Albuterol vs xopenex

[AuntieM]

If you have experience with both these medications, could you please share which you prefer and why?

 

Thanks!

[MariannNOVA]

Hey, there, Lady -- where have you been?

 

We have used both for DS 10 -- we started with albuterol when he was really young (could he have been less than a year old)? I think that when he was 4 or so, we started with Xoponex. We have always been really pleased with the xoponex......the albuterol seemed to make him really jumpy, put a bad taste in his mouth, and perhaps didn't seem as effective -- to be honest, it's been so long, I only remember that once we started with the xoponex, we stuck with that.

 

I have used albuterol -- I hated the way it made me feel like I wanted to jump out of my skin and the taste I had in my mouth. I have used xoponex, and I have not had those side effects.

 

DS10 actually had to use xoponex today for the first time in about 6 months -- typically, he only uses it 2-3 times a year -- with our temperature swings and the tons of outside time, his airways are likely inflamed so today we used the xoponex twice -- he is fine now.

 

Ask me anything else you might want to know.

[Lisa R.]

Albuterol is very cheap. It's been around awhile. It can make one feel jittery. When the asthma was severe and young ds was using several treatments a day, it made him very jumpy and really shortened his attention span.

 

Xopenex is fairly expensive. I don't know how long it's been available. It didn't appear to have any of the side-effects that Albuterol had.

 

Both worked equally well in helping breathing issues.

 

I highly recommend calling a pharmacist and asking this question. I call the CVS near my house and ask these types of questions. They're always so helpful over the phone.

[tmulcahy]

Xopenex makes you less jittery after the treatment. Albuterol is less expensive but causes profound jitters in most people. Albuterol can make the heart rate increase as well. I have seen both used both in my home and in the ER where I worked for years. Patients and my children tolerated Xopenex better.

[iamrachelle]

They are both bronchodilators. However some patients are a little more sensitive to "beta-2 agonist" medications and experience an elevated heart rate as a side effect. For lack of a better explanation xopenex is a more pure form of albuterol and doesn't seem to have the same cardiac side effects that albuterol does. If cardiac symptoms are not an issue with albuterol I would probably choose that simply because it is (much) cheaper. If cardiac symptoms are an issue then xopenex is an excellent choice.

[Jenn in Mo]

My daughter takes xopenex now, but took albuterol for years before this. The albuterol scared me sometimes, it made her heart beat like it was going to pound out of her chest. She would stay awake after a breathing treatment and literally bounce off the walls. We spent many a night watching VeggieTales at 3 a.m. to try to keep her contained.

 

Now, this is with insurance, but albuterol runs me $10 while xopenex runs me $50. I am quite happy to pay this difference though. Now, after a breathing treatment, my daughter goes happily to sleep with a normal heart rate.

[Joker]

My dd had a horrible reaction to Xoponex after using Albuterol for many years. Her allergist and ped agree she is allergic although many pharmacists seem to think I'm crazy. I've been told that Xoponex is better if there are no adverse side effects but Albuterol, which is cheaper, seems to continue to work well with my dd.

[AuntieM]

Thank you all for confirming my thoughts and experiences. We used albuterol with ds1 and have opted for xopenex for dd6. It's what th doc used in the office and I like the way it does not elevate her heart rate and make her jittery. I think this is important especially if she needs an oral steroid on top, which has had the effect of making my kids jittery in the past. The xopenex is not covered by our insurance though. Also, dd has seemed a tad more emotional since using it. A little weepy, not overly so but just more than her norm. Any experience with that?

 

I appreciate your detailed replies, the x is much more expensive and I am trying to decide if it's THAT much better. We are working on trying to get it covered by insurance but that may not happen. The difference in

price is significant. Since the xopenex seems to be fairly new, I was really wondering if there were undesirable side effects emerging.

 

Hi Mariann! I have been swamped, lots more hands-on school work this spring, not to mention my sick chick. Hope to study your new blog soon, when I get more time to sit down uninterrupted. Hope your mom is feeling better, and how absolutely delightful to hear Stacy & Mario's news!

[AnitaMcC]

If you have experience with both these medications, could you please share which you prefer and why?

 

Thanks!

 

 

For me and the four kids... we take Xopenex.

