Centil 100 vs Qvar

[reetm]

Hi there was wondering if you could help me?

So recently I have been diagnosed with asthma due to a lot of breathing difficulties and just going through the event of having laryngitis and dysphonia since June. Through private medical, The doctor prescribed me Qvar advising me that I should get this prescription under NHS as it shall be long term.

So I went to my local asthma practitioner and instead of giving me Qvar 100 he prescribed me Centil 100 advising me it's the same and I should take two puffs a day. He wasn't very happy that the private doctor told me to come to NHS but at the time I was to shocked with his attitude I should've explained to him that i'm glad I did as the second opinion diagnosed me with asthma because when I went to the initial doctor she just said I had a throat infection.

I'm going to be speaking to my doctors later to ask why he gave me a different prescription as my private doctor said he should give me Qvar. I am new to this, please can somebody enlighten me are they the same or is there a massive difference? Qvar would've been given to me in the easy breath inhaler whereas now the Centil is the brown asthma pump. Thank you for your help in advance I hope I have made sense.

[Hidden]

Hi reetm

Sorry to hear you've been recently diagnosed with asthma.

I asked the Asthma UK nurse team your query and Mickey has replied and said the Qvar 100mcg is the equivalent of clenil 250mcg as Qvar is a finer particle so delivers more medicine.

You may want to think about what device you prefer to use and preference and also clarify the dose from your primary doctor as you may have had a reduction going from Qvar to Clenil. It may be usedul to talk through your asthma management with one of our asthma nurses on the helpline to clarify bit.ly/asthmacall. Please feel free to give us a ring on 0300 222 5800 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).

Take care,

Dita

[reetm in reply to Hidden]

Dita, your reply was in valuable to me I truly appreciate it. I have just spoken to the NHS doctor and he has prescribed me Qvar now. So I'm back on track now. I shall keep you tabbed on how I get on but thank you so much for the phone number I will keep hold of it should I need any help.

Reet x

[Matman]

Although the kind of Oral Steroid in both Inhalers may be the same, there is one argument that finer particle inhaled steroids (like Qvar) can better reach areas of the lung than the larger particle ones such as Clenil.

My own search for data on this eventually led me to an article that argued (to me quite effectively) that it would be more useful to be able to have a mix of particle sizes, as each variation in particle size is best suited to different areas of the airways.

The upshot seems to be that maybe two or even three Inhalers used alternatively 'might' provide the most benefits (but your unlikely to find a gp who will give you two or three different steroid Inhalers to use at the same time).

I used to be on Clenil but it didn't seem to suit me as much as the Inhaler I'm on now which is a dual Inhaler that includes both a steroid and a Long Acting Beta Agonist. As you probably know, a LABA is a drug similar to a Short Acting Beta Agonist (such as Salbutamol) that you get in Blue Reliever Inhaler like Ventolin. The difference being each twice daily dose last 12 hours rather than 4 to 6 hours as is the case with Salbutamol. (I have reservations on being on a LABA as it means I'm being medicated 24/7 to keep my lungs open, but at present, that seems to be what I need.

An important issue is 'cost' and Patients will often be steered by the NHS to the Drugs / Inhalers that cost the least on an annual basis, though 'cheaper' is not always 'worse'.

If a Private Consultant who also works within the NHS (as most do) has recommended a Drug, then you have an almost unassailable argument for insisting on that drug, providing it is one that NICE have authorised for routine prescribing - which I believe applies to Qvar.

Good luck.

[reetm in reply to Matman]

Thank you so much I will take in all that you have said to me. It's very interesting to know the differences . Hope you have a lovely day