Ultibro Breezehaler/Asthmatics?

[lozangst]

Hi all. (I'm new to this) I'm an expat living in Portugal. My doctor here has prescribed me the new inhaler Ultibro Breezehaler. From the moment I took it, (three weeks ago) my years of suffering stopped. Just like that. No wheezing, no rattling, no mucous, nothing. The tight, heavy, invisible weight I've carried around my midriff, gone. In all my 50 years, I can't remember, ever breathing or feeling as well as this. However, everything I read about the drug, reads... 'It is for people with COPD and should not be used in the treatment for asthma. I know it's a strange question as I feel so well, but, can any asthmatics or UK doctors tell me if they've used/prescribed the inhaler, and, should I keep using it.

[rubyred777]

Welcome Lozangst,

Can't help you out much on your question.Sounds like a miracle drug!

I would check it out as it doesn't appear to have been tested for asthma.

I'm sure others will be along to help you.

Just wanted to welcome you to the site.

Rubyxx 😊 😊

[lozangst in reply to rubyred777]

Thank you so much Ruby. So happy I found this site.

Lorraine

[O2Trees]

Can't give you an answer but i sure want to try it

[lozangst in reply to O2Trees]

Hee hee! I can actually laugh now without having to reach for an inhaler.

[itsBAme in reply to O2Trees]

ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp...,, have a read of this o2.

[O2Trees in reply to itsBAme]

I will check this - looks quite detailed but very interesting. Hope you good itsBAme. Take care, xjean

[Hidden]

That sounds great. Maybe they mean it shouldn't be used for asthma alone as it not appropriate? But if you have asthma and copd it it is? x

[lozangst in reply to Hidden]

I know I don't have COPD. My neighbours were doctors at the hospital I'd been admitted to over the past few years and kept me up to date with all my tests and results.

[lozangst in reply to lozangst]

But the thought had crossed my mind, Coughalot 1. Plus, they've now moved.

[Hidden in reply to lozangst]

Oh what a pain! Nothing like personal service is there? x

[stilltruckin]

One of the ingredients of Ultibro is indacaterol, which is a beta2 agonist of the same family of drugs as salmeterol and formoterol. Some studies have found an increase in asthma-related deaths in beta2 agonist users compared to placebo - a large increase on a small number . . .

The data assembled below should be sufficient to enable you to make an educated decision about whether to continue using it or not:

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dru...

Quote:

'In a large clinical study, more people who used an asthma medication similar to indacaterol experienced more severe episodes of asthma that needed to be treated in a hospital or caused death than patients who did not use the medication. Use of indacaterol inhalation may increase the risk of serious asthma problems or death in people who have asthma. Indacaterol inhalation has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat asthma. There is not enough information to tell whether indacaterol inhalation increases the risk of death in people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; a group of lung diseases, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema).'

drugs.com/pro/advair-diskus...

Quote:

'Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists (LABA), such as salmeterol ... increase the risk of asthma-related death. Data from a large placebo-controlled US trial that compared the safety of salmeterol with placebo added to usual asthma therapy showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in subjects receiving salmeterol (13 deaths out of 13,176 subjects treated for 28 weeks on salmeterol versus 3 deaths out of 13,179 subjects on placebo). Currently available data are inadequate to determine whether concurrent use of inhaled corticosteroids or other long-term asthma control drugs mitigates the increased risk of asthma-related death from LABA.'

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/176...

Quote:

'The safety and tolerability of indacaterol, a novel once-daily beta(2)-agonist bronchodilator with a fast onset of action, were assessed in 156 asthma patients in a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients received indacaterol 200, 400 or 600 microg or placebo once daily for 28 days. Adverse events (AEs), laboratory assessments, vital signs, electrocardiograms, spirometry and physical examinations were monitored. Indacaterol pharmacokinetics were assessed. There was no evidence of dose-related increases in AE incidence or clinically significant hypokalaemia or hyperglycaemia in indacaterol-treated patients. . . . Pre-dose (but not post-dose) serum indacaterol concentrations indicated a slight trend for accumulation. Once-daily indacaterol 200-600 microg has a favourable therapeutic index. It is well tolerated, and is not associated with any adverse cardiac or metabolic effects, while providing effective 24-h bronchodilation.'

[lozangst in reply to stilltruckin]

Thank you. I've read most of this stuff and similar. (Quite heavy reading) Which is how I became a 'bit freaked' and confused.

