Alvesco and headaches

[madonbrew]

Does anyone get severe headaches when taking alvesco? I get lots of headaches 3-4 a week anyway, but the last week they are almost beyond what I can bare. I took ibuprofen and paracetamols which just about took the edge off, but ibuprofen isn’t good for my kidneys (also got chronic kidney failure). I know some asthmatics can’t take ibuprofen but I’m ok with it from that sense. Migraleve seems to trigger my pancreatitis so haven’t taken them for years. I don’t know what more to try.

[Poobah]

Headache is a listed side effect of alvesco. I would ask your doctor for an alternative medication to Alvescot seeing as you are now having to take meds for your severe headache. Patient leaflets are clear that we should report side effects when they are intolerable. All the best.

[madonbrew in reply to Poobah]

Thanks Poobah,

Hmm, the thing is I take so many meds it could potentially be lots of them...alvesco is my newest med...but I’ve been taking it since the beginning of Aug& was taking it for a year before that...it’s been added as a step up again.

I’m just trying to figure out if it is the alvesco causing them but to be honest I don’t think it would be as I was fine on it before & I’ve been taking it 6 weeks & crazy headaches just came in last 2 days .

I just wondered if anyone else had the same....tricky!

.

[Poobah in reply to madonbrew]

I was put on Spiriva and it was fantastic for about 2 months and then gradually the good effects wore off. I then started with the headaches and feeling rubbish. I had an eye test about 7 months in and they told me that I had high blood pressure and to see my gp pronto.

Now I'm on blood pressure pills but I still had to change from Spiriva to Eklira Genuair. Even then my respiratory consultant got my BP changed as the original ones were not good for asthmatics.

I know it's hard to establish which med is causing the problem as sometimes the side effects come long after starting them. But the patient leaflet is a good start for checking on likely side effects. I found Eklira Genuair thanks to other asthmatics online who had also had bad side effects from Spiriva and other LAMA inhalers. Just had to convince my GP, backed up by asthma nurse to get that specific inhaler.

As your headache is bad enough for painkillers it may be prudent to check your blood pressure - bad headache can be a symptom of high BP. But definitely review your newish meds and their patient leaflets for which ones could be the culprit. And your pharmacist can also help as they have much better knowledge of meds than some doctors. Then you will be armed with the relevant info to talk with your doctor.

NB I've even had asthma meds that made my asthma worse. I'm sure many of us have had to get meds changed because of side effects.

[madonbrew in reply to Poobah]

Thank you Poohpah!

I chatted with a pharmacist today who was really helpful, but she said talk to my doctor as I have so many meds. She said it’s unusual to get migraine type headaches being on so many inhaled steroids.

Thankfully I’ve been ok today. It could of course just been a migraine non related to meds at all I guess.

Take care!

Dee

[Poobah in reply to madonbrew]

Here's hoping it was a one off. Take care.

[Bunnimayhem]

I found it isn't as bad as Symbicort/Oxeze/Duaklir (tried all 3, Oxeze was added to Sym., to keep from increasing my budesonide dose, which is when I twigged that it might be an issue... and confirmed that formoterol was definitely a migraine trigger for me... and dose-dependent) but my migraines are mainly barometric, and even adopting a plant-based diet hasn't eradicated them.

That doesn't mean it's having NO effect, just that it's not as bad, in my case, as formoterol was. I have a bad habit of being prone to ALL the side-effects, all the time, so this isn't really a shock for me.

Everyone has different reactions to various meds - that's why there are so darn many of them. I hope you find a way to figure out which one is the culprit in your case.