Fostair and oral thrush

[Misha789]

I’ve been on fostair for around a year now and I can never fully get rid of oral thrush I rinse my mouth thoroughly after taking it in the mornings/evenings but that doesn’t seem to help AT ALL. Is there anything else I can do to prevent it? Also what is the best treatment?!

[Maggie_Mae]

Hi Misha

Like yourself I rinse mouth thoroughly,

Then brush teeth , re rinse with water followed by rinsing with Chlorhexidine Antibacterial Mouth Wash

Touch wood seems to keep it at bay for myself

[juneflo53]

I've had oral thrush since I started with the brown steroid inhaler, now I'm on Fostair it is not as bad but still there. Like Maggie-Mae, I use Chlorodyl daily mouth wash and brush teeth. I did buy a water pick which has a tongue scraper but dentist told me to brush my tongue instead. I use a childs soft toothbrush to brush over inside of my mouth when using the mouth wash - it appears on your tongue but comes from everywhere in your mouth so cleaning/rinsing daily is my routine.

[fostairex]

Hi, I have also had persistent oral thrush despite doing all you are doing plus using chlorhexidine mouthwash, eating natural yogurt, etc...I also have had two courses of Daktarin oral gel in the past six months. This is an over the counter treatment that you could try, in my experience it wasn’t effective though. I am currently on a 14 day course of nystatin oral suspension. These are prescription-only drops that must be taken four times a day. My GP told me that these can be taken once a day after finishing the full course to keep the thrush from returning...so I have high hopes that this will be the solution for me. Certainly my mouth feels much better and my voice has improved. I spoke to my GP about the possibility of taking a systemic anti-fungal for it but his advice was that because I am on steroid inhalers all the time a systemic tablet is unlikely to be of greater help...the nystatin drops are taking over a longer period and may help to really get the thrush out of control. Maybe you need to try those too. Hope this helps!

[Misha789 in reply to fostairex]

Thank you! I have since spoken to my GP who has prescribed me some oral steroids (prednisolone) and told me to stop my fostair so that we can get the thrush under control (it has since spread to the back of my throat and oesophagus so I will take the prednisolone instead of my inhaler for the next 2 weeks and she has prescribed miconazole oral gel and fluconazole tablets both a 2 weeks course. And I have to use a spacer if I feel like I need my inhaler. Wanted to let you know as it seems like you’re in the same boat as me and it could help you!

[fostairex in reply to Misha789]

Thank you very much! I’d be happy to hear how you get on with that. Sounds like you have a worse dose of it than I do...with spreading to œsophagus. Hope this new treatment you’re getting will bring it under control!

[fostairex]

Hi, Misha789 just wondering how you have got on with your treatment? Unfortunately the nystan drops which seemed to be working wonders at the beginning haven’t been such a magical solution for me after all! Even before the course was finished the thrush had begun to come back again. I will get in touch with my GP again next week and see what they propose as the next step…

[Anjidav]

Hi there, I have struggled for well over a year with oral thrush and a sore tongue and sore mouth. Nystatin seems to help but a week of it and a week later it’s back. I’ve lost my normal voice for 3 to 4 weeks now since starting spiriva as well as the forstair. I’ve been diagnosed with low B12 also which can cause a sore tongue. Like many I am so fed up of this now and GP don’t get how demoralising it is always having some pain or discomfort like this.