Hi
on my last check up i mentioned a lot of the odd side effects im getting like the hyperventilating still not going and the gp suggested that i start using the flixotide three times a day. this is working really well but im wondering if am i not already matching the daily pred dose (30mg) or past that doing this?
has anyone else been advised to do this? It works and im avoiding the preds side effects but im wondering if my still going to get side effects though like preds?
tc
I think you've got your maths wrong!!
Flixotide 250 is 250 micrograms per inhalation.
There are 1000 micrograms in a milligram (mg)
So, to be taking 30mg daily of flixotide, you would be taking 120 puffs a day, or 40 puffs at each dose, three times a day.
You clearly wouldn't be taking these doses, but even a high dose of inhaled steroids is infinitely safer that oral steroids, as inhaled steroids work on your lungs (where they're needed) whilst oral steroids have a systemic effect.
hi
its something the gp said and i kinda thought 'huh?' understand the logic she is using but not sure if im hiding from the side effects. she is tring to match a preds dose by me taking puffs of flixotide at varying times of the day - i really dont understand the dosage maths but im concerned that im avoiding the nasty ones with preds but could be boosting my blood sugar three times a day.
im not switching this idea as its brilliant and working litle a treat im at the peak of my hayfever period and so far so good (crossing fingers) no glandular fever or larangitis!
I wonder if your GP meant it is similar to being on a low maintenance dose of pred i.e. 5mg? Also you can't compare the doses of different steroids that easily (eg I have dexamethasone and not pred - 6mg of dexamethasone is equivalent to 42mg of pred). I tried to find a table for you, but couldn't.
If the high dose inhaled steroids work, then hopefully you won't have to have oral steroids as much. I am glad it seems to be working.
Bryony
i really should have asked as this seems to work granted ive only been doing this for the past few days as i could tell the seretide needed a boosting (more than the current boosting i have seretide 500 bosted with the flixotide am and pm).
sounds like a really good alternative to preds - hope it keeps working.
There's a Cochrane review of ""Inhaled versus oral steroids for adults with chronic asthma"" but not sure if inhaled steroid refers to standard beclometasone, rather than flucticasone (Flixotide) which is roughly twice as potent.
Thought this might help:-
Inhaled versus oral steroids for adults with chronic asthma
Inhaled corticosteroids form the first choice for preventative treatment of asthma, but they remain expensive for health economies in developing countries. Oral prednisolone is very much cheaper. In this review, we found that, in the management of adults with chronic asthma, a daily dose of prednisolone 7.5 mg/day appears to be equivalent to a moderate to high dose of inhaled steroids (300-2000 mcg/day). Side effects may be present even with low doses of prednisolone, so if there is no alternative to oral steroids, the lowest effective dose should be prescribed. These findings may be of use in developing countries where inhaled steroids are not widely available.
thanks ginny and koolkat.
that link was great, Im trying to find at link to my inhalers and my weird excessive thirst problem (that is a different post on here) but something has made that bad and the asthma better so im in a odd mode happy that the the asthma has been in control for a while but now im dashing to the loo like crazy and waking up with an extreamly dry mouth and extreamly thirsty all the time.
hope its not the flixotide doing it...
reading Ginny's link the steroid in question would usually be by default be beclometasone, rather than flucticasone. Also if you read the opening summary the top end dose of 2000mcg would also point that way.
Anyone taken Famotidine for reflux? 
severe asthma symptoms daily 
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