New eRapid - LOVE IT

[Blue]

First off- If you haven't had your doctors call in a script for the eRapid to the CF Services Pharmacy, I'd recommend doing so! It's amazing ($135 per handset without insurance). It's silent, portable, battery operated and med time is cut in half!! If you're on Cayston already, then you won't need to purchase a new eBase you'll just need a new (eRapid) handset.

It takes me 2 minutes to inhale Albuterol and another 10 for Hypersal and Pulmozyme. It literally takes me longer to prep and clean the machine than to inhale my med's! It's be a life changer.

Note: Just remember to dump out residual med's in the eRapid handset before adding a another; the machine always reserves 1ml of medication that isn't vaporized to prevent overdosing.

I do have a question for those using it, when you do hypersal do you experience excessive coughing? Maybe it's because it's so concentrated, but I'm coughing now like I did when I first started using it YEARS ago. I'm also coughing up A LOT. Anyone?

 

[Liza]

Wow, you're the first person I've heard that'd gotten their hands on one. I didn't think they were available yet! Good to know. Did you're insurance cover it? Also, do you know if the other meds, albuterol or pulmozyme have to be altered or if they're the same vials and amount, you use in a regular Pari Neb?

 

[JustaCFmom]

My daughter finds it makes her cough more. It is more concentrated. That's just the way it is. We love ours too.
How much does it cost to buy the actual eBASE?
Enjoy!

 

[JENNYC]

I have a general question about it...Abby is 7 and has always had really troublesome sinus' .... she still uses the mask because I feel like the Hypersal helps her sinus' as well, but I'm not sure. Does anyone have any thoughts on switching to the mouth piece only like this device??

 

[JustaCFmom]

HI Jenny
Our pulmo recommended breathing Out through the nose. They prefer the mouthpiece because more medicine gets to the lungs. I still use a mask in the mornings when my son prefers to sleep.
I saw a presentation on line by Dr. Quinn (?) and he took a cork, inserted some aquarium tubing, attached it to the e flow neb. where the mouthpiece usually goes; and inhaled the saline into each nostril
How would that compare to nasal rinses? How do you so your nasal rinses? My son also suffers from his sinuses. This seems to be very common.

 

[JENNYC]

Hi JustaCFmom!! Thanks so much for responding! Abby does just the regular neli sinus rinse where I squirt the warm saline solution up one side at a time and blow it out. I would be worried that she would have difficulty breathing it out her nose...not sure....just thinking out loud. Does your son have polyp problems as well? I guess I just need to try it and see what happens. It just scares me changing stuff up because her sinus' gave us so much trouble before....even though it's been a couple of years I still get scared

 

[albino15]

I was curious so I looked it up, it looks just like the eflow, even says "eflow technology" on it. The eflow has been available for years, I guess they just keep changing the name.

 

[static]

I was curious so I looked it up, it looks just like the eflow, even says "eflow technology" on it. The eflow has been available for years, I guess they just keep changing the name.

I think the main difference is it is now "officially" approved for all medications, so it is easier to get insured (Though they are still working on it in my region). They probably did some minor improvements as well.

 

[RytheStunner]

I've been using eFlow technology for my Tobramycin for a few years now, definitely a time saver.

 

[Blue]

Wow, you're the first person I've heard that'd gotten their hands on one. I didn't think they were available yet! Good to know. Did you're insurance cover it? Also, do you know if the other meds, albuterol or pulmozyme have to be altered or if they're the same vials and amount, you use in a regular Pari Neb?

My insurance covered the device at 20% after my deductible was met. And yes, you can use all meds in the eRapid.
Another person asked about the eRapid base and I believe it's $860 before insurance. Google Cystic Fibrosis Pharmacy and check out their price list.

 

[Liza]

Thanks!

