I'm not too sure if there's any point in me posting this but maybe more of a way to vent. Since turning 29-30, I've spent the last 7 years struggling with nocturnal asthma and flare ups that usually get their worst in July -august and grass pollen season. Also causing some asthma during the day.
I have a very kind and helpful asthma nurse who has helped me to learn and understand these issues. I am now taking:
symbicort max dose
montelukast
cetirizine morning and night
chlorphenamine / piriton at night
dymista nasal spray morning and night
Tummeric and black pepper supplements
2 - 3 litres of water a day and only 1 coffee in the morning
Whilst this seems to help, I am still struggling with post nasal drip and allergies which I expect to affect me to some degree during spring to autumn.
I now have a night cough / asthma since a bad virus in October, which has left me waking up several times a night. I have only slept solid for 3 nights since October. I have just started taking prednisolone and antibiotics for 5 days to see if it calms the flare up. First night after taking these, I woke up 3 times clearing lungs and asthma, and am now anxious to sleep tonight. I have also tried 3 pillows and I sleep on my side. My only other thoughts are that we had a bad leak in our bathroom earlier this year and have been working on emergency DIY to reinstall a shower recently, plus a busy workload at my job. Some dust and damp may have affected me , but this is all dried out now.
I should be in my asthma down time with no pollen, but I am severely sleep deprived and this is affecting my mental health and ability to work. Causing stress and possibly worse asthma.
I have been told that I may be able to try some new allergy treatment and injections next year so there may be some hope, but I worry this might not be affective.
After 2 months and a summer with no sleep, the deprivation is causing me to feel over emotional and irrational. I wonder how I am supposed to live like this for the rest of my life. Is there a drug or surgery that can be done to stop the sinuses and lungs from over reacting to allergens , triggers and producing too much mucus? and why was my asthma much more manageable from the age of 12 - 29? I can only see things getting worse in the future as I struggle to function and exercise
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Jamesd1986
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I have severe asthma with poor control. By themselves, my inhalers cannot control my asthma. With me, to give my inhalers a chance I have to get my environment correct.
So I would be thinking of what you have done to get all irritants out of your bedroom. So having a completely clear bedroom, no clutter, nothing. Totally new bedding, new duvet, pillows sheets etc. A couple of air purifiers on before bed time.
Some people on this site go a very very long way to ensure they are sleeping in a totally non irritant environment.
Re the medicines ring the asthma UK helpline to see if they have any ideas. For me spiriva helped a lot.
We r all different but most effective antihistamine I've tried is fenofexadine .personally I prefer loratidine to cetrizine. Maybe worth changing thm to see if it helps at all.Ru on salbutamol
Thanks very much. I have tried both of those and found they didn’t work so well for me, but perhaps it’s good to change them once in a while and perhaps for different pollens. I am on salbutamol and getting through quite a lot of it . I forgot to write that as mind not fully with it today! … i posted something similar a couple of years ago and wall also recommend quercitin and a wedge pillow. Perhaps ill try those again
Just a couple of things to add that might be helpful.
We had a similar thing with damp a couple of years back when a storm blew some tiles off the roof above our bedroom. We moved into a different room of course, but I was still affected. It took 3 months to dry out properly, but I was still not right for a while after that. Hopefully your steroids will kick in and you will pick up more quickly.
I also have an air purifier in the bedroom that I use in the bedroom over the summer and another in the sitting room.
I suffered with post nasal drip for years. Of course I visited the doctor but he said just to continue with the Beconase as it was as strong as anything he could give me. I then noticed that sometimes when I was breathless if I breathed through my mouth I could breathe fine - might be worth trying.) I mentioned this to my consultant who referred me to ENT - might be worth asking about.) He put me on a stronger steroid spray with a separate antihistamine nasal spray (hay fever sprays tend to be steroid.) I can still use a decongestant when necessary. Since starting that, my morning peak flow taken before inhalers has gone from red zone to just under green zone.
If you are not already been seem by a respiratory consultant it might be an idea to ask about a referral- they have more scope with medications than your GP.
