutions for only $0.50 up to $13 for every ten doses.
- There is a lot of organization that helps people with asthma. One of it is the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This foundation helps patients by providing them assistance whenever they are experiencing trouble in paying for their prescribed Albuterol and Nebulizers.
- Some areas have Senior Citizen Benefit for people who are 60 years and above. These benefits include discounts on medical prescription that they need to buy.
Asthma is a chronic illness. It could lead to death if it is not taken care of as soon as possible. This is the reason why every asthmatic person should know the different things about the disease. Every people should also know what the symptoms are, even if they don’t have asthma, as well as know what to do when they see someone having an asthma attack. WebMD has complete information on what asthma is, and what to do before, during, and after an asthma attack.