Afraid to take new meds

[painting123]

I have a cold and went to my asthma/allergy doctor today. He said my inflammation number was high. He prescribed nasacort and prednisone. The prednisone is for 7 days. He said to come back for a recheck in 2 months. I have not taken nasacort before and I am very scared when taking new medicines. He thinks I may have nasal polyps because my lungs are clear and my inflammation number was high. Anyway, I used the nasacort and I am afraid some may have gone down my throat, which is scaring me. I've never taken prednisone for 7 days. Usually i get the steroid pack. This prescription is for 2 pills every morning for 7 days. I thought steroids had to be tapered. Any experiences, advice would be appreciated.

[Maryhart Partner Asthma Educator]

It’s always scary starting or adding new medications. Both of these medications are often prescribed when someone with asthma/allergies is sick. Some people with allergies use a nasal steroid everyday. Oral steroids are used with an asthma exacerbation but usually not everyday. Always talk to your doctor about your concerns.

[painting123 in reply to Maryhart]

Thank you for your reply. I feel like I have so much to learn . I appreciate all of the information.

[beachflops]

Best advice is to contact your allergist and ask the nurse to explain the medication and read the side effects. Head tilted forward then spray and sniff each nostril will help prevent medication going to throat.

[d2read]

Hi! These are good points about using the nasal spray, but I have another: you should angle the tip of the nozzle midway up your nostril and outward, not straight back. That will help the medicine sprayed get into the large sinus cavity under you cheekbone on the side of your nose.

And as the others said, ALWAYS discuss concerns about medications with the doctor or nurse.

Asthma is a potentially fatal disease — IF you don’t take your medication properly; IF you don’t tell the doctor about other complications in where you live/work/study.

Your doctor and the medical staff have to be your partner in treating your asthma. They will educate you - if you don’t understand something, ask them to explain it. Concerned about the steroids? Ask them!

The dose that you are being prescribed — although you don’t give an actual dosage, which is more important than the number of pills — is unlikely, in your doctor’s opinion, to require tapering - because you don’t currently have asthma! But if you don’t follow the treatment prescribed, your infection might trigger asthma, which could require much more aggressive treatment.

Another wonderful source of good educational materials online is the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America — aafa.org. It’s a great group of people with some terrific programs that might help.

Please don’t be afraid of the medication — use it carefully and respectfully. It’s potent and can cause problems if misused. But the reality is that asthma attacks MUST be prevented in order to avoid having to take oral/IV/injected steroids like prednisone. There are some excellent preventive medications but they must be taken religiously to work effectively.

Come back and let us know how you are doing. And call your doctor! Good luck!

Debbie

[Hidden]

I hate being on steroids but sometimes it is necessary. I usually take the last few day of the course and divide it more to taper down. My system likes that more. Just something I learned to do if Dr doesn’t taper it down well. Hope that helps.

I also do the steroid based nose spray to keep the polyps away. I already have had two surgerys for the polyps issues. Hopefully the spray can keep it away !

[Wheezie1]

I always taper my Prednisone. However, the newer approach is that when taken for a short course of therapy, it's not necessary to taper. I could not tolerate Nasacort, but if you can, it's normal for anything you introduce into your nasal passages to go down your throat. Last November, I had a ?? viral infection with ?? Pneumonia and along with the Prednisone and Antibiotic, my Pulmonologist prescribed a saline lavage spray - Arm & Hammer Simply Saline. It worked better than anything to clear out my sinuses and it seemed to clear out tons of mucus and even necrotic tissue. I felt better almost immediately! There are other versions of this normal saline solution. It won't cure an infection, reduce inflammation, or cure nasal polyps, but it will go a long way toward clearing debris from your nasal passages. As for nasal polyps, they often go hand in hand with Eosinophilic Asthma.