 

For me... I absolutely can not take albuterol for my asthma. Literally if I do have to take it, I have to be hospitalized while on it. I have an extreme hypersensitivity to it (and many other stimulant type meds). Severe increase in heart rate, cause my heart to skip and cause some other bad issues with my heart. Last time I had albuterol, I was hospitalized for asthma complications, my heart rate went from 45 to 180. My chest heart so bad, and I was having other heart symptoms that mimicked a heart attack. Thankfully the cardiologist on call figured it out quickly and was able to give me something to counter the albuterol and put in my file that I was life threatening sensitive to albuterol.

 

I also can not take decongestants, codeine (and similar pain meds), valium, paxil, and no alcohol for me ever :nopity:. Which is horrible... there are days that I think I really need something to help me recover on the bad days LOL.

 

Before xopenex came out, every time I had to nebulize my kids with albuterol, I couldn't hold them.

 

My youngest two kids have never had albuterol. Twins had it and hated the side effects... especially Ds. I think he is sensitive to albuterol just like me.

Edited February 19, 2011 by AnitaMcC

[Holly IN]

Preferred Albuterol over Xopenex. Xopenex made all of us very ill and jittery. Worse than albuterol.

 

Albuterol is what we take here.

Holly

 

ps just read the rest of the postings. Very interesting. Perhaps its different for each families. All of us are asthmatics so we all take albutero. Yes it did elevate our hearts and make us jittery however xopenex made us very very sick and jittery worser than albertuol did. Very interesting!!!

Edited February 19, 2011 by Holly IN

[swimmermom3]

Xopanex here before swimming and during colds. It's very effective and far fewer side effects. However, a genuine asthma attack requires the albuterol.

[TX Bluebonnet]

Albuterol makes both my ds and me very jittery. We both prefer Xoponex.

[Joker]

Preferred Albuterol over Xopenex. Xopenex made all of us very ill and jittery. Worse than albuterol.

 

Albuterol is what we take here.

Holly

 

ps just read the rest of the postings. Very interesting. Perhaps its different for each families. All of us are asthmatics so we all take albutero. Yes it did elevate our hearts and make us jittery however xopenex made us very very sick and jittery worser than albertuol did. Very interesting!!!

 

I find it interesting as well. Xoponex physically hurt my dd. She flung herself on the floor and beat her arms and legs because her bones/joints(?) hurt so bad. The allergist couldn't believe it when he saw her. She's been treated with albuterol and steroids since she was 4 months old and never had a problem but the xoponex had serious side effects.

[FO4UR]

We started with xopenax when we had good health ins. We switched to Albuteral when we started paying out of pocket. I haven't noticed any differences in ds8. He doesn't complain or seem different after treatments.

 

When he was younger though, taking Xopenax, he would get very hyper after treatments...working himself back up if we didn't make him just sit. That mellowed out as he grew older, so I'm not sure if it was the meds or a mental thing. (Now that he could BREATH, he was off and running.)

[Haiku]

Xopenex, definitely. Albuterol made my son extremely tachycardic.

 

Tara

[emubird]

I'm glad you're all posting your experiences with Albuterol. I don't feel like such an idiot. Both our doctor and pharmacist assured me that Albuterol did not make people jumpy and did not keep them up at night, because (so they said) Albuterol only stimulates the heart and lungs. It doesn't not stimulate the mechanism that makes you go to sleep. Therefore, it can't keep you up at night.

 

So why was my daughter up til 5 every morning and utterly exhausted?

 

As both pharmacist and doctor pretty much told me the same thing with the exact same words, I wonder where they were getting this line from. A pharmaceutical representative?

[Haiku]

Albuterol did not make people jumpy and did not keep them up at night

 

I smell something stinky!

 

I think it's BS!!

 

Tara

[Desert Rat]

We started with xopenax when we had good health ins. We switched to Albuteral when we started paying out of pocket. I haven't noticed any differences in ds8. He doesn't complain or seem different after treatments.

 

When he was younger though, taking Xopenax, he would get very hyper after treatments...working himself back up if we didn't make him just sit. That mellowed out as he grew older, so I'm not sure if it was the meds or a mental thing. (Now that he could BREATH, he was off and running.)