I went to the CFF pharmacy site to take a look at it and then sent them an e-mail. That was two days ago, I haven't heard from them yet. I can't recall if I mentioned that we're already familiar with the ebase, my daughter uses Cayston. I do know the differences in the eflow (for Tobramycin) and the Altera (for Cayston) is just the mesh head, the base is the same, Pari told me this over the phone last year.. The holes are different for those two meds. You can't use (well, aren't supposed to use) them interchangeably because it will dispense the medication differently. Causing you to get too much or too little concentration of the med. This is what I was wondering about for the eRapid, if it's head piece was different as well, effectively giving you three different, yet the same in appearance, heads for Cayston, Tobra & Pulmozyme, Albuterol &Hypertonic if also used. Seeing as the Tobra is a different concentration for use in the eFlow than the TOBI that is used in your normal nebulizer, I was wondering if the Pulmozyme was altered or if the amount of albuterol was less for the eRapid vs the regular nebulizer.

So many questions, I know. My daughter was advised against using the eFlow for Tobra by her adult CF doc when we inquired about it.

Did your CF doc just fax in a regular script to the CFF pharmacy or what? That was one of the questions I asked in my e-mail to the CFF pharmacy. I guess I'm just going to have to call them if I don't hear from them by the end of the week.

Thank you so much for all y'alls help and experiences with this new system! I'd been hoping for years that they'd come up with a way to make nebulizing faster as they kept adding more and more things for CF'ers to cram into their day.

 

[JustaCFmom]

The doctors here prefer to give the ventolin (salbutamol) in a puffer (vs. eflow) because of the concern of getting too much and suffering side effects. Check with your doctor, but I seem to remember the doctor telling my daughter to halve the dose.

Jenny, the doctor originally thought that my son had nasal polyps, but the ENT said not! He has had a constant runny nose since infancy, so he does suffer from inflamed sinuses. :-( We have been spared any surgeries so far...

 

[LouLou]

I'm excited to inquire about this. So the advantage to me are two fold: approval for all meds (right now using it for albuterol and hypersal though approved by my doctor are not approved by Pari) & insurance pays for the device which means we own it. I don't like that my Trio and Altera are only mine as long as I take the corresponding medication and even then I do not own it. I don't like to lease things.

I'm going to call Foundation Care about this!

 

[SaraNoH]

Thanks!

I went to the CFF pharmacy site to take a look at it and then sent them an e-mail. That was two days ago, I haven't heard from them yet. I can't recall if I mentioned that we're already familiar with the ebase, my daughter uses Cayston. I do know the differences in the eflow (for Tobramycin) and the Altera (for Cayston) is just the mesh head, the base is the same, Pari told me this over the phone last year.. The holes are different for those two meds. You can't use (well, aren't supposed to use) them interchangeably because it will dispense the medication differently. Causing you to get too much or too little concentration of the med. This is what I was wondering about for the eRapid, if it's head piece was different as well, effectively giving you three different, yet the same in appearance, heads for Cayston, Tobra & Pulmozyme, Albuterol &Hypertonic if also used. Seeing as the Tobra is a different concentration for use in the eFlow than the TOBI that is used in your normal nebulizer, I was wondering if the Pulmozyme was altered or if the amount of albuterol was less for the eRapid vs the regular nebulizer.

So many questions, I know. My daughter was advised against using the eFlow for Tobra by her adult CF doc when we inquired about it.

Did your CF doc just fax in a regular script to the CFF pharmacy or what? That was one of the questions I asked in my e-mail to the CFF pharmacy. I guess I'm just going to have to call them if I don't hear from them by the end of the week.

This is exactly what I'm wondering. I've been on Cayston for a little less than a year and LOVE the nebulizer. So much so that (shame on me I know) I use it for my other meds as well (I'll use old mesh heads). It cuts down on the time tremendously and I just can't go back to using the standard nebulizer. Sorry but I have a life, and school, and classes, and clinicals and work. I don't have 2+ hours 2-3 times a day for meds.

I've been wondering exactly HOW you can "safely" use this nebulizer with albuterol, dornase, and hypertonic. I've heard of other people doing it, something about the meds being "reformulated" but if it's as simple as a different, correct mesh head... heck, I want in!

