Does the body get used to ventolin ?

[Hannah125]

Hi!

I've had a horrible time with my asthma during the past 4 months and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be getting any better right now. As a result of this, I've started to take more puffs of ventoline (sometimes more than 10 in one day!) otherwise I couldn't do anything. However, I noticed that sometimes it doesn't seem to work even with 3 puffs I still struggle to breathe with tight chest. I've read somewhere that if taken very often, the body could get used to the drug and as a result it becomes less efficent. I'm really worried about this because it's the only drug that helps me right now along with bricanyl/atrovent nebs and there were many times I had trouble breathing and if I had not taken anything I don't think I'd be alive today. So if they stop working I'm not sure what other option I'd have ? Have someone here ever experienced something like this?

Also, I've never had this problem because I have several inhalers at home but I find it very strange that there is no way to know how many doses are left in the inhaler. It's possible to know it with seretide and other inhalers but not with ventoline! As a result of this, there are many people who have attacks and realise too late that their inhaler is empty which is very dangerous. So I wonder why they have not changed this yet ?

[PMRPete]

You need an EASYHALER SALBUTAMOL which has a dose counter:-

medicines.org.uk/emc/produc...

"The inhaler has a dose counter which shows how many doses are left (Figure 7a or 7b). The counter turns after every fifth dose (actuation). When the numbers turn red, there are 20 doses left. If you do not already have a new inhaler, contact your doctor for a new prescription. When the counter reaches 0, you need to replace the inhaler even though you can still observe the powder in the clear window on the back of the inhaler (Figure 8)."

[LisaLewis]

Hi Hannah125 I have gotten that way several times, when the Ventalin doesn't work it's time to go to the hospital. I had to take Ventalin just to take a few steps. This last time I ended up having Paraflu and was admitted into the hospital for several days having to take antibiotics and prenisone. Usually when you have to take your rescue inhaler that many times and it doesn't work it's some else going on. I would get that checked asap. I pray that you get soon, I hope this helped.

[ChloeBlossomRosie]

I was told by a consultant at the hospital that the body can get used to Salbutamol, that is one of the many reasons I ended up there last year. I would recommend a visit to your doctor or even the hospital if you are taking lots of your reliever inhaler. I hope you are feeling better soon.

[johnsmith]

You say: "I still struggle to breathe with tight chest."

see: healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

You need to see consultant to check if medication no longer works. You can discuss the above with them at the same time.

[Matman]

Had a few occasions where my Fostair Inhaler (Combined Reliever + Preventer) seemed to do more good than my Ventolin. Still partly rely on Ventolin but for any serious attack would use both in combination.

[Emer1000]

Hospital visit .... either will be unplanned she to an attack or you can go before this happens. Foe whatever reason normal mess are not working. Hospital will find a way to get it back under control ... but you are at risk of a big attack so you need to manage it and go ask for help.

[Hidden]

There are only a few studies online regarding this but they do point to tolerance of Ventolin.

When I was a teenager I would take Ventoline 2 or 3 times a day and that was enough for me to build up a tolerance and I found I needed to take it more and more to get the same affect.

[Hannah125]

Thank you very much for all your answers!

I did see many doctors but unfortunately I was never taken seriously. The problem is that most of the time I take ventoline before the appointments so by the time they see me my symptoms decrease a little bit so they think it's all in my head.

Once I saw a doctor and I told her I had asthma and had a tight chest with difficulty breathing and guess what ? She said I wasn't having an attack and that she wouldn't do anything because there was no wheezing, I wasn't turning blue and I wasn't using accessory muscles to breathe so to her there was no sign of respiratory distress. She refused to put me on nebulizer and instead I went back home with that same tight chest, dfficulty breathing. This happened eveytime I went to see a doctor, I go hoping to get some relief or to find a solution and I just come back home disappointed and feeling hurt also because most of them deny my symtoms and try to make me believe that it's all in my head. Basically, they won't do anything unless it becomes a matter of life and death. If I can still talk and have a good oxygen saturation they think it can't be serious.

[MrsCMK in reply to Hannah125]

Hi Hannah.

I’m reading your messages and your situation sounds all too familiar to my own experience. My asthma was left undiagnosed for some time because I present with breathlessness but no wheeze. I was so persistent with my care to the point that in the end, every time I felt breathless I went straight to my GP. I knew it wasn’t normal and kept getting quizzed in my mental health. Even two Spirometry tests came back “normal.”

Anyway, my persistence paid off and I got my diagnosis but it took 10 long months (which is the grand scheme of things and in comparison to others, was not a great deal of time).

All I can advise is to dig your heels in and keep a good symptom diary that includes dates, times, how you’re feeling (for example any sore throat etc), the weather and even what you were doing that day.

Wishing you the best of luck and I hope you get taken seriously soon!

[Hannah125 in reply to MrsCMK]

Thank you so much! I'm sorry you had to go through something similar, this should never happen to anyone but apparently it does happen quite often to people with asthma. Doctors should normally be able to tell if it is asthma or not and most importantly they should take seriously what patients tell them. I too had 3 spirometry tests done and they all came back normal so to them it was impossible that it could be asthma. In the end I think that they should pay more attention to the symptoms we describe which are worrying rather than focusing only on some numbers on a computer.

[MrsCMK in reply to Hannah125]

You’re absolutely right. For those that present with symptoms that don’t fit into the norm, a 6-8 minute appointment just doesn’t give the GP enough time to even begin to get into the detail. It’s so difficult but keep pushing 💪🏽

[KnPoa in reply to Hannah125]

My asthma is very similar, I can deteriorate quickly but then return to normal just as quick so by the time I get to the doctors I am breathing and speaking normally. My attacks usually start with a lot of coughing, triggering the breathlessness. I tend to only wheeze and have the blue tinge to the lips if it’s a quite bad attack or am around allergens that have triggered it.

I’ve had a bad cough for 3 months now relying on my ventolin daily, sometimes up to 12 times a day. I’ve been to the doctors 3 times, every time I go, the locum (same doctor every time) doesn’t believe I take my medication because if I did “my asthma would be controlled”. She never tests my peak flow, which has dropped.

Currently on another dose of oral steroids as I had diminished lung sounds on my right lung, which wasn’t there 2 weeks ago but sent me away with a higher dose of steroids.

Always feels like a battle just to get into the doctors, then a battle with the doctors to get the help you need. Just dig your heels in and keep returning and if you have more that one doctor ask for another one. Or ring 111 and ask for advice.

Hopefully you get sorted soon!

[Hannah125 in reply to KnPoa]

Thank you for your answer. I'm seriously thinking about taking a short course of oral steroids but I'm not sure if I can start taking it while I'm on pulmicort. I'm scared of the side effects and this has kept me from taking them for months.