Steroid inhalers : Hi, I can’t use... - Asthma Community ...

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Steroid inhalers

Sue_04 profile image
6 Replies

Hi,

I can’t use steroid inhalers, I have severe reactions to them, and 2 have actually given me an asthma attack, blue lights on the ambulance. No one believed me and 3 times I tried them and the same thing happened each time. I have tried numerous ones, each with a bad reaction.

Does anyone else have reactions to them. I’m being made to feel as though it’s just me.

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Sue_04
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6 Replies
Homely2 profile image
Homely2Administrator

Are you reacting to the steroid, the long acting bit, or the propellant used. Some people react to the propellant.

It would be worth looking at the different inhalers used and seeing what they have in common.

Then having a chat with your asthma nurse which does not have that in common ingredient.

fraid profile image
fraid

Awful for you, are you talking Preventers? If so I had same reaction to Qvar and Clenil, gave me asthma but mild. Told may be allergic to propellant but pharma guy now based at dox put me on different drug, Flixotide and so far v. much better. You can be allergic to anything so needs investigating. Problem is they say try this, that and see what works. Good luck.🤞

peege profile image
peege

It would be very tricky for us to be allergic to steroids.

I've only ever heard of people being allergic to the propellant - your gp and respiratory nurse should know that that's a possibility.

Gwalltarian profile image
Gwalltarian

I was told that it would have to be the propellant in an mdi inhaler that caused the asthmatic reaction and was given a dry powder inhaler instead, made no difference. You could try try a different steroid inhaler - apparently there are are 2 basic steroids - beclametasone and flixotide. I recently read on a comment on this site that there are people who react to steroid inhalers and there are some non steroid preventers available - Intal was said to be one of them. You could phone the Asthma UK nurses and ask them about this then you’d be certain to have the correct information to take back to your doctor.

Gwalltarian profile image
Gwalltarian

I just googled Intal - see in my initial reply - and found it’s been discontinued because of the propellant. Yet another case where asthmatics are paying the price while it must be such a trivial percentage of the cfc used.

Poobah profile image
Poobah

It is a rare allergy and a drug challenge test will verify the condition. Even though NHS literature admits such an allergy exists, that doesn't necessarily mean that doctors are aware of it and probably why you've met with a brick wall.

I assume you can take your rescue inhaler without any allergic reaction, which would indicate that the propellant isn't the issue, but shouldn't be discounted, along with other contents.

You should ask for a referral to an specialist allergy clinic that does drug challenge testing.

rbht.nhs.uk/our-services/dr...

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