Spireva? Ridiculous

[Lizzie1956]

So after 7 weeks of throat being sore, voice breaking/cracking, cough, horrible dry mouth (think a heavy alcohol laden night!) URTI symptoms consultant took me off Spireva. 3 nights later almost all symptoms gone!!!

Really?!? 🙄🤷‍♀️

Liz

[Chip_y2kuk]

That's a shame piriva respimat / tioptropium has been a massive game changer for me... I had a row with a doctor who was on about taking me off it

[Lizzie1956 in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

Amazing isn’t it what a drug does to one and not another!??? I felt soooo unwell on it! Glad it works for you though.

L x

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to Lizzie1956]

It is weird... I have no side effects from it but it does make a difference to my lungs and other people can't tolerate the debilitating side effects

I was prescribed seretide ages ago and couldn't tolerate it (side effects galore) yet others think it's wonderful

It is weird but thank God we are all different or it would be a very boring world

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

I’m glad you got it sorted! Hopefully you’ll find something else that will help without all the side effects! X

[HungryHufflepuff]

I'm on Seretide and Spiriva Respimat, since about a month now. No obvious side effects yet apart from a slightly croaky voice. Before that I was on fostair for 6 months which made me so ill. I had horrendous side effects and it didn't work for me at all, in fact quite the opposite. For all that time the nurse just kept telling me that everyone is very happy with fostair. We are all different and we all have different reactions to medications but some nurses / doctors don't seem to realise or accept this. I'm sorry Spiriva made you so ill and I hope you find something that works for you.

[Lizzie1956 in reply to HungryHufflepuff]

Isn’t that incredible. Fostair has been my lifesaver!! Asthma continues to fascinate me!!!

L x

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to Lizzie1956]

Fostair did nothing for me... so much so I ended up having an asthma attack while taking 8 puffs a day

[Lizzie1956 in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

😱

[Kiiam in reply to HungryHufflepuff]

I’ve had to come off fostair recently , and am on a trial of seratide : I had terrible side effects , severe cramps, and it seems to have been the main culprit of my VCD symptoms, making the whole asthma thing much much worse. Yet spireva has been a life saver too, and has brought loads of relief . We are all individual, and it is interesting to read everyone’s comments ....... what concerns me often the medics are reluctant to try different inhalers, to even assess if it them causing a part of the problem . Asthma is so complex and diverse, everyone seems to be put in Fostair these days, but I guess there has to be a starting point in the book .

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to Kiiam]

Fostair is the favourite among GPS because of the cost (it's one of the cheapest if not the cheapest combi) and the marketing hype that went along with it from the sales reps (that apparently went everywhere to market it before it was released)

[Kiiam in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

I sort of guessed , the cost would be a major factor in the choice xx

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Glad you found the culprit! We really are different - I have had a few arguments with my cons who dislikes Phyllocontin and says the side effects are bad and most people beg to be off it. I know side effects from it can be awful for some but it helps me and I don't get those so argued to stay on it.

I am also fine with Spiriva and Fostair Nexthaler but Symbicort, while it worked ok, gave me a lot of palpitations ans shakiness. Doesn't happen with Fostair even though it contains the same LABA (formoterol) so must have been something else about Symbicort.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Lysistrata]

I had fun with theophylline too.

Was first put on uniphyllin which worked fine (once I stopped drinking caffeine - before that 😬). When my levels dropped my cons increased my dose and swapped me to slo-phyllin - completely different story! Headaches, nausea, constant muscle twitches/shakes, palpitations, insomnia etc etc etc. The cons refused to believe it was the brand change that caused the difference and refused to stop it (he told me it was the pred as levels were ok. Erm it started the same day he changed my theo I think not!)... that’s the exact same drug, just a different brand!

Luckily Brompton stopped it a couple of weeks later, and when they decided I needed to be back on Theo again they listened and put me back on uniphyllin. Currently off it due to high HR and palp (with low levels) and they don’t know if I’ll go back on to it - I hope not as I’m enjoying the occasional Diet Coke!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91]

Emma you are better behaved than me! I don't drink coffee all the time but when I do it is strong stuff...it has never occurred to me to stint on it though I know they are in the same family! Seems to be ok though. I am also a dark chocolate fan but no way am I giving that up lol. My HR can be well behaved (not right now but I am.admitted) so I feel that I'm getting away with it.

Angievere - yes I think my cons sees it as old-fashioned but I really do think these things are individual. I'm not eligible for the fancy new drugs anyway so if old-fashioned works then why not?

[angievere in reply to Lysistrata]

Me and my son take Phyllcontin, I understand some medics consider it an old fashioned drug but we wouldn’t be without it.

[Gwen30]

Hi I’ve just been put on Relvar Ellipta ,used to be on seritide and so far touch wood all appears well. Hopefully this is the answer to less infections for me.

[WheezyAnne]

I had those symptoms when I first went on Spiriva, then after nearly 2 months they disappeared, just like that.

[Lizzie1956 in reply to WheezyAnne]

Well mine had been 7 weeks and showed no signs of going. I’m truly fascinated by the responses on here. How we all respond so differently! I feel a blog post coming on......,, 😁

[Eryl-Davies1]

Gosh that is a shame.

I cough all day...every day and Spiriva due to its very fine mist is the only one I can tolerate without coughing it straight back up

[Birthday60]

I was put on Spiriva by a lovely consultant a few years ago after I noticed a decline in my capacity to excercise and general reduction in capacity/energy. He was very insightful and explained that too many patients come too him when they are too poorly but as I am a keen XC skier and Nordic walker I was able to measure and compare performance - having asthma since I was 15months old and am now 60 yrs means I have a lot of irreparable damage so keeping active is important. Spiriva is often used for COPD but is also used for Asthma

I was taken off seretide due to the high steroid content and frequent bruising and put on Fostair - really nasty side effects including sleeplessness but after challenging the decision as it was made by a visiting asthma project nurse and was -I believe -driven by cost rather than any medical insight my GP put me back on Seretide. A referral to a respiratory consultant moved me onto Symbicort and a SMART protocol - it works as both a preventer and reliever. It was made VERY clear that i MUSt rinse my mouth after each time it was used to avoid hoarse voice and cough side effects. I am also taking Singulair.

[Lizzie1956 in reply to Birthday60]

I’m so glad it worked for you. I did all the gargle/teeth clean etc. It just wasn’t right for me - yet Fostair is my saviour!! Fascinating isn’t it!!!

L x

[Spikedog66]

It's fascinating what does work for some and not for others!! Spiriva/tiotropium been my life saver for nearly 10 years but fostair gave me awful side effects. May we all find a happy medium and keep as well as we can in this maze of drugs.😁