Combivent Asthma Inhaler Review

I've had asthma since I was 14 years old.  I had three surgeries in three months and the trauma was thought to cause my breathing problems.  It started out as just exercise-induced asthma and I was supposed to outgrow it.  Sixteen years later, my asthma is now classified as moderate-to-severe and I am on a hefty medication regimen.  I most certainly have not outgrown it!

The rescue inhaler that my pulmonologist has prescribed for me is Combivent, which is produced by Boehringer Ingelheim.  It is a combination of ipratropium bromide and albuterol sulfate.  One inhaler contains 200 metered doses, each of which delivers 18 micrograms of ipratropium bromide and 103 micrograms of albuterol sulfate (a bronchodilator).  When administered together, these components are supposed to relieve swelling and open up airways. 

Common side effects of using Combivent include headache, dry mouth, shaky hands, sweating, dizziness, heart palpitations, cough, and nervousness.  When I have to use this rescue inhaler regularly, I find that I have shaky hands and occasionally heart palpitations.  I used it a couple of times last week before my appointment with the pulmonologist and she noted that my heart rate was elevated.  In fact, it was so elevated that she switched my allergy medication from Clarinex-D (with heart-rate-raising decongestant) to plain old Clarinex without the decongestant.  I guess my heart rate was pretty high.

Most of the time, I use my Combivent Inhaler without any issue.  If I have breathing issues, I take two puffs and usually feel much, much better.  The only time I had the documented elevated heart rate was when I was out of a couple of my other asthma/allergy medications and was really having a difficult time breathing.  I was relying on the Combivent rescue inhaler way too much and I knew it.  Aside from that incident, I've done very well on this inhaler.

The suggested retail price of Combivent is something like $80.  At least, that's what it was the last time I had to have a prescription for it filled at Target.  I pay $10 per name brand script in local pharmacies and nothing if I send the presciption to the plan's mail-order pharmacy.  It's both inexpensive and effective for me so I will continue to use it.