Why seretide is the first course of action for asthma...Why not some steroid free treatment to start with?

[AAAAIE]

Hi everyone! I am new to asthmatic life! My issue started with heart palpitations and acidity, got nexium then later I started feeling SOB, initially Dr. Said it's bronchitis and then gerd induced asthma and now asthma. My question is that do I need to stay on seretide course because I cannot differentiate my symptoms are due to gerd or asthma. Sometimes I feel it's belching and sometimes pure SOB. How can I make a difference

[twinkly29]

I suppose if they've decided it's asthma, then the asthma needs treating, whatever the trigger is, and the beginning treatment for that is a steroid inhaler.

That's not to say that getting the gerd under control isn't sensible as potentially then asthma treatments will be at the lowest level for you. I guess the thing to discuss with your GP is how to focus on the GERD and then maybe trying to reduce asthma medication - but I wouldn't do it without their involvement.

[AAAAIE in reply to twinkly29]

Thankyou! For your reply... Much appreciated... If a preventive inhaler is the first line of action then I feel relaxed else various thoughts have been racing in my mind regarding side effects of steroid, dependency etc etc and I actually did stop using my preventor in between for a month and when I started taking it again I actually felt that it's not giving me that quick recovery as it used to.... Just worried about using steroids and interested more in herbal remedies

[twinkly29 in reply to AAAAIE]

The inhaled steroids work very differently to oral steroids - I believe they target the lungs and do their job without affecting the rest of the body, meaning the other side effects and dependence isn't a factor. Even short courses of oral steroids are ok if needed for asthma and won't cause dependence or long term effects - and when those are needed it's unfortunately just a case of sorting breathing being more important. But.... keeping on top of preventer medication for asthma should mean such events are few and far between.

Of course the other element is knowing and managing one's triggers which can be a nightmare - to identify in the first place, to pinpoint at the time and to manage depending what they are. But if you can get on top of the GERD then at least that's one box ticked!

[AAAAIE in reply to twinkly29]

Thanx twinkly for your helpful responses! XXxx

[Emaych61]

GORD/GERD is currently a huge problem for me as well and I’m on medication for both of them (been on asthma meds for over fifty years - the GORD really kicked off just over twelve years ago and I’ve had issues with it on and off ever since). Since December of last year things have got a lot more problematic and for the past two and a half months I’ve been on cimetidine in an effort to control it - the breathing problems it was causing on an almost daily basis were some of the worst I’ve experienced as my asthma, although moderate, is usually very well controlled. By this time of year I would normally have expected to decrease the amount of inhaled steroids I require by half - at the moment I’m still on the maximum dose.

As a general rule for me the difference between the two comes with the triggers. Now that’s fine for me because I do not have any food allergies, but it it might not work for all. Before the medication really began to control it (and this time around it was three weeks before it began to have any effect at all and six weeks before things began to feel normal) the GORD related breathing problems calmed down if I ate anything, only to flare up about thirty to forty five minutes after I’d finished eating. Drinking anything was a major trigger, and I only drink water (as a cold drink) and hot milky water (think milky tea but without the tea element) as a hot drink. My stomach found the hot milky water easier to cope with. This was a major problem for me as I am also prone to UTIs so I’m supposed to down 2.5 or more litres of fluids a day. At its worst I struggled to down 2 litres.

As twinkly29 has said, if they’ve decided you have asthma then you need to stay on the inhalers and to keep to the dose they recommended until they say otherwise. I do vary my inhaler dosage, but having had asthma for over fifty years I am very, very familiar with my version of it (though even I can get caught out). I certainly would not take myself off it without consulting my GP (and I know full well what she would say).

With GORD (as with asthma) it’s important to identify your triggers so you can avoid them (caffeine is a major trigger for me - but I have several others as well) and that can take time. If you haven’t done so already try keeping a food diary, noting what and when you eat and what happens as a result of it.

Sorry this is so long, but hopefully some of it will help.

[AAAAIE in reply to Emaych61]

Thank you so much ! For such a detailed explanation. It is a big help for me.

Sorry to hear that you have been struggling with this all for a long time! May things ease out for you as quicker as possible.

I will now definitely follow the plan given by my doctor. Yes ! The food diary idea is something I need to work on although I do have an asthma diary. Still working on my triggers but couldn’t find anything except Gerd and stress so far.

Your reply helped in reduction of My anxiety and panic for being diagnosed asthmatic. I should believe that it’s a usual thing and many people are facing it since long. Honestly I was actually in denial that I can’t have it and it’s only Gerd. My only prevalent symptom was SOB even no wheezing and no coughing but now with some time I can hear my wheezing and understand that I have 2 out of 3 major symptoms. Cough is the only thing that I am spared of uptil now thanx God!

Stay safe stay healthy many prayers xX

By the way I started using kefir for Gerd and it proved to be very helpful but then due to its sourness I feel I get and increase of phlegm so I cut down on the usage for sometime. You can try if it might help you with your stomach