 

This is was us exactly. We just had to switch back to albuterol and I was terrified because I remember how bad it was when my ds8 was 2. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought.

 

The way it was explained to me is that xopenex is "clean" albuterol. They took out the jittery stuff. I'm relieved that he didn't jump out of his skin though.

[dtsmamtj]

I prefer Xopenex over Albuterol - I was hospitalized for asthma issues - they tried Xopenex and I was able to leave the ICU within a day or so. I think it depends on the person - I had been on Albuterol for several years and only used Albuterol as needed (seasonally - spring and early fall). I don't get the jitters at all, if any, with Xopenex.

 

T

[Dana]

My son used albuterol through a nebulizer at about 2 yrs old. He was mean on it. After letting his doctor know, they switched him to Xopanex. He doesn't have any problems on it.

 

My husband used to take albuterol pretty regularly (until we got his asthma under control). He didn't have a reaction to it, but there was definitely a change in personality with our son on albuterol.

[Mom in High Heels]

My docs recently switched me to Xopenex because they said it's safer to take during pregnancy. It works really well with no side effects. I dislike Albuterol anyway because like others have said, it makes me jumpy and my heart rate goes crazy. More than that though, it makes me feel paranoid for at least an hour after I take it. ACK! My dad said the same thing! I thought I was just crazy, but we were talking one day and he had to take his Albuterol and asked (out of the blue) if I felt paranoid when I took it. WHAT? Yes, absolutely. Isn't that weird?

If I take Albuterol through my nebulizer though, I don't have problems I do with the inhaler.

I didn't realize the price difference in the two though. The military provides my medicine and we don't pay for it. A lot of people gripe about TriCare (the military insurance), but I am extremely grateful for it!

[kalanamak]

Albuterol is less expensive but causes profound jitters in most people.

 

This seems a little strongly worded. "Profound jitters" do not occur in greater than 50% of people. Keep in mind that people who are zipping into the ER with a significant breathing problem are in a high adrenergic state to begin with ("high adrenaline"). A very notable percentage of people have mild jitters with both, with the heart rate being more elevated with albuterol. Levalbuterol is at least 5 times the cost, a significant portion of that paying for the heavy-duty advertising the company put into it. :001_smile:

[nmoira]

I don't have personal experience with either, but a friend had a stoke during a sporting event while on albuterol. He no longer competes because he was out of commission for too long, and is no longer permitted by his doctors to take albuterol. He was lucky though, and he has no other lasting repercussions than a small blind spot in one eye.

Edited February 19, 2011 by nmoira

[TheTwinsMom1]

I take Albuterol with no side effects. Sometimes If i am really sick it will cause some mild jitters, but I have never had any other issues with it. Xoponex was the same for me except it was five times the cost.

[AnitaMcC]

This seems a little strongly worded. "Profound jitters" do not occur in greater than 50% of people. Keep in mind that people who are zipping into the ER with a significant breathing problem are in a high adrenergic state to begin with ("high adrenaline"). A very notable percentage of people have mild jitters with both, with the heart rate being more elevated with albuterol. Levalbuterol is at least 5 times the cost, a significant portion of that paying for the heavy-duty advertising the company put into it. :001_smile:

 

I don't think it is too strongly worded... from my experience it is right on.

 

I asked my pulmo once about why I had so much difficulty using albuterol but so many other people used it without problems.

 

He told me that actually about 10% of his patients have severe sensitivity (and about half of them absolutely can not take any albuterol ever... I am number one on his list of patients who can't take albuterol as it could actually kill me). These patients he prescribes anything but albuterol for... and those like me, would end up in the hospital just to take albuterol if it was absolutely necessary to take it.

 

And most of his other patients have moderate difficulties with albuterol but are able to tolerate it enough. These patients get the jitters, difficulty sleeping, feeling out of it, etc. But most of them don't need rescue inhaler more than once a week, they can handle the side effects okay. Many of them end up on some other rescue inhaler if their asthma requires albuterol more than once a week.

 

He told met that in all, only about 25% of his patients have no problems taking albuterol.

Edited February 19, 2011 by AnitaMcC

[kalanamak]

I don't think it is too strongly worded... from my experience it is right on.

.

 

We are using the word profound differently.

