Can I avoid infection?

[jamiepanic]

Hi everyone. On Saturday I was outside for quite a while when it was freezing and snowing. Since then my chest has got a bit bad - heavy and some (clear) phlegm. The last time this happened, I couldn't get rid of the inflammation so ended up on antibiotics. Is there anything I can do to avoid that? How many puffs of Seretide can I take in a day?

[Damon1864]

You can only take two puffs of seretide daily.xxx

[Minushabens in reply to Damon1864]

It's interesting you say that - is that something you've been told by a GP? I ask because I was told by a GP that I can take it up to 50 times a day! The reason being it's still a better option than not breathing. Although if you're getting to that level, of course, you probably should be calling for help.

However, I have regularly taken 10 or more doses in a day with no discernible side effects.

To answer the original query I don't think there's much you can do to stop infections, but being in good health, having a good diet, etc. will all build your body's resistance.

[Hidden]

Hi I am on symbicort and was told by my nurse it was ok to double it up if I had an exacerbation. I am not saying you should do the same thing but it might be worth a call to your surgery to ask. The reason I guess is that it has some reliever in it as well as preventer.

I hope you feel better soon. x

[O-T-]

The wiki pages on long acting beta adreno thingummibobs - the 'reliever' component in things like symbicort and seretide actually may give one pause for thought on the safety of higher dosing and the question of how consistent the information possessed buy healthcare professionals can really be expected to be. I'm not trying to fear-monger, I just feel that the big money made by big pharma's big sellers such as seretide leaves science trailing along behind trying to do meta-analysis; and doctors have to rely on their own expertise, clinical experience and research or just the information they're provided with by the pharmaceuticals via the gov.

[O-T-]

I think loading up on vitamins and minerals along with good food is the best course of action.