How much does everyone pay for Hypertonic Saline?

[AttyMom]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Asexyblond23</b></i>

Wow I have not heard of the 10% and the 3% mixed. I use 6mL of 10% and mix it with 3mL of .9% and then pour out 5 mL of the mixed solution and do 4mL a treatment. I wonder why I am on .9% and not 3? Hummmmmm</end quote></div>

I think it comes down to CF Services Pharmacy having such a hard time keeping the 3% in stock, and the others are easier, so they have reformulated the relative amounts based on the %. Also I think you get the lower dose sterile saline over the counter which makes it easier to "prescribe" and get.

 

[anonymous]

I pay $36 dollars a month for 60 vials of premixed 7% HS each containing 5 ml of solution. This includes shipping. I get it from Foundation care.

 

[JohnnaMarie]

There is a company here that has agreed to provide the saline for 35 dallars a month. It is a special contracted price. Otherwise I think it is about a hundred. My insurance will not cover it yet.

 

[anonymous]

well i didnt think my insurance was going to, and they said it would cost about 50$ next thing I know Im getting a box of meds and I never paid... I look on the bill and it said they paid... SO HAPPY

 

[anonymous]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>amy</b></i>

i'm right there with you, buddy.



Albuterol + Intal (i DO mix those) = 10 minutes

Pulmozyme = 10 minutes

HTS = 20 minutes

The Vest = 30 min

TOBI = 20 min



1 hour 30 minutes twice a day. It's quite an investment in my health.</end quote></div>

Amy,
Are you doing Tobi again? Just curious, a while back there was a thread where a few of us who show resistent to Tobi were talking about discouning it and I thought you said you had stopped Tobi.

 

[anonymous]

Hi,

What is HS used for?????

 

[lightNlife]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Ender</b></i>

What's intal?



I dunno, you're probably right about taking the HS and Pulmo seperate, but i would just mix them.



Read the last line of this article. I'm not sure if they mean seperately or together?



<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.cysticfibrosismedicine.com/htmldocs/CFText/dnase.htm
">http://www.cysticfibrosismedic...FText/dnase.htm
</a>


<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"></end quote></div>

That last line of the article means that it is a combination of therapies. (i.e. pulmozyme and HS back to back)
When you mix the two liquids you are altering the chemistry of each and rendering them less effective. Pulmozyme or Dnase works by cutting apart the DNA strands of whatever bugs are currently making the mucus thick. Think of it like cutting spaghetti noodles so that you don't have to try to wind so much of it around your fork in order to eat it. Hypertonic saline changes the moisture content of the lining of the lungs so that it is much easier to cough things out. Trying to cough out the mucus without the benefit of hypertonic saline is like trying to use a slip 'n slide that hasn't been watered down--a potentially painful experience.

Intal is the brand name for cromolyn sodium, which is an anti-inflammatory drug. Those of us who may not have always had the benefit of a CF specialist were given this drug because it works to relieve chest tightness. This was before we had options of Foradil, Advair, Spiriva.

For greatest benefit using the meds described by anon at 7:07, intal and mucomyst should be swapped in the order that you're doing them. Xopenex (bronchodilator), Mucomyst (mucolytic), then intal (long acting med)

I hope that's helpful!

By the way, after reading what some of you pay for your saline, I'm embarrassed by how much mine costs. The saline isn't much, but the needles for mixing adds up. I'm going to look into what Source CF has to offer.

Cheers!

 

[Ratatosk]

someone gave me a handout written by Dr. Warick from the U of MN, CF educational workshop last November -- said Intal and Albuterol mixed together, then mucomyst while doing the vest -- there were instructions on the times, ossilation settings for the vest. Also talked about why he doesn't recommend using pulmozyme -- study that I believe someone else mentioned before, that it supposedly can cause decrease in lung function.

 

[anonymous]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Ratatosk</b></i>

someone gave me a handout written by Dr. Warick from the U of MN, CF educational workshop last November -- said Intal and Albuterol mixed together, then mucomyst while doing the vest -- there were instructions on the times, ossilation settings for the vest. Also talked about why he doesn't recommend using pulmozyme -- study that I believe someone else mentioned before, that it supposedly can cause decrease in lung function.</end quote></div>

I have an intolerance to pulmozyme. It was trying to cut through things that weren't there. At the time I was on it, I rarely had junk in my lungs--mostly just digestive issues. The pulmozyme made me cough blood, not mucus.