My asthma sounds similar to yours June-July are bad months for me though I believe this is possibly due to tree/fungal pollen which can persist into autumn. This is normally my "down time" for asthma too but you caught my eye as I had a virus the last week in September which really triggered my asthma, I needed three lots of Pred and antibiotics and had breathlessness and wheezing - thankfully it's nearly gone now but I still have some symptoms and have to sleep on my side at night. It felt like Covid even though I was testing negative. Hang in there and check in with the GP if it doesn't improve and ask for a referral to a respiratory clinic or ring the Asthma UK nurses.
I breathe in through the nose for two seconds and out for 3 or 4 through my mouth - that helps to slow my breathing down and stop me overbreathing. It's tough but there are new treatments coming out all the time for asthma. Have you ever been tested for IgE or eosinophils to see if they show any increase, as many of the biologic therapies target those?
I had sinus challenges for years and they certainly can exacerbate asthma if not controlled effectively. Seeing as your nasal cavity is clear of polyps but producing post nasal drip, your Dymista should help. My only suggestion is nasal spray technique and something that took me a while to get right. The attached link is a helpful video by a NHS ENT consultant. I must admit that during the worst of my nasal symptoms, I would hang over the side of the bed after taking my nasal spray, so that the medication would use gravity to wash around the nasal cavity rather than escape down my throat. I would do this at least twice a day for a good ten minutes each time.
I'm with you, James! I just got a physical, and the blood results came back all normal , except eosinophils off the chart. "Yeah, that's your allergies", said the physician's assistant. That was it. Have a nice day. I can't believe we can put people on the moon but not figure out this allergy thing. I get angry about it sometimes... Angry at my body. I yell at myself; "STOP IT! IT'S JUST POLLEN, not pathogens!!!!KNOCK IT OFF!!!" I feel like the body is misbehaving when it attacks itself like this; you know, like hiccups. It needs a re-set or something. Errr!
I have a wedge under my mattress to keep my head up. I also have an air purifier in my bedroom which removes allergens, mould spores and pathogens. Once it has cleared the room, it's very quiet. If you have carpets, remove them and have laminate floor. I don't have a headboard either because I think they collect dust.
Hi James, sounds like you have some of this figured out but it seems to me breathing problems can involve various factors. Just in case you haven't considered this but are you getting any acid reflux? I mention this as the problem is worse when you go to bed.
I second the check out if you’ve any acid reflux issues sometimes I find that’s what’s going on with me.
Also trying to slow my breathing through nose breathing helps me, at first my nose is so stuffed up but if I just persevere it seems to clear and this then slows the breathing down.
I really have found my biggest trigger apart from a cold or virus is stress so trying anything like headspace app or yoga or anything else that can relax might help as it does me,
thank you so much for the reply - I am curious how acid reflux could affect asthma and cause lung congestion / cough? It seems my post nasal drip from above is the issue but could reflux below cause a blockage? This is something my asthma nurse might want me to explore next. Stress management would also be a very good idea!
I’m not completely sure how it affects it I’m sure someone on here hopefully will have a more in depth explanation but I think it’s just the acid coming up that irritates the lungs.
Yes finding something that helps with stress can help with so many health problems I really enjoy yoga with Adriene on YouTube her beginner classes are really good.
Thank you , I’m sure that makes sense. I have an appointment with my nurse on Wednesday and I will ask her all about the reflux , and report back if you like!
Stress is definitely a big factor in health problems and I’m sure causes a lot of inflammation. I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you. A lot of my hobbies are usually quite high energy driven which isn’t ideal when you’re flared up or sleep deprived, so I will look into some more calming actives.
Hi James, sorry you’re having a tough time. I don’t have the mucous problem but my uncontrolled asthma has taken over my life! I am not a medical professional but this is what I have read re:reflux. (I have silent reflux - diagnosed by ENT and a laryngoscope.)
Reflux can be silent- not bringing up acid so no burning sensation. Silent reflux means that you’re bringing up pepsin (and probably other digestive enzymes.) These can affect the larynx and oesophagus because the tissues are being broken down by the digestive enzymes. We can aspirate the enzymes into our lungs and airways too- causing the same breakdown of tissue and irritation of linings.