[CornishBrian in reply to lozangst]

Simpler terms from EMC..

Asthma

Ultibro Breezhaler should not be used for the treatment of asthma due to the absence of data in this indication.

Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists may increase the risk of asthma-related serious adverse events, including asthma-related deaths, when used for the treatment of asthma.

[Hidden]

Oh thank you. Not for me then x

[charm_drak]

Hi

I live in Greece and also take the same inhaler. It has done wonders for me too. I suffer from asthma. I am very happy with the medication and feel it is the best because I am not talking steroids. So not sure if it is right for us but it works. Thanks for sharing your information because now I feel even better about the inhaler.

[lozangst in reply to charm_drak]

Oh thank goodness. I can 'literally' breathe a sigh of relief.

[Colours23]

Omg really so there is good stuff so why so much naff stuff around, I will look privately for one of those inhalors,I want to buy one ,

[vectisboy in reply to Colours23]

Please make sure you do all your homework on this new med before youcommit yourself.

[lozangst in reply to Colours23]

Would your Doctor not prescribe it?

[Noona1 in reply to Colours23]

Yeah me too Sounds totally awesome

[Colours23]

I don't take steroids unless I was dying then why would I want them

[O2Trees in reply to Colours23]

Because they might prevent you getting to that point in the first place?

I was terrified of steroids for years, then had no choice as i would have been wheelchair bound with them. They literally saved my life and have enabled me to LIVE a life.

There are all sorts of side effects from all medication, but the side effect of untreated copd and/or asthma is likely to be death. Take your pick!

[Colours23 in reply to O2Trees]

Thank you for that,yes I have no confidence as my first ex.of steroids put me in hospital 10 days no monitoring or coming off them,I nearly died with them so u can see my fear take them or not ! Anxiety is really bad ,docs think you want a quick buss ,not taking into consideration what illness I have already ,,do you think I care about addiction bloody hell you can't win with some quacks.

[O2Trees in reply to Colours23]

Horrid. My teenage years were filled with my father's experience of steroids - he had lupus and was constantly in hospital. It left me hugely anxious about taking them.

There's at least one person on here who won't take them as they make her so ill.

Very difficult.

[soulsaver]

Not tested on asthma patients and contains no steroid component.

Trouble is there are instances (me for a start) when the docs aren't sure whether you've got asthma, copd or both.

Did they stop all your other inhalers or are you taking a steroid inhaler as well?

[lozangst in reply to soulsaver]

I was told to lower the dosage of Symbicort and take only if I really feel I need it at night. (I haven't) I'm still taking Singulair. Plus, I take antihistamines everyday for allergies. When I asked about my Ventolin, I was told I wouldn't need it. Again, he's right. But, he did say jokingly, in a crisis, I would try everything.

[soulsaver]

Sounds like you landed luckily on an ideal for you. IF the asthma diagnosis was correct you may want to monitor your peak flow for an early warning of steroid need, as it its effect tails off slowly, and builds up slowly.

I'd like to try this, too, on your results - my lungs don't like inhaled steroids.

[helingmic]

Hi Lozangst, Well if you feel well, I'd be loving it. Do you do any exercises at home?

Here's a series for your lungs: Look at the clips with the woman in blue. I do this every morning, beside going to the gym and playing the flute for breathing prupsoes ( I was told of people with asthma who take up the flute see their asthma disappear, backed up by doctor's research too)

youtube.com/channel/UCUu4aB...

Keep going in this lovely Portugal country. Boa fortuna!

[birdsing]

I'm new to here. I found this because while searching the internet, there is NO quantified medical research on the topic of Ultibro for asthma. My Dr in Asia did tests to confirm asthma diagnosis, and advair wasnt helping much. but then Dr just prescribed Ultibro for ASTHMA! I came back from pharmacy and read the leaflet from manufacturer and it states specifically its NOT for asthma! There is almost no information that it is good drug for asthma, only risks and heresay on the internet. i called the Dr back ,after realizing this wasnt a FDA approved drug and Dr said,"we will just give it a try". I am NOT a guinea pig. Im afraid of the 1) drug for me, 2)the attitude of the Dr,. As a person with chronic lung issues like most of us, we get used to taking drugs all the time, but we should never take drugs lightly. They are DRUGS, often poisonous in slightly bigger doses, also some with serious side effects. thanks for comments. Anyone else prescribed Ultibro for asthma?

[carmwoman]

I am on Ultibro for my Copd and I have found much relief now