Research re: reliever inhalers may be less effective for some people due to a gene.

My dad mentioned this to me earlier, and I've just read this brightonandhovenews.org/201...

For me, this answers a lot of questions. I have a constant wheeze - my asthma nurse has spent years telling me that this is the result of ""poor asthma management"", even though I am very routine when it comes to taking my preventative. I take a lot of reliever (salbutamol) because of this constant wheeze. I've had numerous appointments with both my GP and my asthma nurse, and have requested to try new medication in four separate appointments this year alone. I used to visit a lot more but have become reluctant as things never change. I will be visiting my GP on Monday and I will express my concerns re: this gene and my troubles with salbutamol... I really hope that he takes it seriously this time.

I'm glad to have heard about this as I've maintained that salbutamol does not work for me and I've been ignored.

Anyone else heard about this? Does anyone else have trouble with salbutamol being ineffective? I'd like to hear from someone who takes something other than salbutamol!

Thanks!

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Hi Nerissa,

I seem to remember reading a similar article a few months back about the LABA salmeterol which is in Seretide and is also mentioned in this article (I think I am correct in saying it is similar to Salbutamol). I think it is worth bringing up trying different inhalers with GP especially if your asthma is not well controlled.

I can't take Salbutamol regularly as it makes me incredibly tachycardic. I currently take Bricanyl which contains the reliever Terbutaline. In the past, I have taken Symbicort using SMART regime (the LABA in Symbicort is very quick acting so you can take it as a reliever as well as preventer. As you are also getting more ICS when bad, I found this very beneficial for a few days but then started having big attacks and going over the daily limit). The problem with both of these is that they only come as a dry powder inhaler which I struggle with during attacks so I still have a Ventolin for these occasions.

It may also be worth while looking at you preventative medication. You don't say what you are currently taking but could it be stepped up or changed?

Take care

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Hi Kayla,

Yes, I used to have a Seretide Accuhaler, although I'm now on Symbicort. The article mentions corticosteroids in general - I know that Symbicort is a corticosteroid, but don't know if it's perhaps one of the medicines that is ineffective in people with this gene.

I have brought up the fact that I'm not happy with my inhaler several times - I used to be on the Ventolin MDI, but was switched to a Ventolin Accuhaler about eight years ago. My asthma is well controlled in the sense that I am taking my Symbicort regularly (I am on the SMART regime at the minute), and don't miss any doses. It's bad in the sense that the inhalers don't relieve my symptoms for me. But my asthma nurse puts it down to my poor control, rather than looking at the inhalers.

I am advised to up my dose of Symbicort when symptoms are bad, but have great difficulty obtaining a new inhaler from my doctor if I am using the Symbicort too quickly - I recently ran into this problem and ended up being hospitalised after taking ~20 doses of salbutamol, and eight doses of Symbicort in one day - it was a Saturday and my doctor was unavailable. I was somewhat tachycardic, and ended up having 3 nebulisers in the three hours that I was in hospital, followed by 40mg of prednisolone and antibiotics over 5 days - that was two weeks ago.

Again, I'm not sure if I could be taking more Symbicort on the SMART regime - I would prefer for it to be changed, but it's proving difficult to get anywhere with this; I've been trying to get OFF Salbutamol for the past two years, but it's never worked for me as I was always in and out of doctors with wheeziness and chest infections as a child. Like I say, my doctor is quite stubborn and seems to think that the salbutamol is the best thing for me.