Gaviscon advance is the medication for this (generic equivalents do not usually work in the same way.) plus lifestyle changes- small meals (over-eating is the most common trigger,) go to bed on an empty stomach (I now have my main meal at lunchtime and just snack after that, then nothing but water after 4pm.) Sleeping on your left side and propped up. No coffee, chocolate, fizzy, anything that makes you burp .
I also wear a Cambridge mask when in indoor public places due to my allergies. I have to faff about with their additional elasticated strap to get a good fit, but they might help you filter out pollen etc. I wear one outdoors for bonfire night.
I am currently getting a lot of post nasal drip, especially in the evening and night and after a shower. Coughing up phlegm every night..The problem I am having is identifying the main causes.
1. I am fully aware of the severe allergy issues I have from spring to summer.
2. Late October last year I had a very bad virus which caused a huge amount on nasal mucus. I’ve had a chest and sinus infection since which only recently recovered.
3. And finally , realising that I have developed some gastric issues and phlegm gathering in my throat at night. My glands swell up and feel like I am clearing my throat constantly . From the back of my sinus, lungs and back of throat. My Mum had a hiatus hernia and we all suffer from small throats and swallowing in our family.
So it could be a combination of all 3 of these things?.
Recently , I’ve started to find slightly better symptoms in the night - waking up just once and for less time. However there are a few things that have changed:
1. The weather is getting warmer at night.
2. I’ve changed bedding and cleaning at 60 degrees
3. I’ve started taking my lansoprazole PPI before my evening meal.
4. I took some renne tablets right before bed time.
It is now difficult to confirm which of these 4 things are helping. Even if this is due to silent reflux, I know that allergies are also going to be a problem that increases as we get into summer.
Thanks so much for your help. I will look into gaviscon.
P.s I’ve just done some further reading and it sounds like silent reflux can cause allergies! This is very confusing.
It turns out that antacid tablets can interfere with anti histamines, and you can’t take antacids with lansoprasole either. So let’s say I do have silent reflux and allergies, and I am taking anti histamines right before bed. I then need to make sure I am taking gaviscon 2 hours before that, and then also make sure to take my lansoprazole 2 hours before that and before a meal.
So it would be:
lansoprazole around 4pm
Evening meal at 5-6pm
Gaviscon after meal around 7pm
Anti histamines , right before bed around 10-11pm
I would be making sure to take the anti histamines last to prioritise night time effectiveness.
I wonder if you need something to help you sleep - not a strong sleeping pill, more a relaxant. You've got lots of good advice here about your asthma, but as you point out, if you slept better, you might cope with it all better. I think just being ill makes us more anxious, frustrated and angry, all of which can mean poor sleep. See what your GP thinks.
Thank you all so much for your time and comments, I really appreciate it and felt a bit silly writing all of these yesterday but I'm glad that I have found a place where we can all sympathize. I'm going to try and reply to all of these individually later, but to sum up - I will definitely try all of these suggestions.
My first step is going to be trying another wedge pillow (the first one i had arrived warped and was uncomfortable). I will also try investing in a decent air purifier that isn't too loud, and also running my old one and a dehumidifier upstairs near to the water damage that got into our floorboards earlier in the year.
Then next step is my blood test tomorrow and hoping these anti biotics and prednisolone start to work. Last night i woke up twice by much less asthma and more coughing up mucous.
I have a follow up face to face appointment with my asthma nurse on the 20th who has also suggested looking into reflux medication. I have been having acid reflux. both my mum and my brother also suffer with that and we have narrow throats and need to be careful eating! I would like to learn more about this and how it might affect asthma, as i thought the main issue would be the post-nasal drip from above, not reflux coming upwards. Perhaps that causes a blockage in combination.
Lastly new bedding and sheets will be bought asap. fortunatlely we only have carpet on the stairs and i hoover regularly. Although my current symptoms are frustrating, they arent as bad as the summer allergy asthma i am expecting. I have also been a bit stressed at work and with the DIY and asthma, so need to find a way to calm down, which might help with inflamation. Xmas holidays soon might help with that.
