Fostair question

[Lizzog]

Has anyone found that Fostair isn't as good as taking Becotide? I've been on Fostair since the Summer and feel that I'm having to take my reliever inhaler more often now than I was before. I don't feel ill, just a bit wheezy. I'm currently taking x2 puffs of Fostair a day but my Asthma nurse suggested upping this to x3 puffs. I can't talk to her now til Monday and not sure whether to increase Fostair or revert back to Becotide. Any thoughts?

[twinkly29]

Was the Fostair helping before recently becoming wheezy? Compared to what you were on before.

I don't really know because I don't have Fostair but I've heard the Asthma UK nurses are really good so might be worth a phone call for advice? 🤔

[Maryjt in reply to twinkly29]

Hi I'm on fostair and have been for 2 years since I was diagnosed with asthma, I was told to take 2 puffs twice a day and that works for me , 2 in the morning and 2 at night, I hope you get sorted

[Maxza]

I was on Becotide for years then it stopped working so well, then Relvar, then Seretide, back to Relvar and although Seretide helped I was on a really high dose and wanted to change, now I’m on Fostair and for me it seems the best. On Relvar, which seems to be amazing for some, i was using my reliever loads! So my long winded point is, we all respond differently and as I’m finding you need to find what works for you, and if something doesn’t work so well, go back to your asthma nurse.

My asthma was controlled really well for over 20 years and then it all changed, so it’s all new to me too.

Good luck on finding the one that helps you the most

Mari x

[Poobah]

Hi Lizzog. I think there are different strengths of Fostair so best to talk to Nurse first before changing your dosage. If you're still on becotide you could also take more of that but you won't get immediate results. All you'd be doing is increasing your inhaled steroids.

Fostair contains, apart from steroids, a long acting bronchidilator. It's supposed to give relief for 12 hours.

I'm surprised you weren't offered a review after 4 to 6 weeks of starting a new med, just so its efficacy could be monitored.

Before you talk to Nurse you could have a few before & after peak flow readings to demonstrate whether or not the culprit is the Fostair. Wait 15 mins before doing the after dosage peak flow.

And if your asthma was well controlled before you went onto Fostair then discuss the option of going back to your pre-Fostair regime.

Good luck.

[Superzob]

I'm a bit suspicious about this, as you don't say why you were changed to Fostair, which implies that Becotide was working for you. Surgeries have been under a lot of pressure to prescribe Fostair because it's cheap; that's not to say it isn't as good, but some people won't find it so.

Monday might not be too long to wait as changing back to Becotide now might take some time to kick in. If you get some resistance to changing back on grounds of cost, you could argue that changing to a higher dose of Fostair, to compensate for its poorer performance, might be less economical than going back to Becotide.

[plastererken]

personly i couldnt get on with fostair i seemed to make more mucus.so i stopped and i am now on clenhill.touch wood with no issues.

[Lizzog]

Thanks everyone for your replies. For some bizarre reason, my replies wouldn't post!

I've got an appointment with a satellite GP (!) this evening, so hopefully will get sorted then. I'm wheezy but don't feel ill, but have felt a little virally for a few weeks. I had pneumonia at Christmas time three years ago and feel so nervous that I'm going to get ill again, although I'm not that bad at all! I don't think that Fostair really suits me - I was offered a review, but somehow it seems to have slipped through the net - I'm going to make an appointment to see the 'proper' asthma nurse at my own GPs surgery in the new year to see if I can try something else. I agree with Plastererken - the Fostair is making me produce far more mucous than on Clenil. Will see what they say later....