do you know what asthma medications could be doing to you?

[jessgray]

i thought i would post the truth about some asthma medications :)
as i found it quite alarming to read.

Seretide

rounded face,loss of bone density,eye problems (eg cataracts),slow growth in childrenhttp://health.ninemsn.com/MEDICATIONS/CMI/gwcseret.pdf#search=%22seretide%22

Inhaled Corticosteroids



e.g. beclomethasone dipropionate (Qvar, Becloforte, Becotide, Respocort); budesonide (Pulmicort); fluticasone propionate (Flixotide)

Inhaled corticosteroids are the main preventive therapy for asthma.

nhaled corticosteroids have transformed the management of persistent asthma in children and allow those affected to enjoy an excellent quality of life. While the risks of undertreatment of persistent asthma are far greater than the treatment with low-dose inhaled corticosteroids, it is important to guard against excessive or inappropriate doses. The use of inhaled corticosteroids results in systemic effects which can be readily measured. Increases in doses above 250mcg/day of FP or equivalent are not accompanied by proportional increases in clinical benefit, but do result in increased systemic bioavailability and the risk of side effects. The benefit must be balanced against the risks. This is particularly so when inhaled corticosteroid dose exceeds 500mcg/day of FP or equivalent.



The major concern raised by the long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids has been the effect on growth in pre-pubertal children. Poorly controlled asthma impairs growth, but long-term follow-up studies of children receiving regular inhaled corticosteroids have failed to show any growth impairment. However, in recent years, there have been several prospectively controlled trials in over 300 children showing an over-1cm reduction in expected growth in a twelve month period in those children treated with BDP (CFC) 400mcg per day compared with those on placebo or a long-acting beta2 agonist. After the initial impact of inhaled corticosteroids on growth, subsequent growth velocity is normal.



It is likely that there are individuals who are more susceptible to the systemic effects of inhaled corticosteroids, with some experiencing side effects at relatively low dosages. Growth should be monitored regularly and plotted on growth charts in all children receiving inhaled corticosteroids.



Other concerns about the long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids relate to the effect on bone metabolism. Systemic corticosteroids have complex effects on bone turnover that include inhibition of new bone formation and promotion of bone resorption. These are of particular concern in children who are rapidly acquiring bone mass. To date, it would appear that the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on bone metabolism, in doses up to 500mcg/day of FP or equivalent is minimal, but more information is required from longitudinal studies throughout childhood and adolescence.



The risks of adverse effects from inhaled corticosteroids can be minimised by back-titrating to the lowest dose that maintains good symptom control. A generally safe approach is to monitor the patient regularly and if stable for 2-3 months, reduce the dose by approximately 25% decrements. If breakthrough symptoms occur, then return to the dose that had previously achieved control. This is particularly important in children as the natural history of asthma is so variable.

Absorption of moderate to high doses of inhaled corticosteroids can cause:

* systemic effects such as bruising, dermal thinning, adrenal suppression, and altered bone metabolism leading to osteoporosis. The risk of side-effects is dose-related but there is also some individual sensitivity to the effects of corticosteroids. Osteoporosis screening is advised for adults on long-term high-dose ICS. Cataracts tend to occur in older patients with high cumulative doses of ICS.
* growth suppression in children. The relative benefits and risks of inhaled corticosteroids in children should be assessed on an individual basis. The amount of growth suppression is likely to be a maximum of 1 cm and is non-progressive. Poorly controlled asthma can also cause growth suppression.

INHALED NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES

e.g. sodium cromoglycate (Intal Forte CFC-Free), nedocromil sodium (Tilade CFC-Free)
SODIUM CROMOGLYCATE

t is generally free of side-effects. Therapeutic effect is usually obvious within 1-2 weeks but a 4-week trial is recommended before considering other treatments.


for moreinfo go to: http://www.nationalasthma.org.au

[Lirael]

sorry im wayyy too tired to read it all. is it just in kids??
sometimes i think being a member here is dangerous-so much different stuff to scare you. its a constant outpouring of warnings and stuff. is ANYTHING safe anymore???

BTW i take seretide but only when i need it eg right now cos i have the flu and cant breathe.used to take pulmicort but stopped that. both were told to me by a few different doctors as being safe in pregnancy

[jessgray]

ventalin side effects

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcmed.nsf/pages/gwcvenrs/$File/gwcvenrs.pdf#search=%22ventolin%20side%20effects%2 2

[jessgray]

nope cell the side effects are for everyone

[Lirael]

meh. everything can kill you these days if i stress anymore my head will explode. but thanks for going to all the effort to let ppl know:thumbsup:

ill read it tomorrow when im more awake:)

[SilverStarfish]

The side effects are scary... but when my child is having as asthma attack and can't breathe, then I'd rather give her the drugs and worry about the side effects later.

