I was diagnosed with asthma at 18 months old, now I'm 41.
I have been on many many different drugs for asthma, now I'm older I tend to research meds before I take them.
Recently(6 months ago) my doctor changed me from flixotide and serovent to symbicort, now after some research I have avoided starting this medication due to concerns I have read about symbicort.
My asthma has been well controlled over the last 10 years, and I really don't want to try a different drug, symbicort is apparently much cheaper than the other 2 combined and this has been offered as a reason I should change.
I have avoided swapping to symbicort by reducing my current meds,but I am comming to the point where they are running out.
Is there any way I can ask my doctor to just keep me on the meds I am comfortable with, or is it pretty much if he tells me I have to change, then I do?
I think if the current meds I am taking were ineffective then I would try symbicort, but to have to change because there cheaper worries me, especially after reading some of the side effects.
TL;DR
Dr wants me to swap to symbicort from flixotide and serovent which work well with me and I don't want to change.
If your asthma is controlled on the flixotide and serevent then I think that is reason enough not to change, as different meds work for different people and why risk unsettling your asthma with a change?
Saying that, I am a big fan of Symbicort so can recommend it if ever your asthma was playing up.
hello mark
I swear by symbicort and recommend you see a asthma nurse as they are good and i find they are better than gps when it comes to asthma
not saying gps are not good but asthma nurse under stand better and treat asthma better
all the best
mat
Dr wants me to swap to symbicort from flixotide and serovent which work well with me and I don't want to change.
Hi Mark,
I was also on serovent, however the policy for my PCT when I moved here just under a decade ago was not to prescribe unless certain criteria were met - linked to cost.
As a result I was taken off of serovent. Within a year of this, my previously well comtrolled asthma resulted in hospitilisation.
Two years after that my asthma turned chronic with nothing working.
Eventually I ended up on symbicort....
Lots of fellow sufferers tell me it's a wonderful drug, but for me, I have to have so many add-ons now just to remain at stage 4!
The list of drugs that I take to 'control' it - often feeling that I am literally a breathe away from another attack. And yes no-one ever considers that symbicort just doesn't work.
And yes, I still wonder whether this would have happened regardless of having the serovent stopped....
So my advice, if you can stop being moved off of it, I would.
Mark, If that was me I would try symbicort before your other meds run out just to see if it suits me, if it doesn`t then you will have good reason to ask to stay on what you know does work
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