Common sense should rule the day here. I know I'd let it. No question.

Sucks to your assmar, kid.

All rescue inhalers are albuterol inhalers. ProAir, Proventil, and Ventolin are interchangeable. In fact many MDs write for their RXs "Albuterol HFA, sub per formulary" as all 3 are the same and insurances often only cover 1.

 

Correct. In order to use these medications in school the pharmacy has to provide a label that says "For School Use". Typically this means the doctor has to write a prescription for two inhalers where one inhaler will have the label for school use and go to the school and the other will remain at home. Most medications will remain with the school nurse while others like rescue inhalers have to say with the student for obvious reasons as they may not know when they will need it.

 

As a pharmacist I often have to break up medications and put them in two bottles so the patient can bring one to school and the other to home. I'd say the most common medications that I have to do separate labels for school are rescue inhalers and ADHD medications as most other medications can be taken before or after school and thus done need a bottle for school use.

i agree. This was an emergent situation though. One kid with asthma seeing another one struggle to breathe. It would be a natural instinct with the best of intentions. On the other hand, inhalers are prescriptions. I would hope the urgency of the situation would outweigh a well intentioned lapse in judgement. The girls are only 12.

 

I don't even see a lapse in judgment. I would hope if the exact same thing happened tomorrow, the girl would do the same thing. If you see someone not able to breathe and don't do anything to help, THAT would be the lapse in judgment IMO. Leave it to the kids to do the right thing and the adults to muck it up...

Correct. In order to use these medications in school the pharmacy has to provide a label that says "For School Use". Typically this means the doctor has to write a prescription for two inhalers where one inhaler will have the label for school use and go to the school and the other will remain at home. Most medications will remain with the school nurse while others like rescue inhalers have to say with the student for obvious reasons as they may not know when they will need it.

 

As a pharmacist I often have to break up medications and put them in two bottles so the patient can bring one to school and the other to home. I'd say the most common medications that I have to do separate labels for school are rescue inhalers and ADHD medications as most other medications can be taken before or after school and thus done need a bottle for school use.

 

Very well stated.

 

It sounds as if both the parents and maybe the school are negligent but the students are the ones getting punished.

Correct. In order to use these medications in school the pharmacy has to provide a label that says "For School Use". Typically this means the doctor has to write a prescription for two inhalers where one inhaler will have the label for school use and go to the school and the other will remain at home. Most medications will remain with the school nurse while others like rescue inhalers have to say with the student for obvious reasons as they may not know when they will need it.

 

As a pharmacist I often have to break up medications and put them in two bottles so the patient can bring one to school and the other to home. I'd say the most common medications that I have to do separate labels for school are rescue inhalers and ADHD medications as most other medications can be taken before or after school and thus done need a bottle for school use.

Is the asthma medicine dangerous to those it isn't prescribed for? I've always heard that's why you can't share inhalers.

Is the asthma medicine dangerous to those it isn't prescribed for? I've always heard that's why you can't share inhalers.

 

Nope, not dangerous at all. Rescue inhalers like Ventolin, Proair, and Proventil are most commonly use for people who have asthma or COPD but they are used for other reasons like when someone is just sick and isn't breathing the greatest. They are harmless. So if someone else used them it won't do anything. This is just in reference to albuterol rescue inhalers.

 

Other inhalers for asthma besides your generic albuterol-only rescue inhalers are more likely to cause harm but they are really more inconveniences than anything else. Inhalers that contain a steroid can cause you to have thrush in your mouth if you don't wash your mouth out after use. However, long-acting beta-agonist drugs that are used for asthma have been shown to have an increased risk of mortality but it is small and the true reason why they do that hasn't been found but its not something to worry about. The rescue inhalers we have been talking about though that contain albuterol are considered short-acting beta-agonists in comparison and don't have this morality effect. There are some other inhalers as well but they aren't commonly used for asthma.

 

Bottom line inhalers aren't really dangerous and don't cause any real harm. That especially goes for rescue inhalers like Ventolin, Proair, and Proventil. And just as a PSA, only use your rescue inhalers when you need it regardless if you have asthma or COPD. You can build up a tolerance to them over time so if you don't need to use it don't use it.

Edited January 16, 201610 yr by Show Stopper

Nope, not dangerous at all. Rescue inhalers like Ventolin, Proair, and Proventil are most commonly use for people who have asthma or COPD but they are used for other reasons like when someone is just sick and isn't breathing the greatest. They are harmless. So if someone else used them it won't do anything. This is just in reference to albuterol rescue inhalers.

 

Other inhalers for asthma besides your generic albuterol-only rescue inhalers are more likely to cause harm but they are really more inconveniences than anything else. Inhalers that contain a steroid can cause you to have thrush in your mouth if you don't wash your mouth out after use. However, long-acting beta-agonist drugs that are used for asthma have been shown to have an increased risk of mortality but it is small and the true reason why they do that hasn't been found but its not something to worry about. There are some other inhalers as well but they aren't commonly used for asthma.