Hi James, you have my sympathy. Every year from July to Sept I get very bad asthma and can't sleep very much. I end up in a chair propped up. If I sleep more than 3 hours, I wake up fighting for breath. I always, end up on steroids which can take a, few days, to work.its awful and scary. I have a nebuliser and ventolin and sereflo. Anti hists, too. I dread the summer and now you are going through the same now and the summer is, dreadful. Take all the advice about bedding etc. I really hope u feel better soon. I find it hard to function without sleep. You may need a second course if it doesnt clear. I sometimes need 2 to 3 lots, of steroids to get me through. Take care
Sorry to hear that and hope you find some solutions. There are talks of a new allergy injection treatment coming to the uk next year . I’m keen to find out more about it
Sorry to hear this, I have similar issues with night time asthmatic coughing after an infection (I'm not quite so allergic as you). I've struggled with this every winter my whole life (I'm now 47). Some things that have worked for me:
1. Sleeping sitting up. I have a big V shaped pillow on top of other pillows. When it's been at its worst I have literally slept on the sofa wedged up with pillows and this has allowed me much more sleep than in bed where I slump down and start coughing again. (It's also a bit easier for my partner!)
2. I second the person who said keep your room as clean and non dusty as possible.
3. Keep off the salbutamol at night if you have it, as a side effect is a pounding heart which does not help with the sleep-based anxiety. I've recently gone to symbicort as a reliever and this helped a lot.
when I had pneumonia so bad, the hospital consultant told me to sleep upright because of my terrible job to breathe, so when I have problems with my asthma I always sleep downstairs sitting up on sofa, and it helps a lot x
Hi all, hope everyone is well. Just thought I would give an update to this post.
Finished anti biotics and prednisolone just before xmas. Blood test came back showing not allergy hightened but bacterial infection as expected.
Still waking up coughing up phlegm and asthma twice a night over the xmas period.
Had another course of anti biotics and steroids prescribed, but this time i only took the antibiotics. second blood test and sputum test shows similar results again.
Anti biotics finished but still waking up at night. Now been prescribed lansoprezol to see if acid relfux might be contributing to my nightly asthma. I have found that since taking this and finishing the anti biotics, I am now waking up just once per night and slightly less severe symptoms. and had 1 night where I slept solid without waking up!
However, the symptoms are coming back and last night I had another very bad night, up for about an hour coughing up lots of phlegm and asthma that wouldn't shift for a long time until taking lots of medication. Still sleep deprived.
I am unsure if this could also be due to the sudden change in extra cold weather?
I am also unsure when is the best time to take lansoprezole? advised just before bed but the instructions say 30-60 mins before food. Maybe I am better to take it just before the last evening meal at about 5:30 - 6pm, and separate to my bedtime routine of anti histamines and montelukast. I also ate a creamy pasta meal last night.
Still have a bit of a runny nose occasionally and can feel phlegm in my sinus / chest at times. Night time seems to be 90% of the time i need my inhalers and relief, but the cold has started to affect me at night. Exhausted and suffering since October. Starting to feel quite depressed and hopeless of a normal life again.
Also side note, i invested in a high end philips air purifier . hoping to see benefits in the summer and also on track to get referred for new allergy injections this year in time for summer .
Hi all, hope everyone is well. Sorry to post on here again, but really struggling.
Have since had a third appointment - this time with a GP instead of asthma nurse. He mostly suggested all the things I am already doing and doses I am already taking. Listened to my chest and looked at my throat / nose and all looked ok, but asked me what I thought the problem was!
Could tell my sinuses are swollen so I've just taken a third course of anti biotics, this time doxycicline, which seems to have not done too much.
He suggested a triple inhaler if things dont improve, but the problem is with my sinus drainage, causing the asthma.
I am still waking up once or twice a night, coughing up lots of mucus and struggling to breathe.
I am taking all of this before bed:
-montelukast (long term)
- cetitrizine (long term)
- chlorphenamine (long term)
- dymista nasal spray (long term)
- Symibcourt inhaler (long term)
- lansoprezole for acid reflux
-salamol (for relief/ long term))
I take some of the above in the morning plus multivitamin.