Until asthma medication/management improves I think it would be more important to keep on the medication and in touch with your GP.

[Mamaduke]

There are side effects to almost every drug out there, but I agree with Faeml, when my child's oxygen saturation levels are low and he's struggling to breathe, the medication is only thing that makes him better.
The article even says...


While the risks of undertreatment of persistent asthma are far greater than the treatment with low-dose inhaled corticosteroids,

and if your child is under the care of a respiratory specialist (like mine is) where his asthma medication is monitored ie/he is taken off the preventer during the warmer months, then articles like this aren't really anything to concern yourself about.

I think it's targetted at the people who just give their children preventers &/or Ventolin without ever having their asthma re-assessed after an initial diagnosis.

[WeThree]

Everything MD said.
Things like that can scare people unnecessarily into not getting the correct treatment for their child, and that is wrong. People seem to underestimate the severity of asthma, and dont realise how many people still do die from it, for people with chronic asthma or who have children who are sufferers, its often a case of chosing the lesser of the 2 evils, and I would prefer my child to be able to breathe thanks all the same :)
Thats not to say that Im not always open to other methods, but people certainly should not be put off getting treatment for asthma because of these types of reports.

[nemosmum]

I dont think this information is something to be scared of, i think it would be scarier if this information wasnt readily available to all parents whose children may suffer from asthma!

I know when my son had several attacks and was hospitalised and placed on heavy doses of these drugs not one doctor mentioned any type of side effects! that to me is bad medical practice!

Yes all drugs have side effects BUT we should be made aware of these and be kept as informed as possible.

I was lucky that i am an asthmatic too so knew alot of the info already.

My child is one of those that had major side effects to these drugs and so after he got better I sought out alternative therapies...natural ones and they worked for us (thankfully)
He was asthma free for abotu 7mths!

My son has seen several doctors and the last time he showed some asthma symptoms three doctors we saw all said "its not asthma, its allergy related rhinitis" which often takes on symptoms of asthma BUT does not require the same treatment if its caught early enough.

MY point is YES i wouldnt hesitate to give my son these steroids if he was unable to breath...asthma is very scary I know as ive suffered since I was 16mths old!
BUT that doesnt mean i will continue to blindly pump drugs into his system without knowing all the facts about those drugs.

I also think people underestimate the power of natural therapies and just take any drug that the doctor prescriped without researching all of the alternatives.

Alternative therapies dont work for everyone BUT hey they are worth a shot imo anything natural is ok with me!

[jessgray]

i agree it is important to keep up asthma management. my ds is asthmatic and so am i.

i didnt postit to scare.i thought it would be good for people to know.everything carries a risk these days. my ds's GP didnt tell me the side effects of predmix i had to research it myself:shame:

[jessgray]

Everything MD said.
Things like that can scare people unnecessarily into not getting the correct treatment for their child, and that is wrong. People seem to underestimate the severity of asthma, and dont realise how many people still do die from it, for people with chronic asthma or who have children who are sufferers, its often a case of chosing the lesser of the 2 evils, and I would prefer my child to be able to breathe thanks all the same :)
Thats not to say that Im not always open to other methods, but people certainly should not be put off getting treatment for asthma because of these types of reports.
the links i provided are the information you would get from the dr not a report or study.although i think there was a US study recently about a preventor but i dont rememberwhich one.

[Mamaduke]

I just wanted to add that GP's are great for an initial diagnosis and instant interim treatment of asthma symptoms but the best thing I ever did was to put Jesse under the care of a respiratory specialist who specialises in childrens' asthma.
I don't think that GP's (as great as they are), are competent enough to manage a child's asthma (& the medication that goes with it) effectively.

[jessgray]

where do you go to see a respitory specialist ? do they have long waiting lists?

[Lila]

well.
if you need the medication, then i guess you have to take it - regardless....
seriously there are far more serious side effects in other medications....sorry.


i am a severe asthmatic and have to take cort. daily since 15 years now....i am fine!! :)

sideeffects from ms (multiple sclerosis) medication, diabetes, ect... is usually worse than asthma meds

in the end every pill you swallow has side effects....