 

Bottom line inhalers aren't really dangerous and don't cause any real harm. That especially goes for rescue inhalers like Ventolin, Proair, and Proventil. And just as a PSA, only use your rescue inhalers when you need it regardless if you have asthma or COPD. You can build up a tolerance to them over time so if you don't need to use it don't use it.

 

I should have mentioned this during the post but when I said long-acting beta-agonists I meant drugs like salmeterol, formoterol, and vilanterol. The increase risk of mortality of these drugs were found when they were used alone but when they were used together with inhaled corticosteroids they didn't find an increased risk of mortality. Here is a good link summarizing those findings as they were done on asthma patients: http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/569665

 

Most long-acting beta agonist drugs are combined with inhaled corticosteroids today anyways in drugs like Advair, Dulera, Symbicort, etc. and thus are just fine. There are only a few long-acting beta-agonist stand-alone drugs like Foradil, Serevent, and Brovana and they are very, very rarely used. Even if they are prescribed, I can almost guarantee you insurance will never pay for them unless there is an extensive history of other drugs.

 

FYI, as you can see I am prone to being long-winded. :lol2:

I should have mentioned this during the post but when I said long-acting beta-agonists I meant drugs like salmeterol, formoterol, and vilanterol. The increase risk of mortality of these drugs were found when they were used alone but when they were used together with inhaled corticosteroids they didn't find an increased risk of mortality. Here is a good link summarizing those findings as they were done on asthma patients: http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/569665

 

Most long-acting beta agonist drugs are combined with inhaled corticosteroids today anyways in drugs like Advair, Dulera, Symbicort, etc. and thus are just fine. There are only a few long-acting beta-agonist stand-alone drugs like Foradil, Serevent, and Brovana and they are very, very rarely used. Even if they are prescribed, I can almost guarantee you insurance will never pay for them unless there is an extensive history of other drugs.

 

FYI, as you can see I am prone to being long-winded. :lol2:

 

Thanks. Can you see any reasonable reason for schools to have a policy such as what this thread is about?

I don't even see a lapse in judgment. I would hope if the exact same thing happened tomorrow, the girl would do the same thing. If you see someone not able to breathe and don't do anything to help, THAT would be the lapse in judgment IMO. Leave it to the kids to do the right thing and the adults to muck it up...

 

The lapse in judgement I was referring to was disobeying school rules. I think the young lady was right in her actions, and if I was the school nurse on site, I would have done the exact same thing.

Thanks. Can you see any reasonable reason for schools to have a policy such as what this thread is about?

 

 

Probably because the number of variables that have to be taken into account with the prescribing and dispensing of any medication. Patient allergies, drug interactions, patient weight (with children), medical history, pre-existing medical conditions and so on. A kid shouldn't be sharing their ADD medication because a classmate can't focus or an anti-depressant because they are a little down. Things like that are potentially dangerous if not prescribed by an MD. A rescue inhaler is one of those rare drugs that is more or less interchangeable.

Probably because the number of variables that have to be taken into account with the prescribing and dispensing of any medication. Patient allergies, drug interactions, patient weight (with children), medical history, pre-existing medical conditions and so on. A kid shouldn't be sharing their ADD medication because a classmate can't focus or an anti-depressant because they are a little down. Things like that are potentially dangerous if not prescribed by an MD. A rescue inhaler is one of those rare drugs that is more or less interchangeable.

Thanks. I had meant my question to specifically be about rescue inhalers. I can certainly understand not sharing other meds.

Thanks. I had meant my question to specifically be about rescue inhalers. I can certainly understand not sharing other meds.

 

Schools seem to have an all or none, zero tolerance mentality. It makes things clear cut for them. Problem with that is that it sometimes throws common sense out the window.

So I'm guessing a kid who is allergic to bees and gets stung and a kid who has a kit to save his life does and gets suspended.

Or does the kid let them die for fear of suspension and possible loss of college scholarship due to being suspended.

Thanks. Can you see any reasonable reason for schools to have a policy such as what this thread is about?

 

Probably because the number of variables that have to be taken into account with the prescribing and dispensing of any medication. Patient allergies, drug interactions, patient weight (with children), medical history, pre-existing medical conditions and so on. A kid shouldn't be sharing their ADD medication because a classmate can't focus or an anti-depressant because they are a little down. Things like that are potentially dangerous if not prescribed by an MD. A rescue inhaler is one of those rare drugs that is more or less interchangeable.

 

Thanks. I had meant my question to specifically be about rescue inhalers. I can certainly understand not sharing other meds.

 

He basically answered it for me. Medications are necessary but schools don't want to promote sharing of medicines so that is why they typically ask that all medications be kept with the nurse. Rescue inhalers are different obviously and the person is allowed to keep it with them in case they need it. In this case, the teacher should have just used common sense as it was obvious the student in question needed to use one regardless of where it came from. I think most teachers and administrators would understand at least IMO. Maybe this is just the bad egg in the bunch.