Seretide is it the answer?

Hello

I've had asthma since I was born and it seems worse controlled than ever with lots of exacerbations oral steroids and thrush in my throat and airways. I stopped my nasal sprays earlier this year and switched to nasal washing and that seems to have improved things, it's certainly stopped the thrush but I've kept taking my montelukast and Seretide 250 x 4 a day taken with a spacer. But this week I've felt really bad and my peak flow dropped to 550 it's usually 750 and I've gots lots of inflammation and phlegm so and I started my rescue oral steroids.

I'm trying things to see what will work but I'm wondering if Seretide is the cause of the problems? I think I was better controlled on Becotide but the GP or Asthma Nurse won't have that! I've put on about two stone in as many years and my sports I like, cycling and canoeing are seriously affected. I wonder if anybody else has gone back to Becotide or its current form/name Clenil Modulite?

[yaf_user681_53148]

Well, I have to say Seretide did nothing for me. It's supposed to be a much stronger steroid than Clenil, but good old Clenil works better for me. Currently on Symbicort which is good for me as well - you could ask to try that? Seretide, being a combination inhaler (steroid + long acting reliever) is a step up from Clenil (steroid only) and that might be why they are reluctant to put you back on that if symptoms are bad. Symbicort is also a combi, so they may be more willing to switch. In my opinion, inhalers are very much a matter of trial and error and seeing which one works for you. I hope you start feeling better soon.

[yaf_user681_30355]

Hi Holy Boy,

If you know the becotide steroid (beclomethasone dipropionate) works for you there is a combination inhaler with that steroid and a different long lasting reliever (formoterol). The inhaler is called Fostair. You could ask to try that and at least only change one medication at a time. As Aylab said, it is a matter of trial and error. My asthma is sensitive to beclomethasone dipropionate but I was on it for years before a GP put me on a different one and things started improving right away. I tried it once again a few years later when Qvar was all the rage and instantly my lungs complained!

[Hidden]

Currently there's 4 combi inhalers, they all have a steroid and a long acting ventolin type drug. They are seretide, flutiform ( these both have fluticasone as the steroid ), symbicort and fostair. The only combination that has the same steroid in it as the clenil is the fostair and the long acting reliever is formetarol, which is the same as symbicort and flutiform.

I have tried all of these, my personal favourite is the flutiform as the steroid in it gives me better control, but my heart had less issues with the reliever than the one in seretide.

We are all different though. I'd imagine your GP is concerned that your asthma is not in control, so will be unlikely to want to step you down at the moment. Like JF is ask about fostair if you got on with clenil as it's the same steroid. It does take time, my asthma is both badly controlled and badly managed , but the inhaler I prefer is the flutiform, though it isn't others' favourite!!

Hope this helps xx