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Spiriva information and questions

Posted , 14 users are following.

jude65855
jude65855

I realise others may already know the following, but am sending it for those who don't or those who, like me, thought they checked all medication before taking it ... but has just found out she didn't.

The Handi-Halers MUST be replaced about every 12 months:  this info is on the manufacturers' broadsheet sized info sheet, but in small print at the very end and I'd never noticed it, or remembered the rehab people mentioning it either.    I replaced mine about 10 days ago and the difference in my breathing is amazing - last night I danced to rock n roll for longer than I've been able to for years.  Aching a bit today, but it was well worth it!

The second issue is that the manufacturers include a lot of empty capsules in every script:  apparently this has been going on for years, at least in Australia;  complaints have been made but the situation doesn't improve.  I've started saving the empties while I find out what the appropriate Australian authority I should report to:  this company is ripping us off via our script fees and the community as a whole via government subsidies on each script.   I know of no other medication which has this issue.

I'd be very interested to know if the situation is the same in other counttries;  have other people tried to do something about it and what success they had, if any?

5 likes, 43 replies

43 Replies

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  • linda76363
    linda76363 jude65855

    Posted

    Hi Jude,

    Thanks for the info about replacing the handihalers. I'm in the UK and I am on Spiriva and I have noticed some of the capsules are empty. I didn't even realise at first until I saw a message that mentioned empty capsules and it clicked that this is what was going on. Next time I see my COPD nurse I will mention it and find out if other patients have had the same problem.

    Take care, Linda 

    • jude65855
      jude65855 linda76363

      Posted

      It doesn't matter if you're the only one around who's notice (see cath oli"s response above) - still a good idea to hassle the company I reckon, otherwise what incentive do they have to stop ripping us and the government off?
  • emmgee
    emmgee jude65855

    Posted

    In this less affluent part of the UK, what is recommended and what you get when doctors are on ludicrously tight budgets are two different things. My handi-haler is at least 6 years old.

    Not sure how I would know if a capsule was empty or not without opening it before use - afterwards is inconclusive as it should then be empty anyway. Problem I get now and again is capsules shattering when pierced, thereby preventing them from oscillating, a not uncommon complaint according to a rehab nurse. Why can't one try a 2nd one ? I do, and am still alive. Just.

    • jude65855
      jude65855 emmgee

      Posted

      You do realise that a handi haler that old is probably not working at all and you're getting none of the dose you need to keep your lungs functioning?   

      I know capsules are empty when it feels as if I'm trying to inhale through a brick wall and nothing is  happening.   

      The capsules may be shattering because the handihaler isn't functioning as it should - can you scrape up enough $ to buy yourslef a new one over the counter?  That's what I did and it was around A$8 and DEFINITELY worth it:  my breathing has been so much better over the last week I can't believe it.

      Please try and get yourself a new one by hook or by crook: it'll be worth it!

      All the best ....

    • cath_oli
      cath_oli emmgee

      Posted

      its a shame they dont make see throw capsules so you can see if theres any in or not that would be the salution for me

       

    • jude65855
      jude65855 cath_oli

      Posted

      But can't you tell when it's an empty one because you can't actually inhale and there's no bubbling noise to tell you that you're getting the medication?

      I've never seen see through capsules for any medication and I'm fairtly sure they're all those different colours so we can tell our medications apart

    • sandy58386
      sandy58386 cath_oli

      Posted

      I order my Spiriva through a Canadian pharmacy......the capsules are half blue and half transparent. After using this pharmacy for 6 years, I have never had a bad capsule. Unfortunately the moderator won't allow me to give the name of the pharmacy.

  • christine48811
    christine48811 jude65855

    Posted

    In the uk you just need to mention to the doctor that you need a new handihaler and it will be included with the capsules
    • jude65855
      jude65855 christine48811

      Posted

      Yeah I probably could've done that, but it probably still would've cost the $6 or $6.50 prescription fee so I didn't bother:  I will check first next time.

      I thought the person above who'd had the same one for years and years said she couldn't get another one in her area:  isn't the NHS national?

