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Aspergillus

Bearsdown•

3 years ago•7 Replies

Hi I am in hospital with newly diagnosed aspergillus, abpa,

I have just been put onto Itraconazole and find it very scary,anyone one on this drug and do you find you are ok on it,

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Bearsdown

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GAthertonAdministratorFungal Infection Trust3 years ago

Hello Bearsdown - you will find hundreds of people with ABPA taking itraconazole or another antifungal medication on our UK support group at facebook.com/groups/aspergi...

If antifungal medication is carefully managed we can minimise side effects. One way to do that is to measure the levels of the drug in your blood to ensure that you are not taking too much - antifungal drug levels can be carried out in the UK for the NHS at this specialist centre mrcm.org.uk/ - your GP or hospital doctor will have to order the tests for you if they feel it is necessary.

Bearsdown in reply to GAtherton3 years ago

Thank you for your reply,I am being discharged tomorrow and gave a blood test next week ,its just scary reading the side effects,thinking you are on your own ,nice to be able to communicate with other people,

GAthertonAdministratorFungal Infection Trust in reply to Bearsdown3 years ago

I should mention that we have to protect the UK aspergillosis Facebook group from people who would disrupt the group. When you try to join there will be a few questions to answer - you will not get in unless you answer the questions.

HannahBenson3 years ago

Hi...I was on itraconazole for about 6 months and really did not have any side effects but you must be careful if you are on any anti-depressant type of medication as it will greatly enhance the strength of that and you may find that you need to cut back the dosage of the anti-depressant while on itraconazole..I did and got back on when I finished the anti-fungal. Also, I think I remember it was not safe to be on Rifampin as the same applies.

Jacmidlands3 years ago

Good luck. It is rather scary to be newly diagnosed but there are plenty of us around. Make sure you don’t miss any blood tests since itraconazole can affect your liver. Though lots of people take it successfully and there are alternatives. I can recommend the Facebook group.

grannygreen3 years ago

I was on it for 6 months started to feel tingling in my feet and legs and cramp. Doctor said it was a side effect and should go away . It didn’t. Make sure you keep in contact with doctor and ask questions. There are other meds similar can be used, take care do exercises for your chest and keep safe.

StacyJenniferMartin3 years ago

I am currently taking this medicine and my doctor says that I'm not absorbing it well. He will be switching me to Vfen. I have trouble figuring out which side effects are from the medicine and which are symptoms of the illness. In any case, I'm not feeling well and understand your frustration.

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