 

Profound, medically, is very significant. The majority of people who have a side effect do not have to be hospitalized and treated for the side effect. A profound side effect would be very severe. E.g., medically, profound malnourishment would be Auschwitz survivor skinny, not just an albumin level one point down. No drug that caused profound side effects in more than 50% of people would stay on the market unless there was absolutely no other choice (I'm thinking some of the antivirals used to save the eyesight in AIDS patients).

 

Pulmonary docs see the sickest asthmatics. Most asthmatics need less meds and less amounts than they regularly prescribe. I have many patients on albuterol, and I would estimate the "intolerance" rate at about 3%, and, in the last 20 years, I've had only one person who ended up being admitted to a monitored bed probably because of albuterol, although come to think of it, since they were on continuous nebs and skirting intubation, they would have been in the step down unit anyway.

 

I reply because many people do need albuterol, many people can't afford the racemic version, and I'd hate for the message that you will be "profoundly jittery" be their thought on the matter, as the mind is a powerful organ, and if you go, desperate and panting into the ER because you have refused to use your albuterol inhaler in fear of profound side effects, you WILL have profound jitteriness, if only from the terror of it all.

 

I speak out of concern, not contrariness.

[AnitaMcC]

We are using the word profound differently.

 

Profound, medically, is very significant.

I speak out of concern, not contrariness.

 

I see your point. Thank you for the clarification!!!!

[JeneralMom]

We have done both.

 

For me, Albuterol makes me feel really wired and jittery. My heart beast fast and then slows really fast. I avoid it.

 

DS6 was on Albuterol through a nebulizer from the time he was 6 mos old. I used it once or twice when desperate (my inhaler was out, for instance) and it did not affect me as badly). Recently he was switched to Xopenex and he prefers it because he doesn't fell "weird and wild" (his words) when he takes it. He also used to take Pulmicort, but the dr. switch him to Flovent. The combo of Flovent and Xopenex seems to work for him.

[AuntieM]

We were able to get insurance to agree to cover more than half the cost of the xopenex. I will have to pay $50 for the same number of doses of albuterol I would get for about $8. That is significant. But I am willing to pay it.

 

Thanks to all of you for your shared experiences. Reading your replies helped DH understand why I think xopenex is a better choice for this child.

 

Turns out she had another infection on top of the pneumonia, she's doing better now.

 

BTW, she was tested for strep, flu and a UTI. I told the doc she'd had her flu shot and the doctor shared that they're seeing lots of cases among those who were inoculated. "It's not the best flu shot this year," she said, shaking her head.

[MariannNOVA]

We were able to get insurance to agree to cover more than half the cost of the xopenex. I will have to pay $50 for the same number of doses of albuterol I would get for about $8. That is significant. But I am willing to pay it.

 

Thanks to all of you for your shared experiences. Reading your replies helped DH understand why I think xopenex is a better choice for this child.

 

Turns out she had another infection on top of the pneumonia, she's doing better now.

 

BTW, she was tested for strep, flu and a UTI. I told the doc she'd had her flu shot and the doctor shared that they're seeing lots of cases among those who were inoculated. "It's not the best flu shot this year," she said, shaking her head.

 

I'm glad she is doing better.:grouphug:

[blondeviolin]

Xopenex all the way for me.

 

I am a lifelong asthmatic with multiple hospital visits and even intubations. I have done LOTS of albuterol and LOTS of xopenex. (Also, a LOT of other things too...) Albuterol will make you shake and jitter. It will make your heart race. But that's better than not breathing. The more you take, the worse it is. Some of the side effect that I get from albuterol is a drop. After all the shaking stops, I have this huge drop that leaves me exhausted and grumpy (like I haven't eaten and I just finished a marathon). I prefer xopenex (which, to my understanding, is the left-sided isomer of albuterol) because that drop isn't as severe. I still get a bit of the jumps and racing heart, but not as bad.

 

One thing that people haven't mentioned here, though, is that not all albuterol inhalers are created equal. For example, the CFC inhalers that were recently removed from the market were better than the HFA inhalers (for me). Also, generic albuterol (usually comes in a gray casing with a maroonish lid) has more side effects for me than the brand name Proventil (still albuterol, though...comes in a yellow more circular casing). I'm sure has to do with refining or additives...or SOMETHING.