trouble with symbicort SMART?

Does anyone else have bother with this? I sometimes have trouble taking it if my chest is tight, I find it hard to make sure I inhale deeply enough.

Is this a problem for anyone else?

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I have had the same issue with symbicort and terbutaline inhalers. Have now gone back to ventollin inhalers as they are easier to take...

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Next time you're at your surgery (or see your consultant, whichever is appropriate!) it might be worth asking to see if they have an In-Check device. This is a cunning little ""reverse peak flow meter"" that has a dial you use to choose the various different inhaler devices, and then you inhale as best you can through it and a scale will show whether you have sufficient inspiratory oomph to use that inhaler properly.

This will show whether you need to switch to a propellant-based inhaler (which requires virtually no inspiratory effort) as opposed to a dry powder inhaler like Symbicort.

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I'm absolutely fine with it until my lungs protest and I need to use it as a reliever. Maintenance dose is easy enough to take, but when using it as a reliever it can be tricky to inhale deeply enough. The other problem that I get is that when it's bad I find it hard to inhale deeply without coughing, so as fast as I inhale the powder it's likely that I'm coughing it straight out.

I'll speak to my GP about it, I just wondered if anyone else had had this problem. I could really have done with Ventolin and a spacer yesterday - I think my lungs may have recovered quicker.

[yaf_user681_30355]

Hi piglet,

I will be interested in what your GP says, as when the Symbicort Smart wasn't enough for my asthma flare up I was given a ventolin inhaler and spacer. I personally think if it is used only when the max dose of Symbicort isn't enough it is ok. And obviously if you had to use it often then it is time to seek advice. What do you think?

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I use Symbicort on Smart system, but this evening I had an attack and used ventolin via spacer first then had enough to be able to do Symbicort.. It's only when I can't do Symbicort that I use ventolin first. Most of the time when I am coughing more or tight I use Symbicort first.