My story is very long perhaps I’ll share it in detail here some time but I’d like to ask right now if I should or not stop taking my fostair inhaler? The doctor advised me to take it for one week and see her after two. Is it ok to stop taking it abruptly? Wouldn’t it have withdrawal side effects? I was thinking to take it just at night time for one more week... by the way I was slightly wheezy before taking it and got a little better for three days but looks like my wheeze is coming back and it has not had any affect whatsoever on it. What should I do? Anyone who experienced similar symptoms?
Also, I wanted my gp to give me antibiotics as they seemed to have been helping me but she was adamant that I be treated for asthma , (although she is the one who ruled out asthma at first place). Ps my metered readings have always been consistent with just a 50-100 difference and this is what convinced her it was not asthma at the first place. Also, been taking brown inhaler for two weeks (3months ago) which didn’t help either. I’ve been having severe cough with wheezing since April, antibiotics seem to make me better but symptoms come back after a week. Severe wheezing and cough have been making me breathless to the point I had to call the a&e for ambulance.
Sorry for the long post. Didn’t mean to write it all but duh I did...😕 anyone with similar condition please shed some light so I can get benefit too...
Ps I’m booked for a pulmonary checkup next month so fingers crossed I hope it’s nothing serious..
Many thanks
Written by
Kinnoo
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm assuming the pulmonary checkup is with a specialist. If not, then insist on a referral to a specialist. They'll be able to give you some good ideas. In the meantime, as you seem to improve with antibiotics, then try to build up your immune system to fight whatever infection you may have in your lungs. Also check if there is an outside trigger such as something you may be breathing in or allergic to. Most importantly, never be afraid to ring the ambulance. Sometimes people leave it too late because they don't want to be a bother or they feel foolish. So always ring when you need to. The ambulance paramedics would rather find out that you didn't need them then come too late. Also there are specialists at the hospital so they may be able to give you different tests. All the best.
I feel like my condition gets worse when I am at home. We have spent quite a few nights outside this house and my condition seemed far much better when outside.
I feel like there’s something in this house. Always had this feeling since we moved here. I never had a rash but a month after we moved here I developed a rash. Have had sore throat many times although I’ve always been a healthy person. You are right I need to build a strong immune system as something is definitely bringing it down. What do you suggest? I have started taking sodium ascorbate powder which did help when I was taking it some time ago.
The diagnosis of asthma takes a bit of time and you need to be able to bring to the doctor evidence of what your experiencing .
So, peak flows - I do mine twice a day.
Symptoms - write them down every day,
What makes you worse, what makes you better.
Keep taking the medication but say if it is making you better or worse or doing nothing.
Insist on more tests - there are breathing tests to take .
If it’s not asthma, what is it ? What does the gp think may cause your symptoms? Allergy ? Panic , stress attack?
You need to know what your dealing with, how you can make it better and what you can do to avoid it causing problems in your life.
As for antibiotics - I don’t agree that they should be taken without fully knowing it’s the right thing.
Without fail I send a sputum in to the lab to confirm an infection and get sensitivities before I start the antibiotic. We are getting sicker because we over use antibiotics - my latest chest problem is related to me catching a super bug - super bugs become resistant to most antibiotics. What will we do when nothing works for these bugs at all?
So, take charge of your condition, know about it , ask questions , be prepared to bring information and work in partnership with you doctor
You are right, it takes time to diagnose a certain disease. What I don’t understand is why none of the asthma treatments I have been given are working on me? I started with blue inhaler and it seemed to work for me until the very strong attack i mentioned above. It was like I was facing death. My oxygen was normal though so the paramedics must be thinking I was makin it all up.😕 I was later asked to use a brown one which didn’t make any difference either. Also, now with the pink one, the doctor was pretty sure it’d make it alright for me but it didn’t make a difference. The cough is now thankfully gone but I do cough occasionally which reminds me of all those attacks again.😢
I do think that may be it could be stress related. Also when I got emotional it seemed to overpower me. Also, I think there is something in this house that I could be reacting to. I have mentioned this many a times to the gp but they outruled it. I have been taking peak flow readings and they were about 300-350 which is way below what my normal one should be..thank you
You sound very similar to me except I have had asthma my whole life.
In April my breathing deteriorated and I started taking all my meds at the max dose but it made hardly any difference, I had a cough and constant feeling I needed to clear my throat.
My peak flow was always good even when my breathing was at its worst.
My GP suggested it wasnt asthma and I have had further tests.
The best fit for my symptoms is silent reflux, known as LPR, or extraesophageal reflux.
