Asthma and AF

[Hammerboy]

Hi guys,

Has anyone on here any experience of using inhalers with AF. After a recent chest X-ray my GP said I had minor scarring on my right lung which he put down to a past infection and he didn't think it was the cause of my increased breathing issues, especially on exertion. I thought it could be due to my December ablation as prior to that I was less troubled by it. The issue I have is excess mucus in my airways which I struggle to cough up and is much worse during exercise. I have used Symbicort 200mg twice daily for some years to open the lungs, nothing stronger but during a routine asthma check up the nurse noticed the rattling and suggested a puff of ventalin. It was extremely fast acting and for nearly a week I had no mucus and my breathing was back to normal but this was before my ablation. My GP thinks the regular use of ventalin is not good for my AF and is therefore looking for alternatives so my question is, what are asthma sufferers in general using to control their symptoms while at the same time not exacerbating their AF.

[KG70]

Hi,

I have only recently been diagnosed with AF, but I'm still using my Seretide inhaler once a day and it doesn't seem to affect my heart rate. I only take one puff in the morning as it lasts about 12 hours, and I find the more I take, the more I need. I sometimes find that when my chest is tight I can look up and gently stretch my chest and neck and that eases the tightness without needing to take a puff. But my asthma is mainly triggered by allergies and infection so just keeping dust down and staying away from animals and houses with animals means I rarely need to use my ventolin these days. I do find that humidity causes me to be a bit breathless, especially since being put on bisoprolol, so I have a portable Air con machine that is also a dehumidifier so I can use that if I need a bit of relieve.

I also find that dairy causes me to have excessive mucus in my throat and makes me tight chested, so I have switched to Oatly Barrista Oat milk in tea and cerial which I actually prefer to milk now. There are a few foods that increase mucus production so it may be worth experimenting with removing some to see if that helps at all? I found the below article which may be of interest, but you can google the subject and there is lots of info.

Hope you find a good solution that works for you. Please do keep the post updated

verv.com/foods-that-cause-p...

[Hammerboy in reply to KG70]

Thanks so much, there are a few things in your reply that seem to possibly fit my issues, Re dairy products etc. I'll let you know how I get on 👍

[karl1524]

Hi Hammerboy, I also have asthma and AF, I use my steroid inhaler everyday to reduce the potential of needing ventolin and luckily I very rarely do, but if I develop a chest infection then without a second thought I will use it as required, I am aware that it quickens the pulse and this is not good for AFib, but I would much rather be in AFib then struggle to breath, it is the best of two evils

[Hammerboy in reply to karl1524]

Thanks for replying, I sort of feel the same but my GP wants to investigate wether there's an alternative in my case so I'll see what he comes up with. I don't get very breathless or have an urgent need as, such but the constant mucous in my throat is irritating and gets so much worse on exertion I'm tempted to use the ventalin. What steroid inhaler do you use daily?

[karl1524 in reply to Hammerboy]

I use Qvar and it seems to work without giving me the sore throat that’s becotide used to, if your GP finds an AFib friendly alternative to ventolin then please let me know - good luck with it 👍

[Hammerboy in reply to karl1524]

Will do 👍

[Desanthony]

Have you tried breathing exercises to get rid of the phlegm that won't shift. Ask your Doc to refer you to a respiratory physiotherapist who will help you - you will find these exercises on line - on you tube - there should be one there from Phil the physiotherapist at the North West Lung Centre Wythenshawe Hospital but my wife who goes there annually, can't find that particular clip any longer. You can also buy things like the flutter device or acapella device to do the same thing but it is best to do all this with the help of either your GP or a physio as it can be awkward when you begin. I have scarring on my lungs too from when I had pneumonia some years ago and my wife has a full house of lung conditions from Asthma to an aspergillus growth in one lung which has been so successfully treated by the wonderful people at the National Aspergillosis Centre at Wythenshawe she is now better than she has been for years. Can't speak highly enough of them even though we travel hundreds of miles to go there it's worth every drop of petrol.

[Hammerboy in reply to Desanthony]

Thank you for the information, the GP called today and has decided to refer me to a specialist so I'll see what transpires from that 👍

[Desanthony in reply to Hammerboy]

Great. Hope the specialist can sort things for you.

[ILowe]

For some people Ventolin does affect the heart. If you have been using it regularly with no problems then you are probably not one of those people. Ventolin is short acting, but I take it up to 4 times a day, minimum 2, as part of my package. The next step up is a long acting drug, either LABA or LAMA, with or without inhaled corticosteroids.

For mucus, mine was too thick. I persuaded my GP that I could be on amlodipine for blood pressure because that is also a mild vasodilator. A pharmacist advised me to take non-prescription antihistamines. She confirmed this was safe for me, so do check with a health worker that this is OK for you. For antihistamines there is a choice, and you need to find one that helps for you. I then investigated a class of drugs that seem to be ignored in Britain: mucolytics. I do not recommend you do this, but I tried one that is available without prescription in Europe and that helped. so I asked myself if there was a herbal alternative. There is: turmeric has mucolytic effects. But, it touches my INR. Fortunately I self test and self dose my warfarin, so I tried it for a month and have chosen to stay on it.

Slowly my lungs are improving, but it takes a whole package, with regular walks etc.

[Hammerboy in reply to ILowe]

Hi thanks for that, I've tried the mucous drug but it didn't work for me so they are changing my Symbicort for a different inhaler and have mentioned antihistamines. The GP called to say he's now referring me to the hospital too so hopefully they will find out what's going on

[ILowe in reply to Hammerboy]

I was put on symbicort but I was suspicious of the corticosteroids. Sure enough, when I researched it I found that they lower my immunity, which is not something I want to do on a regular basis. I also found modern articles supporting my desire, which stated that a LABA or a LAMA without corticosteroids was an option. I decided I wanted to stick with the simplest medicine which I tolerated well (ventolin). Not all doctors are up to date, so it is up to us to become informed. Sounds good that your doctors are willing to try other possibilities.

[Hammerboy in reply to ILowe]

I think it will be more Informative when I get to see a specialist for the first time. I've only ever spoken to the asthma nurse and my GP and its been over a year now that I've kept complaining of the breathing issues. The nurse is excellent and she has pushed the GP into referring me as, I know they are reluctant in a lot of cases. I'm hoping a different approach with a more suitable inhaler will help as it's hard enough to deal with AF let alone a form of asthma that has still not been correctly managed I live in hope 😏

[Buffafly]

I used to take Symbicort as both preventer and reliever for a while because as the name suggests it is a combination inhaler. Then when I was in hospital for a day with a coughing virus and AF the doctor said I should have a blue inhaler as well so I asked my GP to prescribe Ventolin again. Magic! But as I seldom have bad asthma unless I have a virus it’s not a problem for me. I take an antihistamine too but I have to pay for it myself now.

I shall be interested to know what the specialist suggests as I know there are many alternatives, best wishes.

[Hammerboy in reply to Buffafly]

Thank you, I'll let you all know what's recommended 👍