ProAir HFA for Asthma, acute User Reviews

• aconde
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2020

"I have used ventolin for many years and find that it works very well. My insurance switched me from ventolin to pro air and it was horrible. My asthma attack became worse and I ended up in the ER. I could not breath at all. I told my doctor and she is trying to get me back on ventolin and it is a battle. The do not want to put me back on it. I guess I have to die before they see that pro air does not work!"

• Anonymous
• September 11, 2019

"This is the worst inhaler. I have occasional asthma attacks and need a rescue inhaler. I have used the Proair waited an hour and had to use it again. I was having to use my nebulizer to get any relief since this useless inhaler doesn't work. My doctor demanded the insurance company put me back on Ventolin. After one dose of Ventolin I had instant relief from my asthma attack. They need to get rid of proair."

• J733
• June 22, 2020

"I love the regular ProAir in the red plastic with white cap. I was given the generic ProAir in the weird half white half clear plastic casing with the weird red cap. The first thing I noticed is that it tastes disgusting. I nearly threw up the first time I took it. For the next 30 puffs I couldn’t take it without having a strong flavored drink to chase it or I’d gag and throw up. But the worst part is that the inhaler fell out of my purse and onto the floor two days ago and stopped working altogether. It may dispense half a puff or a quarter puff and then nothing.I took the canister out to clean it because I thought it was clogged but now when I press down on it comes out the hole where the cap locks in! What?! I pay $50 a month for this and now I can’t use it with 130 puffs left! I’m hoping I can just switch the canister into an old red ProAir chamber and it works. The generic design is crap."

• Cant...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 15, 2019

"I used Proventil for over 40 years. One dose stopped my asthma attacks. My insurance is forcing me to use ProAir. It was slower acting and now it is no relief. I went from using Proventil, to ProAir plus 2 maintenance medicines and a nebulizer. Now I have to go to the emergency room to get relief because the ProAir still doesn't work hours later. Insurance is not saving money and they are risking lives."

• Lisa
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2020

"Update: I went to the Perrigo site. At the "contact us" portion I gave my complaint regarding the taste, the low effectiveness and the problem with not being able to get the canister out to wash it. THEY CALLED ME!!! It was a great conversation. They were very kind, took a survey, and are refunding my copay. They are very much concerned, as this is their first launch of this product. Please join me in contacting them, so they can correct this product."

• Eve
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 19, 2020

"I have asthma for over 40 years. Pro- Air is the worse inhaler for any asthmatic. As with several others , insurance switched my Ventolin to this Pro- Air. When I needed it only made things worse during an attack. After giving this inhaler a try of 3 months- I explained what was happening and My Doctor made notes to make insurance company out me back to Ventolin."

• Cami
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 26, 2018

"I love my proair, but I do have many issues with faulty inhalers. I am constantly having to clean mine out because it will just not press down anymore and get clogged up quite easily. Does anyone else have this problem?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2019

"I would have rated Pro-Air as zero if it gave that option, as it is that useless. I am a health care provider and have found this issue with Pro-Air to be the case with most patients as well. My insurance company insists that this product be ordered instead of generic Ventolin, which works better by far. I asked my pharmacist why this was so and he stated that the insurance companies receive kickbacks from the pharmaceuticals now if the name brand is ordered. However, that comes out of the consumer's pocket!"

• Maria...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 12, 2016

"If I could give the Pro Air HFA inhaler a zero rating I would. They are very expensive and clog after just a few puffs so your money is down the drain. I have a whole drawer full of them still mostly full but clogged. I have tried rinsing the holder with hot water and letting them dry completely (even used a blow dryer) and they will work for a few more puffs then clog again. My insurance limits on which albuterol inhaler I am allowed to get and Express Scripts pushes the Pro Air HFA. I am sure it is because we have to keep ordering to replace clogged ones."

• Hawkeye
• August 24, 2018

"Due to weather and humidity along with smoke in the air ended up with breathing problems. Used a Prepair Inhaler DID NOT WORK. My wife found a Provental Inhaler in her purse (carries for me in case if Asthma problem) INSTANT RELIEF with the Provental Inhaler. I think 2nd class item Pro Air needs to be taken off the market!!"

• Durbu...
• November 9, 2015

"I'm 53 and have had acute bronchial asthma my entire life. ProAir is by far the least effective and most problematic delivery system for albuterol I've experienced. While the inhalers are supposed to have 200 metered dosages, they fail through leakage and clogging. We realistically average 50-75 uses per inhaler. Air travel almost always destroys usability. Because of clogging and priming, actual dosage is inconsistent with this particular brand. It is a health hazard, a deeply flawed delivery system that endangers patients. DO NOT RELY upon a single inhaler if you use ProAir as even "full" and "brand new" units are prone to immediate failure."

• Desiree
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 16, 2023

"I’ve had asthma since I was 2 and this inhaler is the absolute worst. It clogs after almost every use. Only lasts for a couple weeks at most when every other inhaler lasts for a few months. It gives little relief. It literally does not work."

