Uniphyllin and I'm New!

Hi there I'm a new member and my doctor has recommended uniphyllin, starting at 150mg increasing to 300mg after a week if I tolerate it. Can anyone tell me about their own experiences using this drug. It seems that some people have really bad reactions such as vomiting, headaches and the shakes, and then other people have done really well on it. I would love to hear from you all even if it's just to say hi or give an opinion. Cheers!

[yaf_user681_26410]

uniphyllin has just been suggested to me too. i had to see doc today because couldn't get asthma under control again. pred worked eventually last time but have got allergy testing next week so can't take that or antihistamines at the moment. doc says that is the only option if it doesn't improve. try to cope with a big dose of becotide and masses of ventolin at the moment along with my fomoterol and singulair.

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hi i have no experiences with this drug but thought i would say hi and welcome to the boards

hope you are doing ok and that you are not allergic to it

hannah ###

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Hi Hannah and Angela

Thanks very much for the reply! I've heard that people can get quite sick on uniphyllin but on the other hand it can work really well for others. Well, just got my tablets and took my first one, my doctor says if it's going to work for me I'll notice a difference quite soon but then again I might have my head down the toilet! Fingers crossed. Hope your feeling better soon angela. I'll let you all know how I get on. Cheers. KarenX

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This drug belongs to the Aminophylline range of drugs (Theophylline too)!

I've tried alot of these but because of blood levels always being low in me I taking an OVER normal dosage of a different drug from the range available!

Its important to get blood levels done once established on the drug regularly to start as it can be very toxic if levels to high and be of NO use if they to low!

It can cause bad headaches (I get migraines that won't go away from mine if I am particularly rundown) shakes, palpitations are very common and YES queasiness is and can be a BIG problem!

As I know my levels are low on Amino I take an strong anti-sickness tablet regular anyway BUT I also take in total over 25 meds or more!

Sometimes or in some people it is NOT advisable to take anti-sickness meds thought with Amino or Theo as sickness can indicate toxic levels!

Don't want to scare you but Amino or Theo is a nasty drug ans some people just do not get on with it!

Yet alot of us have it and also if some of us have serious attacks (many of us are brittle asthmatics but others aren't) we sometimes require it IV when on a hospital admission!

Also I found when I first started it INSOMNIA was bad problem and now still affects me!

Also I find it can make me snappier mood wise than normal too (but I also take long-term betamethasone steroid tablets amongst alotta meds)!

WELCOME TO THE MAD-HOUSE by the way!

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Hi Kscotland and welcome to AUK.

I still take uniphyllin 200mg per day. This is the second time round for me. The first time I took this drug was very sick. However second time around feel just slightly sea sicky some of the time. I feel as if it does help with really bad symptoms, but is not the main 'relief' type drug. However my pf always improves on this drug, although not as much as when taking pred.

Please make sure you go for the regular blood tests. It's important to ensure that your lungs get the best therapeutic effects but there is a narrow range of positive benefits against side effects such as those affecting the liver.

Also don't take this type of drug with antibiotics. I've just stopped taking uniphyllin because of having to take antibis re infected cuts etc on docs recommendation.

Mia

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how's it going

hi kscotland welcome to boards, hows it going with the uniphyllin? i only started it myself month b4 last and am one of the lucky ones in that doesn't seem to affect me side effects too much now my bodies got use to it. did get sea sick feelin to start with but is worth perservering if u can. think u need to give it a fair go and try not to worry too much about wat side effects might get

do make sure get bloods checked mind as others have said this is important

and i now carry round in wallet list of meds i'm on and wat levels incase get taken bad and into a&e as lets docs know straight off wat your on so know wat can give u med wise esp when u started new stuff like uniphyllin and med records might not have bin updated yet!

feel free to pm me if u need to chat

scampy

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Can I just say if you are given antibiotics ask GP first before stopping theo/amino as not everyone needs to stop taking them !!

Ever since I been on theo/amino I have NEVER stopped the theo/amino and have had ALOT of IV antibiotics ontop of IV amino !!

Everyone is VERY different with this drug so PLEASE ask your gp if you feel anything isn't right or you start to get worse side effects !!

Also don't have a LOT of caffeine as that can affect levels too !!

Once settled on the drug you will find you can tolerate more caffeine but it can and does affect some people on theo/amino !!

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Hi everyone, hi wheezer, just to let you know I've been fine on the 200mg of uniphyllin and I've been put up to 300mg today, next week I get my blood levels checked as well. Hopefully the 300mg won't have a bad effect on me either. Feeling quite good! Touch wood!X

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Uniphyllin

Hi everyone, thought I would keep you all updated. Been on 300mg of uniphyllin now since last week and I feel terrible. Was just feeling a waves of sickness but it's totally kicked in. Was just at the shops and came back and my mum says I look yellow! Feel a bit green! Think I'll go back down to the 200mg, I thought I could cope with just feeling a bit sick but it makes just want to lie down. Thanks for all your support! KarenX

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Snap!

I started on 200mg of Uniphyllin twice a day 9 days ago and I've been feeling pretty rotten with it although people keep telling me to stick with it. Some days I feel like I have constant sea sickness and I'm not sleeping very well at all, it takes till around 2.30am for me to drop off and then I wake up every couple of hours!

I'm going to stick it out until I've been on it 2 weeks and then go back and see my gp. I'm lucky I'm on holiday from uni at the moment otherwise this would be a nightmare!

