Started Seretide 3 days ago - benefits already?

For the last 6-7 weeks i've been trialling being on Fostair and it didn't improve my asthma at all, in fact at the beginning it got worse!!!!

Last thursday i saw the nurse for a review and i told her that the Fostair made no difference so she changed me onto Seretide.

That was literally 3 days ago and i *think* i'm already starting to feel positive benefits of the Seretide.

I always take my reliever before i do any exercise (which in itself is annoying cos a few years ago i didn't need to but now i do) but even so i usually really struggle with running - more or less all the way round whatever the distance.

Yesterday i did ParkRun which is 5k / 3 miles and my breathing felt really good for about the 1st 2 miles, though by the end i was my usual coughing self. This morning i went out and ran 2.5 miles and only walked for a very short distance about half way round. Last time i tried to run on 2 consecutive days everything hurt - feet / breathing etc I also think it has taken less time than normal for me to fully recover

Is it actually too soon for me to really be feeling the benefits or is it a case of ""I'm taking it so it must be working""

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Hi Jinglfairy

I am glad to hear Seretide appears to be working for you and is allowing you to run more (I'm currently enjoying the mild(ish) weather as I am able to run outside when cold air is one of my major triggers).

I changed from Symbicort to Seretide 18 months ago and noticed the difference within a few days too. My asthma was quite bad at the time so I was monitored closely and the asthma nurse at the hospital said it was probably due to the long acting reliever. I think I am correct in saying this helps with exercise too. I have tried several combination inhalers and Seretide appears to be the best for me (Fluticasone is the best steriod I have had but I think The LABA helps me personally. I also find that if I don't take it (which happened when I was admitted to hospital without meds in the summer) I start getting wheezy with even simplest of activities.

I hope your asthma continues to improve.

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Like Kayla I think it's probably the different LABA. When I started Seretide, I'd stepped up from Qvar, it started to work with in a few days and improved further over the following week or so as the steroid also calmed things further. Glad to gear it's allowing you to run better and more often too.

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Thanks girls, i suspected it was probably the effects of the LABA i was feeling but having had about 7 weeks of Fostair which has a LABA in it i was pleasantly surprised but also slightly curious / sceptical about the effects of the seretide being so immediate.

Lou, it was Qvar i was on as well before the nurse put me on Fostair. I don't know whether my body had just got used to it or my asthma had generally deteriorated but for the last 6 monts or so i've felt things going downhill asthma-wise. Maybe i should've gone sooner, oh well

I was an idiot this morning - feeling too cocky about the wonders of the seretide and didn't take my reliever before i went swimming. The inevitable result was that i needed it part-way through my swim - oops LOL