Theophylline: Hi, Possibly going to... - Asthma Community ...

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Theophylline

6 Replies

Hi,

Possibly going to try theophylline so just after people's experiences good and bad of it - has it made a difference or have the side effects, interactions with other drugs and difficulties with getting levels right made it not worth it?

Thank you

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6 Replies

Hi I'm on uniphyllin. When I started it had palpatations nausea and vomitting. Had to shop taking it. The dr suggested starting on a lower dose. I now take it once a day. When side effects started I changed it to night time so slept thro side effects. It has helped stabilize some of the symptoms of my asthma. I'm glad I tried it again.

I have had both some very positive experiences of theophylline and not such good ones. To begin with it just didn't work and that was because the levels were wrong - it is worth keeping on at them to check levels until they are right. My GP just stuck me on a dose and didnt check it, it wasnt until I ended up in with no theo in my blood that someone twigged it couldnt be right. I have also had problems with various brands so it is always worth trying different brands as one might suit you more than others.

Although I have had many problems with it, it has been worth the effort of getting it right as when my theophylline levels are sub therapeutic I really notice it. I also think it has been good for my nighttime symptoms but thats just my personal experience. I still have to take anti-sickness medication to be able to take the tablets, but i believe that normally if you are in the therapeutic range there shouldnt be problems from this. I think a lot of the problems from side effects come from the dose being too high. I always know if my levels are going too high as my heart rate is spectacularly fast.

I really hope it works for you and feel free to PM me, or post on here any more specific questions you may have and I will be happy to try and answer them.

Em

x

HI Dolphin,

I Have had no problems with it and really helping,I Take 1 m/n and double when asthma bad.

Docs should keep an eye on you with blood tests now and then to make sure you aren't on to high dose.

I have not had any blood tests.

Hope you get good results and not many side effects,

love Glynis xxx

Thank you for your replies. I did try it a while back but felt very sick and in the end we stopped it. However, like you say, the GP thinks it may have been due to the dose or the brand and so we are thinking of trying again with a different dose and brand. Thanks again.

I also found taking the right anti-sickness medication helped. I was on two different ones for a while and tried a few before we solved it. Especially if it makes a difference to your asthma, it might help you tolerate it. I really hope it works for you. Let us know.

x

I took this for several years as a teenager and can remember no side effects. I took again for a couple of years until recently as I didn't want to take it while pregnant but will no doubt go on it afterwards.

One brand made me feel awful - felt sick and had horrible headaches. I was desperate for improved control so we tried a different brand (can't remember name but purple capsules) and after a lot of tinkering with the dosage I was able to take it with good results and rarely had headaches.

I think it's definately worth a go but make sure you get your blood checked regularly to ensure the dose is correct.

Good luck

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