Also, I'm a bit confused on one thing: isn't the eFlow, eBase, and eRapid all the same thing?
https://www.cfservicespharmacy.com/ProductsandPrices/PARIeRapidExclusivelybyCFServicesPharmacy/
this is what I got when I googled "eRapid" and it's exactly what you get for Cayston.

 

[RytheStunner]

This is exactly what I'm wondering. I've been on Cayston for a little less than a year and LOVE the nebulizer. So much so that (shame on me I know) I use it for my other meds as well (I'll use old mesh heads). It cuts down on the time tremendously and I just can't go back to using the standard nebulizer. Sorry but I have a life, and school, and classes, and clinicals and work. I don't have 2+ hours 2-3 times a day for meds.

I've been wondering exactly HOW you can "safely" use this nebulizer with albuterol, dornase, and hypertonic. I've heard of other people doing it, something about the meds being "reformulated" but if it's as simple as a different, correct mesh head... heck, I want in!

Also, I'm a bit confused on one thing: isn't the eFlow, eBase, and eRapid all the same thing?
https://www.cfservicespharmacy.com/ProductsandPrices/PARIeRapidExclusivelybyCFServicesPharmacy/
this is what I got when I googled "eRapid" and it's exactly what you get for Cayston.

eFlow is the technology. The entire machine itself used to be simply called eFlow, but when they started coming out with different versions that could nebulize different medications, they renamed it to the Altera, and came out with the Trio, and now the eRapid. All of the machines are eFlow technology. eRapid is one of the variations of the eFlow, and the eBase is just the round, blue part of the system that is the actual electronic guts of the machine.

 

[SaraNoH]

eFlow is the technology. The entire machine itself used to be simply called eFlow, but when they started coming out with different versions that could nebulize different medications, they renamed it to the Altera, and came out with the Trio, and now the eRapid. All of the machines are eFlow technology. eRapid is one of the variations of the eFlow, and the eBase is just the round, blue part of the system that is the actual electronic guts of the machine.

Gotcha. The actual mouthpiece I have for Cayston says, "Altera" on it. I wonder how hard it would be to get the special mesh heads for each medication. The RT at clinic said they cost upwards of $200 a head! Ouchie.

 

[RytheStunner]

Gotcha. The actual mouthpiece I have for Cayston says, "Altera" on it. I wonder how hard it would be to get the special mesh heads for each medication. The RT at clinic said they cost upwards of $200 a head! Ouchie.

Foundation Care gives me a new head and mouthpiece for the Altera with each shipment of Cayston, but the only send out a new head once every three months for my Trio, and they won't give out new mouthpieces for those.

 

[SaraNoH]

I just spoke to a pharmacist from the CF pharm and she said that a PARI rep spoke to them the other day, saying the eRapid distributes certain meds pretty much "the same" as a jet nebulizer. She also said that for Hypersal she thinks it's totally fine, for Dornase it should be okay, though there's not really a lot of info about if the heat from the neb changes the molecules of the med at all, but for meds like antibiotics, albuterol, or xopenex she is a hesitant since they are dose dependent. I asked her if the meds had to be reformulated, or the dosages changed, and she wasn't sure, suggesting that we should discuss with our Drs (of course). She said the difference between the Altera handset and eRapid handset is the size of the resevoir, and of course the mesh heads have different sized/amounts of holes.

So. Just some info I've gathered for anyone else that has questions about this.

 

[rmotion]

Call me old school but I like my pari neb versus the eflow!

LIke someone said it takes longer to clean the device than it does to inhale. I figure I am doing my vest anyways what is the hurry?
The concentration level is a good point, you could probable dilute with saline if need be.

 

[RytheStunner]

LIke someone said it takes longer to clean the device than it does to inhale. I figure I am doing my vest anyways what is the hurry?
The concentration level is a good point, you could probable dilute with saline if need be.

Well, since you can't do your antibiotic while you're doing the Vest, it would make quite a difference if you're using it for TOBI, Cayston, Colistin, etc.