1) Where can I purchase Primatene Mist, now?
2) When will Primatene Mist become available again?

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Request for Question Clarification by juggler-ga on 31 Oct 2002 20:16 PST

Would a refill be okay?
Or do you need the inhaler too?

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Request for Question Clarification by juggler-ga on 31 Oct 2002 21:18 PST

In other words, do you need the Primatene mouthpiece too? Or would a
refill cannister of Primatene satisfy your needs?

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Clarification of Question by hasdow-ga on 01 Nov 2002 08:44 PST

Clarification of questions:

1) There are three variations of Primatene Mist:
    a) Complete unit: inhaler with 1/2 ounce.
    b) 1/2 ounce refill
    c) 3/4 ounce refill
    According to Wyeth there was a 4 million unit recall of a generic
substitute for
    Primatene Mist earlier this  year. This caused a run on Primatene
Mist and depleted
    the supply in stores. It is possible that there is a supply out
there that is not yet depleted.
    My question was, where is it? (Ebay does not count).

2) The Wyeth company claims that they are trying to make more product
and thereby
    get the stock back to normal by the end of the year. This seemed
pretty vague to me so
    my second question was: When and Where will the supplies be back
to normal?

   (It is conceivable that the answers to these questions are either
unknowable by ordinary
    people or that the answers would cost more that $50 to obtain.)

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Request for Question Clarification by madsky101-ga on 04 Nov 2002 00:55 PST

Greetings!

I have not been able to find Primatene mist yet, but would a brand
equivalent be acceptable.  If so, let me know and I will post the
information where you may be able to purchase the mist.

Also, I know that you must have read the warnings concerning this type
of product.  Considering it is very dangerous and should not be used
without medical supervision, I just felt the need to remind you to be
careful and to consult your healthcare provider before using this type
of product.

If you are interested in the brand equivalent mist, please let me know
and I will post the information.

Thanks!

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Request for Question Clarification by rippo-ga on 10 Nov 2002 22:52 PST

Hello hasdow,

I have similarly checked a few sites and Primatene mist is currently
on backorder. For example, at Medichest.com:

http://www.medichest.com/primatenemistcomplet.html
http://www.medichest.com/primatenemistrefill2.html
http://www.medichest.com/primatenemistrefill1.html

HOWEVER, I have found Primatene Bronchial Asthma Relief Tablets (60 in
each container) available. Are you interested in this information as
an acceptable answer?  Here is the information on the product
description:

Indications:
For temporary relief of shortness of breath, tightness of chest, and
wheezing due to bronchial asthma. Eases breathing for asthma patients
by reducing spasms of bronchial muscles and helps loosen phlegm
(mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to rid bronchial passageways of
bothersome mucus and make coughs more productive.

Active Ingredients: 
Each tablet contains: Ephedrine Hydrochloride (12.5mg), Guaifenesin
(200mg)

Inactive Ingredients: 
Crospovidone, D&C Yellow #10 Lake, FD&C Yellow #6 Aluminum Lake,
Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Providone, Silicon
Dioxide

These tablets are *in stock* at a site I can pass along to you, if you
will consider this to be an acceptable answer. Please let me know your
thoughts.

Eckerd has the .5 ounce refills in stock here:
http://www.eckerd.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=Eckerd&category%5Fname=100200Asthma&product%5Fid=520437&tab=shop%5Fhealth%2Egif

Here is a link to explain the shortage:
http://www.primatene.com/missing.asp

I assume you have already tried very large chain stores? My husband
can still buy it from our local Walmart, for example.

I have tried all stores that I can find.
(Including Eckerd (which is "out of stock till 2003))
Where is this Walmart? (City, State?)

I was told by my wholesaler that primatene mist is on back-order until
late Dec
in the Baltimore area because of a raw materials shortage.
If you suffer from an asthma related illness, why not have a Dr
prescribe an
albuterol inhaler until primatene becomes available again, besides the
rx inhaler doesn't have that awful taste/sensation like primatene.

Primatene Bronchial Asthma Relief Tablets have been *in stock*
through this entire *shortage* period. This *answer* is not even
close to answering the original question. It seems clear that the
original question has been misconstrued.

I did not know how this "Google Answers" works, and I'm still not
sure what "Google Answers" means.

Hasdow,

I would like to address the concerns you raised in your last comment:

First, no "answer" has been posted - only "question clarifications"
and "comments" by Google Researchers. If an "answer" were posted, you
would have been charged $50 already (which you haven't, because as you
noted, your question has not yet been answered.)

Second, your original question has not been misconstrued. The tablets
were posted as a "question clarification" to ensure that you were
aware of this alternative Primatene product (which you have now made
clear that you are.)

We share your frustration. There are a few Google Researchers who are
investing hours of time researching your question, without any
compensation. I have personally contacted all of the domestic retail
pharmacies via phone, countless online pharmacies in the U.S. as well
as a few online pharmacies in Canada looking for extra supplies of
Primatene mist inhalers, without any success. The reality is there may
be more than just a "big back-order" going on. The pharmacies I've
contacted indicated that Primatene has not given them any details of
when they expect to refill the shelves with inhalers or similar
products which - in November of 2002, given the "you may still
experience trouble finding Primatene® in your local store until the
end of the year" statement on the site - seems a little odd.

Savon, as well as a few other pharmacies I contacted, indicated that
Primatene personally purchased back their entire stock of inhalers
earlier this year from the Savon location I called, leading me to
believe that there is more than a "shortage of necessary components",
as the Primatene corporate link above suggests.

I would encourage you to have a little more faith in Google Answers.
We are trying to answer a question that is difficult to answer because
it involves finding a product that is not only no longer on store
shelves, but may have been gobbled up by the manufacturer for reasons
that are unclear at this time. On top of that, you are not accepting
ebay links, such as this one...

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=primatene+mist+inhaler

...as an answer. As you have not paid a cent yet for the considerable
research hours invested in your question, I would recommend checking
back with Google Answers in case an actual "Answer" - rather than
additional comments and question clarifications - are posted. Until
then, rest assured that we are doing our best to find any inhalers,
wherever they can be found, for you.