I've had a recent diagnosis of Asthma & was given two Salbutamol inhalers about a month ago. They seem to help the wheezing and coughing but I'm wondering if they cause cramp?
I had a sleepless night last week & woke up in the morning with cramp & yesterday I went swimming & got cramp. My legs feel tense and jittery at the moment.
Just wondering if this is common or if anyone has any thought or experiences with this problem. I was taking the Salbutamol up to three to four times per day but now only use it twice or less.
Would appreciate any thought.
Thanks
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Corgilover32
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Hi, I cant give you an answer I'm afraid. I used to get awful cramp I my feet during Pilates (pointing my toes), feet would spasm into claw like monstrosities. It was whilst on a preventer called Seretide, when it was changed to Fostair the cramps miraculously disappeared. Salbutamol is a reliever inhaler I believe, to be used as a rescue when needed. Did you not get a preventer inhaler on diagnosis? I was prescribed a preventer on diagnosis as were many many others. Could you be using too much Salbutamol? Have a good read of the leaflet for maximum usage and directions.
Hi, thanks for responding. I wasn't given a preventer inhaler & I have been too liberal with the Salbutamol which would explain my symptoms. Making another appointment just to check & will ask about the preventers. Thanks & glad you can relate to the cramps. Horrible. I've stopped taking it so hopefully that will stop soon.
Some asthma inhalers affect potassium levels and that can lead to muscle cramp and twitches, including Salbutamol. It's important to eat a potassium rich diet. Advice should be included in the patient leaflet that accompanies the inhaler, usually suggesting that the doctor can monitor potassium levels if the patient is concerned about symptoms related to low potassium.I have had potassium deficiency a couple of times, prescribed potassium once and advised to keep my diet rich in potassium. Cramping is my red flag.
Agree - but also wanted to add to Corgilover32 that you do need to see your doctor about this and not take supplements by yourself. Too much potassium is also not good so you need someone qualified to advise whether supplements are needed and if so, how much.
Thanks Lysistrata. Good point on not taking potassium supplements. The only time I had to take potassium was under medical supervision with follow up blood tests, as too much potassium is far from good for us.
Hello, I have had very severe cramps in recent years. A doctor found some evidence that salbutamol was a main contender for medications causing cramp. In any case, they would tell me that if I were taking the ventolin several times/day, that is too much, it would mean my asthma is not being managed. I now take the cortisone morning and night (now spiromax, used to be qvar) and I only rarely have to take the salbutamol. Please do go back to your GP or asthma nurse - they have very strong views on asthma management, which have changed over the years, and the current view is to make sure your asthma is managed properly (with cortisone spray) and then you will only need your ventolin/salbutamol on occasion - that's what it should be used for. Wishing you the best of luck. And hope you feel better soon.
I was first diagnosed last year & the Salbutamol inhaler & nebulisers administered gave me leg cramps at night, my muscles also felt twitchy. This gradually went as I used less Salbutamol, I rarely use it now & the cramp has gone. Massaging my calf’s with magnesium oil before bed helped. Best wishes.
Salbutamol is a strong "rescue" inhaler and as far as I know, it should only be used when you need a fast relief. If you overuse it, it can give you a lot of unwanted side effects. For a day-to-day inhaler, you should use a "preventer" which is for a longer period of relief. I recommend you to speak to a qualified asthma nurse or Doctor.
I am surprised that you were given only a "rescue" inhaler and not together with a "preventer" which I believe is the correct way to go, and then only using the "rescue" (Salbutamol) in emergencies.
Just to add, long acting bronchodilators in Symbicort, Fostair and other dual combi inhalers also can affect potassium levels. Each patient leaflet will explain the option of monitoring potassium levels. So even if you don't use alot of Salbutamol, if you're on a preventer inhaler that contains formoterol or salmeterol, check the patient leaflet that comes with your inhaler.
We all react differently to medications, in terms of side effects. So not everyone will experience lowered potassium.
Interesting. I've recently been put on a bunch of heart disease related drugs. I was told that Salbutamol and ACE inhibitors don't play nicely together, specifically I think because the ACE inhibitor can increase potassium levels. I've now been told to use my preventer (Fostair) also as my reliever, with Salbutamol only being a very last resort. So its interesting that Fostair can also affect K levels. Thankfully my asthma is under good control.
My asthma consultant changed me from an ACE inhibitor (Ramipril) to Losartan due to side effects it caused, including a cough and wheezing. Losartan contains potassium, but even so, my results last September showed low potassium levels. Everything is a minefield. But regular blood tests should keep an eye on things. Hope your heart disease is now well treated.
Thanks. As you say, and I nearly posted in my original post, once you are messing around with 2 or more long term conditions it can become a minefield. Even just the potassium issue without separate condition: I've been a several decades user of LoSalt alternative to salt, starting out when Na was fingered as a stroke risk but also because its a risk factor in HD. Ironically, now I'm a confirmed HD patient, I can't use it because of ACE inhibitor impact on potassium and LoSalt based on KCl as the NaCl substitute !
The potassium/salt conundrum. I changed to himalayan salt, which has worked well for me, but we're all different. I just don't touch table salt if I can help it.
Seretide gave me dreadful (night) leg cramps and an undiagnosed cough for 6 years.
Changed to Duoresp/Symbicort and cramps and cough disappeared almost immediately.
I always thought it was the steroids in preventer inhalers causing the cramps but I may be wrong.
Ventolin is a reliever inhaler and has no steroid content as far as I'm aware.
Managing asthma is a minefield.
I thought I was doing really well and recently had a dreadful flareup. No wheeze or cough but couldn't get breath to the bottom of my lungs.
I increased my use of Symbacort which didn't help my breathing, and it seemed the night leg cramps were returning. Ventolin also didn't help.
Yesterday, the doctor gave me a different reliever called Spiriva Respimat - take it only once a day - not like Ventolin. It has made a huge difference to my breathing but last night I did have leg cramps.
I don't really know which inhaler is causing them. Trial and error I suppose.
The Spiriva Respimat has really helped my breathing.
I suggest getting an early morning (08:00 - 09:00) cortisol blood test done, in case the cramps are being caused by low cortisol. For those in other replies who have said that changing from Seretide to Fostair, Alvesco etc made the problem disappear, this would be by first suspicion
Hi - I too suffer from leg cramps. I do use inhalers and maybe that is why. But a doctor I see said that as we age, we lose electrolytes and that can cause leg cramps. So, I found a water that I like with electrolytes and if I stick to mostly this water, my leg cramps disappear. One brand is Essentia but there are many others too. I hope this helps others. 🤗
The salbutamol is only meant to be used as an occasional reliever, so if you are needing to use it daily, it's a sign that your asthma is poorly controlled and you really need a maintenance inhaler as well. If it's your GP that issued the salbutamol, it might be worth seeing if you can get an appointment with the asthma nurse at your surgery instead. My GP has very outdated views on asthma and thinks it should be controlled purely by Salbutamol but the asthma nurse is very up to date.
It might be worth calling the Asthma UK helpline ( 0300 2225800 )before you next contact the surgery - they can often advise on the best way of approaching your GP, and I've found that saying "The Asthma UK helpline suggested..." is often a good way of getting my surgery to listen, without it sounding like I'm telling them what to do!
Brilliant thank you all for the advice. I have GORD as well (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease) and I know that causes even more wheezing and coughing so it's all sorted of tied together. Complicated. I haven't even had a asthma nurse appointment. Will go back and be more insistent.
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