There are many symptoms and reflux/heartburn is not normally one of them but that can be part of it, and PPIs (used for reflux) do not work for LPR.
The other often misdiagnosed as asthma condition is vocal chord dysfunction, VCD, which can also be caused by LPR.
I advise you look online for VCD and LPR to see if the symptoms match yours.
Yes another friend said the same to me. I have had some issues with digestion and have been having sore throat for quite a long time since moving to this particular house we are living in. I noticed that I developed all these symptoms after we moved here and also that whenever we come back home after a long gap I feel worse here. The cough and wheeze also gets worse at night. So it could be post nasal drip or VCD. I will further in to this. Thank you for bringing this into my attention...
Do you suffer with reflux as this can cause you to be breathless and also cause coughing? I get mild asthma and I was really breathless and kept being treated for my asthma for a couple of years. It turns out in the end I had a hiatus hernia and reflux can mimic asthma symptoms.
I do have reflux issues. Someone else pointed this out to me as well but I don’t know why the gps never bring this up or ask for any such symptoms? Why do they only fixate on asthma? :/ perhaps I could bring this up in my appt with the specialist...
You should definitely bring this up with your doctor. They may refer you for an endoscopy or give you medication for reflux. Doctors do not tend to "look out of the box" if you have asthma and anything to do with breathlessness is according to them your asthma! xx
Thank you yes I will ask them to look for that possibility. You are right they stick to the books and never dig in to conditions. The only out of the box thing my gp asked me was if I had nasal droppings...
I have had a hiatus hernia for about two years. I did not bring up much mucus but I did feel I had a chest infection but steroids did not clear the breathlessness. I feel there is a connection between inhalers and reflux xx
No I feel they cause reflux! A lot of asthma suffererers seem to have reflux as well. I am on Lanzaprazole which has helped with the reflux a lot. Have you ever had an endoscopy?
Sorry I just read your reply. No, I never had an endoscopy I’m just 30 and have never been so ill my whole life... you may be right... I have stopped using the fostair inhaler I feel a light wheeze when I wake up in the morning but as soon as I eat something I feel better. The wheeze seems to be the same, not getting better or worse. What could it mean? My appt is on 28th, still a week to go..
Fostair is both a corticosteroid which acts to lessen inflammation in the lungs and a reliever which helps to "open' the lungs. If it has been helping then it may take a few days before symptoms return. Also it can take a couple of weeks before full benefit is shown when taking it. Having said this - I don't actually take it, so I haven't experienced it.
Thank you. That’s very helpful. When I was taking it I didn’t feel any difference in my wheezing. In fact the wheeze got worse 3 days after I started taking it..
It bothers me that you got a rash after you moved in and then feel better when you are away from home. Sometimes when you move into a place you don't know what was there before. For example, if you are allergic to cats and the previous owner had cats or maybe they let off one of those cockroach "bombs" that go through the whole room. I am highly allergic to both these things. Often the smell is gone but the effects are still there. Usually you can smell mould but maybe there is something nearby - even a tree that is blossoming or a factory nearby. Not everyone gets affected. Some are more allergic than others. Keep a reliever medication nearby in case you have trouble breathing again.
I don't think it is this, but I just saw an interesting youtube video of a lady who had suffered for 10 years and it was discovered to be carbon monoxide poisoning from something in the house - not enough to kill her but enough to make her sick. There were detectors in the house but apparently the positioning of them didn't pick it up. Others in the house didn't get as ill but had minor symptoms. Each person is different. Google - (Youtube video Lady sick from carbon monoxide poisoning) if you want more details.
These are all ideas and all could be wrong so keep investigating, seeking answers and looking at ways to improve your health. Wishing you a quick journey back to health.
Thank you very much for the detailed reply. I don’t think that I am allergic to cats as I once had a cat but yes the previous owner did have a cat... also my house is right beside a park which has a lot of poplar trees... now I don’t know if I am allergic to poplar or not... I’ll definitely bring this up in my appointment. I will also see this video you suggested, thanks a lot. Actually this seems interesting to me as well. My wheezing has also increased in the past couple of days so it doesn’t show that the fostair inhaler was making me better.
You are right I should always keep the reliever handy as I once had a severe breathlessness/coughing attack whilst being outside and I didn’t have it with me. Thank you very much. I hope you also feel better soon. I just want to know what this thing is as this whole year had passed in this same condition and I feel depressed all the time...
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Cough and wheeze
Has anyone been prescribed carbocisteine? 
A few questions from a newbie to asthma!
Asthma Flare up - when will it end! It
Dear 4 years old son diagnose with asthma.