  • christine48811
    christine48811 jude65855

    Posted

    Hi, yes it is national, under 60's pay for prescription unless chronic long term illness. There is no difference in price of prescription whether you just have capsule or a box containing capsules and handihaler
  • Nanny1086
    Nanny1086 jude65855

    Posted

    Hi ,my GP prescribes me a new handie haler every other prescription ,so I'm very lucky ,always has done ,at first I used to say oh the handi is ok for now ,,,,but now He automatically prescribes it every other prescription ,,,in answer to your other question about the capsules ,,yes I have glad the one that has been empty ,,,,I've been on Spireva for about 6 years and I've probably only had about a dozen empty ones ,so ,,,not much for me to complain about I just put another capsule in ,
    • jude65855
      jude65855 Nanny1086

      Posted

      So a new handihaler every two or three months?  And to think I used mine for three years!    That's really one extreme to the other, isn't it?

      I reckon the manufacturers need to get their act together and be consistent between countries - I'll certainly be replacing mine far more often now that I've seen the amazing benefits of a new one

  • sandy58386
    sandy58386 jude65855

    Posted

    Jude........as to the Handi-haler, are you referring to the "rescue inhaler"??
    • jude65855
      jude65855 sandy58386

      Posted

      I think that's a different device:  mine is labelled HandiHaler and it's for use routinely once a day, not as a rescue or emergency device 
  • emmgee
    emmgee jude65855

    Posted

    I think that we are probably all talking at crossed purposes here because the "Handihaler" and the capsules seem to differ between countries. Here in the UK the inhaler is made in Germany and I can't find any mention in the blurb of having a new one every x months. On the contrary, it does give full instructions on how to maintain it once a month. They advocate a wet wash but as the whole object is to keep the wire mesh free of powder, a brush over with an old toothbrush followed by a quick blow through achieves the objective just as well. 

    As said wire mesh is the only obstacle between the oscillating capsule and one's tongue, I can't see any merit at all in seeking a replacent on a regular basis ... so long as it is regularly maintained. Just like anything mechanical.!

    As for the capsules, the ones here are made by Pfizer and are identical in size and shape to swallowed capsules like carbosisteine or Amoxycillin, but swallowing these is not advised (!)  The content of each is quoted as 18 micrograms, so telling if they are empty or not by weight would be impossible for me. 

    What strongly suggests to me that there a differences worldwide is that the instructions here advise a second breath intake to ensure that every scrap of the powder is ingested. I do a third for good luck but at no stage is there any dectable difference betweem the 1st time when the capsule has some contents (allegedly) and third time when it is empty (proven by then pulling the capsule in two). Sorry, no brick walls here !

    What I do advocate is checking the spent capsule for the two tell-tale hole piercings. Being an absent minded 'he', not 'she', and so obviosly unable to multi-task either, I have found that on accasions when interrupted mid medication prearation, I had omitted to pierce the capsule. Enough said.

    • linda76363
      linda76363 emmgee

      Posted

      Hi emmgee,

      I  hadn't seen the 12 month replacement so I got my paper out again (the one that is in the new box of capsules) and, sure enough, it was there. On the back of the sheet it shows how to clean the handihaler and about half way down on the far left it says 'you can use your handihaler for up to one year....'

      You are right though, Spiriva is manufactured in Germany. 

      Take care, Linda x

    • jude65855
      jude65855 emmgee

      Posted

      Thanks for mentioning the maintenance:  the instructions say to run it under warm water, I think monthly, but I do it fortnightly - at least I think I do, I guess I should start putting it on the calender.

      And yes, when I said used once, i meant once a day, two inhalations as deeply as possible and held in the lungs as long as possible.  

      You're right in theory about maintenance preventing the need for replacement, but mine was maintained and the "clicker" (sorry for high falutin tecnical term) is much sharper and stronger on the new one, so that's definitely one part which I reckon wears out. 

      I hate replacing anything which still works - which is why I've only 2 days ago bought a tiny flat screen tv after I ended up with THREE non-working analogues - but I also know that only one day into using the new handihaler my breathing had improved considerably.

      And yeah, I've done that too, tried to inhale without puncuturing the capsule - that definitely doesn'; work!

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