Fostair to take or not.

[Julymoonart]

I have been taking Fostair metered dose for a month and have had numerous side effects. Tremors that for two hours prevent me from holding anything and then lesser tremors throughout the day. Also, spasms in my feet and hands and a dry mouth.

I do take other medication and the nurse didn’t seem to take any into consideration, though to be fair I was having an asthma attack at the time. I am taking Amlodipine, Hydroxychloroquine, Pregabalun and am on Warfarin, I haven’t been told whether any of these mismatch.

The drug is doing its job but i am not sure the positives weigh up the negatives. Did everyone read the very small print blurb in the box? You do need to.

[Hidden]

Ask the asthma nurse's on here they might be able to assist you in knowing if the medication are suitable for each other or not

[soulsaver]

Have you been back to the nurse telling her of the side effects? What were you on before Fostair? There's plenty of alternatives.

[Mavary]

Hi Julymoonart.

I was on Qvar for years. They then changed me to Fostair when I had pneumonia last year. I get the same reaction as you with the tremors. I can hold things but my hands are very shaky. When I first noticed it I wondered if I had Parkinson’s coming. It then dawned on me that it was the Fostair.

When I was in hospital they put me on a nebuliser and I was really shaking. I was so bad that the nurse told me to stop using it. Funny enough I get the same reaction with the injections at the dentist. I have to ask for the ones without adrenaline.

[Mavary]

I’m going back to the lung clinic in May so I will ask their advice. In the meantime I will still keep taking it.

[Superzob]

The BNF (bnf.nice.org.uk) shows only a moderate interaction with Warfarin, which doesn't normally give those symptoms, so it would seem to be the Fostair itself. Fostair is often prescribed because it is the cheapest dual inhaler - it works very well for some people, but not for others. There is no need to keep using it if it doesn't suit; there is probably another dual inhaler out there which will have the desired effect, but with less side effects. I tried 5 before I found one I was comfortable with. As my doctor said "asthma is big business" and there are scores of inhalers to choose from.