New inhaler advice

[Fionab86]

Hello, I went for my annual asthma review yesterday and was given a new preventer inhaler as my previous one wasn't helping enough. I've woken up today a bit out of breath and I'm just wondering if it's normal to be a bit breathless when changing preventers?

Thank you

Bit more info my previous preventer was the fostair nexthaler and my new one is duroresp spiromax

[PMRPete]

You may need to adjust the dose you are taking, talk to a resp. nurse or your doctor. Here is a list of the 6 combination inhalers, yours are the first two.

Alternative treatments

Six ICS/LABA combination inhalers are licensed in the UK for treating asthma (see the relevant summaries of product characteristics for more information):

extrafine beclometasone/formoterol (Fostair) metered dose inhaler and dry powder inhaler

budesonide/formoterol (DuoResp Spiromax) dry powder inhaler

budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort) dry powder inhaler

fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (Relvar Ellipta) dry powder inhaler

fluticasone propionate/formoterol (Flutiform) metered dose inhaler

fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (Seretide) metered dose inhaler and dry powder inhaler.

nice.org.uk/advice/esnm53/c...

[Fionab86 in reply to PMRPete]

Ok that's great, thank you

[lakelover]

I have read someone was breathless when put on DuoResp. It's a cheap version of Symbicort which I think is great, but some people don't find DouResp works as well as Symbicort.

[Fionab86 in reply to lakelover]

Thanks for your reply, I think I'll have to go back and ask for a different inhaler

[PMRPete]

Money saving?

"In addition to the healthcare professional and patient benefits, DuoResp Spiromax® could potentially provide annual savings of £40.8 million to the NHS"

tevauk.com/hcp/DuoResp_Spir...

[Fionab86]

Thank you for the information, I think I'll see what it's like over the weekend and go back to the doctors if I need to.

[green881]

What is missing from that (very good list) is beclometasone/salmeterol ... which is interesting since those are the first two original ICS and LABA invented. Could it be they are too old to patent? Just saying....

But you can make your own by taking both Qvar HFA and Serevent Diskus powder. I just took it and found it super effective even if a bit jittery. I haven't taken Serevent or its cousin Advair in a decade, the powder seems finer - was it reformulated?

Anyhow I think PMR's point is keep trying until you find magic. In my experience both the delivery mechanism and type of drug can make a difference.

[Matman]

Gather that even the particle size of the Steroid constituent can be a factor. While finer particle sizes seem that have become all the rage, I read that some clinicians now feel that a mixture of small, large and medium sized particles are more effective. I wonder if the particle size of either the Steroid or LABA also figures in how much irritation to the airways is experienced. Certainly inhaled drugs can, to varying degrees, irritate the airways, though some patients may be less susceptible than others.