Lucy

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Hi all,

I have been on 400 uniphylline twice daily for years, and unlike some of you i tollerate it quite well . my levels are around 8-12 so around the normal range although my cons told me that even on the lower doses uniphylline has an anti imflamatory effect so he was not worried if the levels were sometimes a bit low.

hope you who are new to it soon feel better,

Love George xx

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Here we go again.......

I'm really sorry that yet more people are falling foul to the ghastliness and side effects when starting on this drug!

I tried to explain it to my Con only yesterday and told him to imagine his worst ever chucking up hangover and mutiply it times 50!

From experience, and speaking as somebody who has had (and still experiences) terrible trouble with the side effects of this drug .... when starting it from scratch, or increasing it, little by little needs to be the name of the game. Instead of jumping up from 200mg to 300mg, have you thought about cutting a few tablets into quarters, and therefore increasing gradually, 25mg at a time, so your body grows in tolerance with each new increase.

This is a perfectly and medically acceptable way to do it- I even had this suggestion made to me by my Con Team.

Eat plenty when you take it-do not fall into the trap of not eating because the room is spinning and you feel green. I always find a packet of crisps is best...something salty rather than sweet. The action of food in your stomach lessens the side effects, and especially as they tend to kick in several hours after you have dosed up, so you probably aren't going to feel very hungry later, when sea sick!

AVOID....tea, coffee, cola, choccie, and anything else with caffeine in, even BBQed food. These just enhance those side effects.

If you are unbearably sick as a parrot, turning green,or doing a David Beckham etc, it is also medically OK to drop one dose, drink lots of water, light fluids, light foods, and then take the next dose as planned after the missed dose. Hopefully this gives your system a chance to recover a little. I was also advise to use travel sickness pills to their advantage, they'll stop you feeling quite so rubbish!

Again personally, when starting from scratch, the real ghastliness lasts 2 weeks. When increasing a dose, a week to 10 days, hopefully less if you increase bit by bit.

Do have a level check (simple blood test) after 2 weeks. If the side effects symptoms persist, you should also be offered a change of brand/type/version. Some cause less nausea etc, some more, it may be trial and error.

I think the starting dose is generally around 200mg. That's for Miss/Mrs/Mr Average though-if you're lighter you may need less-certainly seems to be dictated by body weight, I have found. For some people this is enough, and only a level check will tell.

Again personally, I find the benefits of this drug are amazing. I have far, far less gunkiness, and a warmth in the middle of my chest where the tightness is being helped. If I leave it out for a day (2 doses) I notice worse asthma symtoms the next day, it works that fast (for me).

It is a very good, old, proven but awkward drug and unfortunately wont work for everybody. I have several times lasted 6 months to a year on it before jacking it all in as I just couldn't hack the side effects, but this time round, and following copious lengthy weeks on it IV in hospital, I have found it really does work for me, where Pred doesn't.

I really hope you guys feel better very soon and benefit from taking it.

Did you know that in some 3rd world countries it is the only asthma drug availble. Doesn't bear thinking about.

Oh and last thing about levels...generally it is said that ideal = 10-15. Toxic = 20, undertherapeutic = 5 and below. I think the scale is mcg/ml ?

Some people can get to 20 and not feel toxic. For me toxic = 15 or above, and my last level was 17 so I was really sick. Ideal is usually around 11 or 12, but yet again, was told yesterday (as I have just decreased my dose due to not being able to cope with side effects, again!) if my level drops to below 10 it would prob still be ok for me.

Hope that last bit in particular makes sense!

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Just to add my two pennith worth. I take 3 x 225mg am and 2x 225mg pm. So tahts a total of 1250mg per day. My levels are always sub therapeutic and i do drink tea, coffee eat choc etc. I always react when starting or increasing drug! I also have regular antib's with no probs so far! But apart from sleeping which is a problem anyway i find it does help but it is one of those drugs i would like to stop eventually although i would rather take aminoph than pred anyday! I suppose it is lesser of 2 evils! My doses are done by my cons at hospital the wanted me to increase it to 3 am & pm but with sleep being a problem i persuaded them not too. The normal limit is 2x225mg am & pm.

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just posting on this one to bring it to the top so it can be found!!

justy

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Hi People, Just thought I'd let you know that things have settled down now, went back to 200mg and feeling so much better. I also got my bloods back today and the doctor is happy with them. Feeling really good and I'm away on my hols/studying to madrid tomorrow morning, so very excited, dreading getting my suitcase weighed at the airport though! Anyway speak to you all soon, Hope you all are doing OK. KarenX

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hi k glad to hear the uniphyllin is doin its job, have a great time in madrid

scampy

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Posting to bring this thread up to the top

[Dave2436]

Hi my name is dave i have problem with my mucas do you find that

Uniphyllein help in any way

Thanks all the best dave

[raymondc]

Hello, Uniphyllin is a long acting broncholater lasting upto 12 hours, mainly for asthma/COPD or COPD only,

I been taking the drug for over 12 years, I started off with 800my per-day each does 400mg x 2 times Adams morning and night,

At first you may feel jumpy inside this is a side effect and does wear off after a few weeks on the drug,

At the moment I take 1000mg per-day 500mg 2 times aday, you need to read the patient leaflet for all the information, the drug in non-addative you can start and stop at will but not advisable unless your Doctor says so,