Common concerns about asthma medicines

Common concerns about asthma medicines

If you’re taking your inhaler in the right way, using a good technique, it’ll be easier for the medicine to get straight to your airways. This means it’s less likely to cause any side effects and very little medicine is absorbed into the rest of your body. Some inhalers have a dose counter on the side of the inhaler which tells you how many doses you have left.

  • There’s generally no reason why someone shouldn’t be able to use a steroid inhaler or steroid spray.
  • COVID-19 has spread across the world, with more infections and deaths than previous coronavirus outbreaks (SARS and MERS).
  • If you consent to us contacting you in the future, we will try to let you know any results in the future.
  • It is therefore important that all smokers using an ICS should be offered help to stop smoking, as this may reduce the dose required by the patient and minimise the risk of side effects.
  • This means it’s less likely to cause any side effects and very little medicine is absorbed into the rest of your body.

If you’re already using an inhaler, ask a doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any other medicines, remedies or supplements. Tell a doctor if you take any other medicines, including herbal remedies and supplements, before starting to use a steroid anabolic steroids buy online inhaler. Steroid inhalers are different to the anabolic steroids that some people use illegally to increase their muscle mass. Don’t be tempted to skip doses so your medicines last longer; you’ll be putting yourself at risk of an asthma attack.

Side effects of steroid inhalers

The results of the study may be published in the medical literature but you would never be identifiable from this. If there is new information about the study, we will keep you informed throughout and you will always have an opportunity to ask questions throughout the research study. At the end of the study, we will publish the results on the study website. You can email, call or text us (details at the end of the information sheet) to let us know if you are interested.

A steroid card lets other healthcare professionals know you take steroids. This is important information if you ever need to go to hospital. Talk to your doctor or specialist if you’re worried about your weight, and make sure you’re sticking to a healthy, balanced diet, and getting some exercise.

St Mark’s Medical Centre

The BTS/SIGN guidelines recommend that the dose of any ICS should be reduced by 25–50% in patients with good asthma control (i.e. no exacerbations for three months), to the lowest dose that controls symptoms[2] . It is unlikely a patient with asthma would have their ICS completely withdrawn. Patients with COPD are at a higher risk of developing pneumonia than people who do not have COPD[15] , and this risk appears to be further amplified in patients using ICS[16] , particularly at high doses.

If they are not there at the same time, you can contact us within 7 days after the start of your first symptoms. We will go through the study details with you and we will ask you a series of questions to assess whether you can take part. If you decide you would like to participate, after obtaining verbal (via telephone) or written consent, you will be entered into the study and take part in the study visits and assessments. We will arrange the first study visit to occur as soon as possible.

Do I need to use a preventer inhaler every day?

You will have the opportunity to discuss any part of the study at any time. If you decline or withdraw, this will not affect your care now or in the future in any way. You’ll usually need to take 1 or 2 puffs from your inhaler in the morning and 1 or 2 puffs in the evening. You can report any suspected side effect to the Yellow Card scheme.

Intranasal corticosteroids are used in the management of hayfever, allergy, and some nasal conditions. For example, some types of beta-blockers, given to help conditions such as high blood pressure and heart conditions, are not recommended for people with asthma. This is because they interact with asthma medicines and can cause your airways to get narrow (bronchoconstriction). At your annual asthma review, your GP or asthma nurse can talk to you about your individual risk of osteoporosis, and things you can do to lower your risk, such as exercise, diet, and giving up smoking.

Coping with side effects of steroid inhalers

It’s also a chance to check you’re using your inhalers in the right way. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are indicated in the management of most patients with asthma and some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1],[2] . NHS data for 2013–2014 suggests that, in England, of the 242 million ICS-containing inhalers dispensed at a cost of almost £355m, 39% were for high-dose inhalers.

They’re a synthetic version of hormones, normally produced by the adrenal glands (2 small glands that sit on top of the kidneys). Corticosteroids, often known as steroids, are an anti-inflammatory medicine. The study is being organised by Professor Mona Bafadhel, funded by the Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Respiratory Theme and sponsored by the University of Oxford.

My preventer inhaler’s not working

The good news is, side effects like these can be avoided with good inhaler technique. You’ll be able to see that people with asthma report some side effects more than others. These are reports collected from real people with asthma, and health professionals, through the Yellow Cards scheme.

If you have an allergic reaction, we ask that you seek medical attention straight away (by calling your GP or calling 999) and later letting the study team know if this happens. We will be unable to immediately let you know if the COVID swab is positive or not. Results from the swab tests that we use as part of this study are accurate only about half the time. This is due to the he machines that we use to test the swabs and also to how the swab is taken.