Is there anyone among you who has been treated for asthma without using steroid inhaler?

[xxxedusaxxx]

Hello Everyone! I have asthma and I’m using medications for 2 years now. But I’m seeing a lot of side effects and I really want to quit my streoid inhaler. Is anyone here treating their asthma without a steroid inhaler? Thank you in advance

[Wheezymum12]

Steroid inhalers are the main treatment for asthma, it is dangerous to use just a short or long acting bronchodilator on its own.It can be difficult getting the diagnosis right, but if you have had the tests and asthma is confirmed, a steroid inhaler is essential, discuss with your HCP about the new MART/AIR therapies which may make life easier for you if your worried about taking a steroid inhaler regularly.

[xxxedusaxxx in reply to Wheezymum12]

Thank you, I’m on the meds for 2 years now. But I will talk to some specialists because I think it affects me very much like a anabolic steroid. So lets hope for the best

[Patk1 in reply to xxxedusaxxx]

U could talk to aluk helpline nurses0300 222 5800

[Poobah in reply to xxxedusaxxx]

Inhaled steroids are not the same as anabolic steroids. I'm not saying you haven't experienced side effects, but it's important to have regular reviews with your asthma team so that they can get your targeted treatment right. It's a balancing act, with the goal being to prescribe the least amount of treatment in order to achieve asthma control, but with an agreed plan to be able to escalate treatment quickly, when required.

Inhaled steroids are the main preventative asthma treatment, along with long acting bronchodilator medication, combined in one inhaler. If your medication doesn't suit you, there are various combination inhalers that you can try which may suit you better. Any trial should last at least 8 weeks as that will give the medication enough time to reach its full effectiveness. You'll know by week 8 if the inhaler is controlling your asthma. Obviously, if side effects are unbearable then don't hesitate to talk to your asthma team.

If it turns out that you cannot tolerate steroids, then your asthma team will be in the best position to establish what's going on and figure out likely treatment options that suit your type of asthma.

[xxxedusaxxx in reply to Poobah]

Hello Thank you! After noticing the changes in myself, I did a research and read the article in the side effects section of the drug that it can have an anolic steroid effect when used for a long time and in high doses, and I read on some blogs that other people who have experienced this. I will still see a specialist and get more detailed information.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to xxxedusaxxx]

It's possible that inhaled steroids at high dose can, in some people, suppress your adrenal glands and cause 'Cushingoid' symptoms - though this is much more common with oral steroids, and you're more likely to need oral steroids if your asthma is not well controlled.

There may be some overlap in symptoms, including mood, between anabolic steroids and corticosteroids, which are what is in asthma treatments. But they're not the same thing. They are synthetic versions of different hormones made in different parts of your body, and taking high doses of corticosteroids will not make them anabolic. I just wanted to say this to avoid any confusion or concern from others reading this.

I would definitely have a chat with your doctor/specialist to chat through your options. I hope you're able to find something that works for you.

[xxxedusaxxx in reply to Lysistrata]

Yes they are not the same thing but in some cases they both can cause same side effects. Thank you for the information

[ChromoneLover]

The asthma clinic wanted me to try Montelukast, for my severe seasonal grass pollen allergy, which causes atopic asthma, if not sufficiently controlled. However, my hayfever had been very well controlled with inhaled sodium cromoglicate, plus the 2%(w/v) eyedrops, for over 40 years, until Intal was withdrawn by NICE, in 2021, supposedly due to the propellant in the inhaler (and they said that it wasn't an effective treatment for asthma)! I have since been buying sodium cromoglicate nasal spray (4%(w/v)) from USA, which I inhale via a mesh nebuliser, which works for me, although it takes longer to inhale (through a mask). This is not a recommended use, but it has virtually no side-effects for me, and I know it has worked, over the past 40 years, to prevent me becoming "a chronic bronchitic by the age of 30... sorry there is nothing else we can do" (approx. Summer, 1977), and I have only had bronchitis 2 or 3 times in the subsequent 45 years!

Please note: this will not work for everyone, but it tends to have very few side effects - yes, it makes me cough initially, during the hayfever season, but if I take smaller breaths and inhale deeply, it then calms right down 🙂.

[xxxedusaxxx in reply to ChromoneLover]

First of all thank you for sharing your story, It’s so great to hear another ways to manage asthma. I’m going to see a new doctor on June and I wanted to learn if there are any other solutions! I hope you get better every year than before

[ChromoneLover in reply to xxxedusaxxx]

Oh, I forgot to mention: I DO take a steroid inhaler occasionally - becotide (now known as Clenil), usually only for the 2-3 weeks when the grass pollen count is at its highest, because, if I am late taking the sodium cromoglicate, the hypersecretion, caused by allergy-mediated inflammation, washes the Sodium cromoglicate away, so I have to take it again. I think I have the lowest dose of Clenil, so very little gets absorbed systemically (I took it routinely, for about 9 years, before discovering that I could manage without it, most of the time): never enough to cause steroid side effects, and I always both start and end the steroid gradually. I hope this helps

[xxxedusaxxx in reply to ChromoneLover]

Many Thanks! I'd like to say that you've put me at ease. It's good to see that not everyone is going through the same process and I hope I can find a method that works for me. And I’m wishing your asthma will always get much better.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to ChromoneLover]

HI, I appreciate the warning that this won't work for everyone. ChromoneLover.

But I do want to encourage anyone reading not to try this at home. I appreciate it can be very frustrating when treatments aren't working or are withdrawn, and you're struggling (I've been there and I'm still not well controlled). But different things work for different people, as ChromoneLover has said. And asthma is dangerous, and not everyone will suit the same medication. Please don't be tempted to DIY it because you saw someone else do it.

[ChromoneLover]

NB: sodium cromoglicate was prescribed for me, by an NHS doctor, in 1978, when it was a relatively new drug, as no antihistamines had been working, and my asthma had been getting steadily worse, with bronchitis 2-3 times a year.

[lovethemountains]

Hi!

I don't have any solutions, but I can sympathize.

I've been unable to tolerate the maintenance inhaler (cortico-steroids, as they're called here in the US). The first time, I managed to stay on them a month. The most recent time, in less than a minute my mouth was tingly, like there was something crawling in there.

I use a rescue inhaler and end up on oral steroids when my lungs are inflamed. Prior to Covid, my asthma flared every 7-10 years, and only when I was around cats. Since Covid, it's pretty much constant. I've been using albuterol nebulizer solution when it's bad. I'm scheduled for a lung function test in two weeks.

Best of luck to you!

[xxxedusaxxx in reply to lovethemountains]

Hi! Thank you for sharing your asthma story. I’m so sorry to hear that. We all experience different problems, which can be very tiring. I hope your asthma gets better day by day and you get good results at your next appointment