In the evening I eat fairly healthy fresh cooked meals and drink ginger, honey and lemon + day 2 liters of water in the day.
Doing a saline nasal rinse once a week, which seems to irritate me.
propped head of bed up with 3inch block of wood and using 3 pillows.
steamy shower at night, which now causes me to constantly cough up and clear phlegm from my nose and chest.
coughing and clearing constantly before bed, and then when i wake up a few hours later with phlegm in my lungs and asthma. Getting through a lot of salamol reliver inhaler
I am mostly fine in the day time but sleep deprived so feeling run down and difficult to fight off any illness.
I've had this for 3 months, shortly after the usual summer allergy flare ups. It is ruining my life, weekend plans and struggling to focus at work.
I am struggling to stay positive and to see light at the end of the tunnel. I worry that this is how my life is now? I can't tell if I will recover or if this is just chronic nasal issues?
Running on coffee, sugar and as much fruit and sunlight as I can find on my lunch breaks. but gaining weight and feeling very low,
I am also wondering if the long term use of steriod nasal spray dymista could be causing issues and this should only be used for my summer allergy season? (blood tests show allergies currently low)
Hello again, hope everyone is well. Just wanted to post another update as I’m still struggling , but will try to keep the post short this time. I appreciate all the responses and advice so far.
Since bad virus in October I’ve had 3 courses of anti biotics and 2 courses of prednisone. (And 4 solid nights sleep). Now added quercetin & turmeric supplements to my medication.
Second sputum test results show no longer any infection. However, I am still coughing up huge amounts of mucus / post nasal drip at night. Waking up several times and my asthma seems to be getting worse than it is in summer allergy season. I am unsure if this could be due to the following:
-cold air at night
-tree pollen coming out
-remaining symptoms of virus
-stress/anxiety
-allergens in my bedroom. Small amount of black mold on blind.
I am now off work due to stress and depression/ sleep deprivation. Have been having intrusive irrational thoughts. Severe mood swings and feelings of hopelessness of recovery as my asthma keeps getting worse with age. Struggling to see light at the end of the tunnel but holding on for hospital referral for new allergy injections.
I'm so sorry to read that you're still really struggling - I can see your updates from before and I'm sorry not to have replied before now.
Asthma triggers are tricky - honestly it could be any one or all of those! Is there anyone who could help you with the bedroom side of things - looking at how you could keep it warmer and asking someone to help you with mould removal (maybe best if you don't remove it yourself)?
I saw that you've been referred for allergy injections - is that coming up soon? If that's to an asthma clinic, there may be other options as well depending on what's showing up in your blood.
It does seem like there are more options for the asthma side of things that you could still take. And as you seem to cough up a lot, a physio may be able to help with clearance. I'm also wondering - with the steamy shower, it's obviously helping you get stuff up but is it possible it's also triggering your asthma? Steam can be really helpful for some people but for others, like me, it makes asthma worse. I'm wondering what happens if you don't do the steam.
It might be worth giving the ALUK nurses a call to see if there's anything you can do to minimise triggers and help things out while you wait (or options for different asthma treatments that your GP could help with meanwhile): 0300 2225800 or WhatsApp on 07999 377 775 Monday-Friday 0915-5pm.
I'm also wondering how helpful your GP is and if you could have a chat with them about how you're feeling and struggling. This is obviously having a huge impact on your life and while they can't necessarily do much for your asthma, it might help them to know the impact and possibly give you some help with the impact it's having on your mental health. I've also added some links below to resources you may find helpful:
116 123 – Samaritans. Open 24/7 to listen to your thoughts. (0300 123 3211 in Wales 7pm-11pm.)
mind.org.uk/information-sup... 0300 123 3393 – Mind. Support and information. Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm. Not Bank Holidays. Text 86463. email - info@mind.org.uk
In case you think it would be helpful to talk to someone - because physical illness like this is very stressful, as you're finding, not because it's all in your head: mind.org.uk/information-sup...
I hope this helps a bit. Please do keep posting here too and let us know how things are going.