• ICANT...
• June 3, 2017

"Used proventil for 20+ yrs. Proair was substituted once many years ago and received NO relief. Cigna stopped covering provenil in 2017 and now my only option is proair. Have been unable to breathe for over a week and finally went to Dr for a shot. I STILL CANT BREATHE!!! "

• KBano
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 15, 2020

"this inhaler is supposed to be a rescue inhaler. But it is extremely dangerous because it probably is plugged when you might need it most. I was in my car when I had an attack and thank goodness I had an old one because this model was clogged and unable to rescue me!!!!!!!!!! It is horrible and could cause great harm!!!!"

• Treeb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2020

"This pro air HFA is garbage. I have RA so I can’t get the lid off myself and I can’t compress it to use as it is for a very small hand. Those of us with useless hands are not compatible with this. It also costs more than my regular Ventolin inhaler."

• Unhap...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2020

"Like others on this page I have experienced the clogging issue. After ONLY A FEW puffs the device clogs. I called the company and they had me do a cleaning procedure which did help but having a life saving device clog so easily is unacceptable. They really need to fix this design. | I have NEVER had a problem with the TEVA brand (red with white cap) but the Perrigo brand is horrible."

• TechieB
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2020

"Pro Air inhaler works but it clogs constantly. If you can rinse the plastic inhaler with hot water, shake it let it air dry and waste one does, it starts to work again. However, it is obvious that this can be dangerous. If the patient is in need of the medication and not near any hot water, it could cause a problem as you would not know that it's clogged until you try to use it."

• Tired
• February 2, 2021

"I like so many others here have had a very bad experience with pro air. I have bad allergies and so I will regularly need my inhaler when working. I used Ventolin for years, and it was great, no complaints, but like so many others, my insurance decided the be greedy and switched me over to ProAir. It tastes awful, first of all, always makes me gag, and second it causes my attacks to get worse! Supposedly my insurance covers it, but it is more than 3x that of any inhaler I've ever gotten! I've only had it for a couple months, but I will be very strongly requesting to my doctor and pharmacy that I go back to ventolin very soon."

• sean
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2021

"Insurance just switched me from Ventolin to this generic ProAir inhaler. This stuff is a joke and should be considered criminal to offer this as a solution for asthma attacks. My asthmatic wheezing puts out more air than this inhaler could ever hope to do. The puff itself is quieter than someone laughing at a bad joke, exhaling out their nose. At least that person can breathe, unlike anyone using this inhaler. I'm sure this review is going nowhere, but I'm guessing whoever put this product out never had asthma or ever heard of it. Insurance companies are already awful, but to force this option and not cover something that works is ridiculous."

• Shell
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 3, 2022

"The medicine itself works but the container used does not after so many uses. There is not a specific amount of uses before the container stops dispensing the medication. I've experienced when I took it out of the box and didn't work and halfway through the counter etc."

• Angel
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 1, 2018

"I have used Ventolin, ProAir and Proventil for most of my life. ProAir is the only one that absolutely helps me during attacks and helps prevent them fairly well before work. The rest I need to use MUCH more frequently. Every inhaler clogs. Even the maintenance inhalers. Like that one person said somewhere in these reviews “warm water” and “shake it” while it’s in the warm water works really well to unclog, then let air dry on a window sill or somewhere similar. Don't use it again til it is completely dry."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 16, 2017

"Just started using this one particularly, but every brand of MDI has similar issues people are complaining of here. I saw lots of reviews about it clogging and being useless. Just thought I'd recommend what I've learned to others to fix this problem. If you put warm/hot water in a cup and let it soak for a few seconds.. (I'll even shake it around in the water to help clean it) then dry it on a window sill or somewhere warm. You'll find that it will unclog the dispenser and is good as new (as long as it is dry before you use it again). Happy breathing. Xoxo."

• Don
• March 14, 2021

"ProAir has never worked well for me. It is albuterol just like Ventolin HFA, etc. But, I have heard from many that ProAir is not as effective due to a different type of propellant in it. Now, to me this makes little sense. The reason why makes little sense is that IF the propellant that has been changd from the product is "part" of what helps the treatment of an asthma attack, it (the propellant) should not be replaced by a different propellant. The propellant that helps treat asthma SHOULD THAN be considered as an active ingredient that TREATS asthma. Since propellants have not been studied or claimed to be a treatment, it leads me to believe there is some OTHER unfounded reason for the ProAir not to work as well as other inhalers. Why? BECAUSE ProAir and many other "emergency" inhalers contain the same active ingredient; albuterol. I rate ProAir a 3-4 in effectiveness. I would rate other emergency inhalers that contain the same active ingredient, albuterol, as a 9-10."

• mike
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 11, 2022

"the insurance company wont cover Ventolin which I have used for ever and works they will only cover this bad product, that doesn't work so if I want to breath i have to pay 60 but if i do what they want ill pay 10 and not breath really take this thing off the market!"

• Anony...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2021

"This is hands down, the WORST “rescue” inhaler ever made. I put “rescue” in parentheses because it doesn’t rescue you from anything. It doesn’t work AT ALL. I used Ventolin all my life until my insurance stopped covering it and switched me to ProAir. Now I have to buy my Ventolin out of pocket at Walmart because I REFUSE TO USE PROAIR. You might as well not have a rescue inhaler at all because PROAIR DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. This product should have been discontinued years ago as it is a risk to peoples lives! Wish I could give this product zero stars. The greed and selfishness of the pharmaceutical companies is literally dangerous to people."