Trigger wise, I am trying to eliminate as much as possible after a house leak we got fixed last year in the bathroom. I bought a new top end air purifier and will be replacing the moldy blind ASAP. will also buy all new bedding again and make sure it is all hypoallergenic, as this could be a big problem, along with the tree pollen (which seemed to set me off on my lunch break today going outside). I have also heard a lot of people talking about a '100 day cough' going around, and lots of people have had back to back illnesses this winter. I feel as if I am slowly recovering from the illnesses, but im still flared up and now sensitive to new pollens. This is just my best guess.
For the injections I have a consultation coming up at the hospital but still on waiting list. My asthma nurse says this is a new treatment in the UK and has been very successful for allergic asthma in trials. I am going to ask for the referral to be expedited if possible.
I will also ask about any other asthma treatments that I am unaware of and see if physio is possible. My nighttime routine is to shower at night and thats when i get clearing my lungs and mucus comes up. The steam actually helps me breathe but perhaps causes some irritation and gets the post nasal drip flowing again. I also notice this to be much worse at night, maybe due to pollen coming down, my bedroom environment, laying down or maybe even also hormonal changes in sleep cycle.
Thank you for the links to ALUK nurses, I will give a call asap to discuss and also look into the mental health resources. I am trying to stay positive, and get back to normality, but I know I will be up again a few times in the night and this is really getting me down. Fortunately my employer is understanding, but I am frustrated and struggling to find the solutions.
I'm glad your employer is understanding - but lack of sleep is very wearing and frustrating! Asthma does tend to be worse at night - I think there are a few factors but it's also been linked to naturally lower cortisol levels at night.
I (and others) definitely find there's a vicious cycle where the more you're triggered the more sensitive you are to other triggers.
You may have tried this, and it may not work, but wondering if it's worth experimenting with a morning shower once or twice to see if it improves sleep at all?
I really hope things improve for you and the resources are helpful. Definitely worth asking if the referral can be expedited. I think I know the treatment your nurse means - Tezspire (tezepelumab)? If it is that, it's not just for allergic asthma but all sorts of asthma, as its target is 'upstream' of other processes so it tackles a few different things that can contribute to asthma.
Last night I gave the bedroom a thorough clean with fresh bedding, hoovered the mattress and I will also be buying a brand new duvet and pillows that are all hypoallergenic. Yet I still woke up at 2am coughing up lots of phlegm and again at 4am. My ability to breathe seems to vary from night to night and today I am absolutely exhausted.
The sleep deprivation is causing a viscious cycle, because I am too tired and stressed to excercise and the tiredness also seems to cause further inflamation. I am trying my best to eat healthy but sugar craving are higher. The affect on my mental health is even more severe - i can usually cope with and expect a summer flare up, but this is 4 months without solid sleep (only 4 nights with no asthma attacks). Running low on salamol every fortnight is scary. Unable to make plans for the future and sturggling to function in my job and day to day life. My sleep deprived brain causing depression and irational intrusive thoughts. Fortunately I have wonderful wife and family, but I also want to be in better health for them.
My only hope feels like this new treatment. My asthma nurse mentioned it last year as a brand new injection treatment that will be available in the UK this year, and that I was top of the list to receive it. Apparently the trials have shown it to be very effective, but I am not sure the name of the drug. I hope i get the right one soon. My asthma nurse has been incredibly helpful and supportive throughout this, and
I know that there are many people with much worse asthma than I have, so I should be grateful, but I am really struggling to see how I can carry on living like this permanently.
Hi again , hope you’re well. Just to give a quick update - I managed to get a consultation at the hospital to discuss this new treatment. I had a spirometery and feno test which results seem to show my lungs to be strong and healthy. Unfortunately that depite all my allergic asthma problems , I now have to prove that I have asthma and do another test on a day when I am more flared up, or wait until I can have a test where I am induced by allergies. I explained all my troubles are usually worse spring to summer and my main triggers are pollens, but they also want to rule out my cat as the problem, even though she doesn’t really set me off at all. I also need to have another X-ray and another allergy blood test because they couldn’t find my blood records from a couple of years ago.
The good news is that I should be getting a stronger nasal spray to deal with the post nasal drip and he did say that I should be eligible for an injection treatment but there’s an older one that is more effective.
feeling a bit disheartened and overwhelmed with it all and worried that I will just get written off as being fit and healthy with strong lungs and not able to get this injection to treat allergies. I understand the process needs to be thorough but hope this isn’t he end of the line for my options .
Don't worry about ranting - that is really frustrating! Why do they never seem to understand that asthma is VARIABLE!! If you're having a good day your spirometry will be good. And FENO is not useful for everyone nor is it required or relevant for several of the biologics (especially not the new one).
All you should need is a certain number of exacerbations in the last year and if they require something to be a certain level eg in a blood test it only usually needs to be once in the last year or so! But they do seem to love adding extra criteria.
Have they told you the names of the possible options? I understand that they want to give these treatments to the right people but if you know what they're considering you could look up the criteria (or I am happy to send you links!) and you can point out how you already meet the criteria and ask why they need to do extra tests? Especially when those tests may not be that relevant to the treatment.
thanks so much for the reply. I didn’t catch the name and the consultant I saw was very scatty and difficult to communicate with , giving mixed signals but sort of seemed like he wanted me to get the treatment but needed to prove my asthma first. My only hope is the allergy induced asthma test I can get in a couple months or potential lab test on another bad day. Typically , my asthma was awful yesterday but better today.
I will try to find the name of the treatment but it also seems as if one has not been decided. So really dissapointee after getting my hopes up from the asthma nurse.
That's so frustrating! I also get that thing of it's always good when I go to clinic. Except the time I was trying to show them my best spirometry so they could compare (because my best is probably better than predicted if it's anything like my peak flow). Then of course my spirometry was rubbish even though I felt ok.
If it helps, these are the currently licensed options that they were probably considering - in case any names ring a bell:
- Xolair (omalizumab) - for allergic asthma, needs raised IgE and probably other stuff. Been around the longest of any asthma biologic (since maybe 2007? So probably not the new one they mentioned)
- Nucala (mepolizumab) - targets eosinophils so you need a certain level of them at least once in the last year (plus 3x exacerbations in the last year, either hospital or needing pred)
- Fasenra (benralizumab) - also targets eosinophils, very similar to Nucala in what's required
- Dupixent (dupilumab) targets eosinophils and allergic asthma, also used for severe eczema. Need the exacerbations plus raised eosinophils or raised FENO. Not been that long approved for asthma
- Tezspire (tezepelumab) - works differently from the others. Needs the exacerbation history but no need to show raised eosinophils or FENO. Tezspire is very recently approved and is the newest of all of them. It's not specifically for allergic asthma though.
Thank you so much for this medication info . I will keep note of these.
It’s frustrating that I may not be elegible with only allergic asthma or they want to test me right during a flare up . (At night would be ideal)
However , I’m holding out hope for an allergy induced asthma test (which sounds scary!) and these new nasal drops. I’ve also found asthma a little better the last few nights after doing a nasal rinse and taking rene tablets before bed and the lansoprasole before evening meal . Thank you so much
Oh sorry if I was confusing! You should still be eligible for Tezspire with allergic asthma.
I just meant that it's not *specifically* for allergic asthma so I wouldn't have described it as a medication particularly aimed at people with this type of asthma, which is how the nurse seemed to be describing it. But it should still work for allergic asthma - and also for other types.
I'm glad some things are helping a bit. I agree it really doesn't help when you can't get tested at your worst and they never seem to remember how variable asthma is!
Hi James. Just wanted to say, don’t give up. I had really bad asthma in my younger years, and a few years ago it became really bad again. Sleep was impossible. I’ve got other, harder to treat lung problems too so I really felt I couldn’t go on.
However, I was referred to a severe asthma clinic and started on the oldest biologic, Xolair. My goodness, what a difference! The asthma has turned around completely, it’s almost miraculous. I’ve heard great things about Tezspire too, and both of those are available for asthmatics without raised eosinophils. Unfortunately I’m still plagued by other lung problems but at least the asthma is controlled. So, hang on in there
Thanks you so much for this message . This gives me hope. So sorry you have other troubles and I hope you manage to keep those under control. I will keep trying to get this sorted.
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