[Mamaduke]

where do you go to see a respitory specialist ? do they have long waiting lists?
Jesse sees Associate Professor Nicholas Freezer who is the Director of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at the Monash Medical Centre.
http://www.southernhealth.org.au/respiratory/main.htm
I was given his name by our MCHN and Jesse was seen virtually straight away.
Best thing we ever did.

[Mamaduke]

Just wanted to add...
Jesse saw Nicholas privately so the initial consultation with him was around the $160 mark, of which we got about $111 back from Medicare.

[Little_Toad]

I think the side effects of NOT taking my asthma medication are far more lethal than taking it.

[jessgray]

Mamaduke-thanks i'll ask our GP about seeing one:)

[nemosmum]

I dont think this thread was meant to be about scaring people into NOT taking their meds

I think its was supposed to be about informing people which i think is very important

[jessgray]

thats correct :)
the side effects are from long term use and i looked up side effectsafter my friend told me how he had been to the dr's and got told hehad the bone density of a 60 yr old and he is 21 :eek: and thats after 10 years of using his preventor. which i found alarming coz you dont get told that sort of thing can happen.not using med's would do more harm then good.

[WeThree]

I dont think this information is something to be scared of, i think it would be scarier if this information wasnt readily available to all parents whose children may suffer from asthma!

I know when my son had several attacks and was hospitalised and placed on heavy doses of these drugs not one doctor mentioned any type of side effects! that to me is bad medical practice!

Yes all drugs have side effects BUT we should be made aware of these and be kept as informed as possible.

I was lucky that i am an asthmatic too so knew alot of the info already.

My child is one of those that had major side effects to these drugs and so after he got better I sought out alternative therapies...natural ones and they worked for us (thankfully)
He was asthma free for abotu 7mths!

My son has seen several doctors and the last time he showed some asthma symptoms three doctors we saw all said "its not asthma, its allergy related rhinitis" which often takes on symptoms of asthma BUT does not require the same treatment if its caught early enough.

MY point is YES i wouldnt hesitate to give my son these steroids if he was unable to breath...asthma is very scary I know as ive suffered since I was 16mths old!
BUT that doesnt mean i will continue to blindly pump drugs into his system without knowing all the facts about those drugs.

I also think people underestimate the power of natural therapies and just take any drug that the doctor prescriped without researching all of the alternatives.

Alternative therapies dont work for everyone BUT hey they are worth a shot imo anything natural is ok with me!

I agree with all you said here S, I think I had my cranky pants on the other evening when I wrote my post here :o

[jessgray]

what are the alternative therapies people are using to treat asthma?

[missie_mack]

the side effects are from long term use and i looked up side effectsafter my friend told me how he had been to the dr's and got told hehad the bone density of a 60 yr old and he is 21 :eek: and thats after 10 years of using his preventor. which i found alarming coz you dont get told that sort of thing can happen

Its great you did your research but its important to remember these are only things that may happen. One would assume any Dr prescribing these medications are aware of your medical history and would take these things into consideration and monitor the results of any new medication. If not its time you asked the question why and perhaps looked into alterate medical advice. In regards to your friend is the preventor the cause of his bone density issues, a contributing factor or coincidence??

I have been on preventors for over 25 years and have little or no issues with side effects from my preventors. My grandmother recently passed away at the ripe old age of 88 (and in generaly good health) and she has been a chronic asthmatic her whole life. So I wouldnt let your friends case have you running scared from treatment but more something to take into consideration.

I guess the lesson in this is to ensure that you read the brochure that comes with prescriptions to make sure you know all the facts and ask questions. Weigh up the effects of the medication against the possible side effects remembering what effects me in one way may not affect you at all. I know where I would be without my medication and its a place I shudder to think about.

[nemosmum]

Well i must have jinxed myself as O now has an upper respirtory infection OR Croup.......and the doctor has presribed ventolin

So i spent most of last night trying to convince my toddler to take his meds.....coz he hates them!

Ok alternatives.....

I swear by my natropath she has been brillant a true angel and has helped me keep O healthy these past 7mths BUT she is very $ so i supplement visits to her with natural medication you can find at your local chemist....

Brauers Natural medicines stock a huge range of great homepathic products for colds/flus/coughs etc that really seem to help my son

My son has a weak immune system which means he gets sick often (or used too) so to combat that i keep him on a healthy diet(most fo the time), give him a multivitamin, cod liver oil to help boost his mucus membranes and try and keep him away from all the things his allergic too.

Like i said before natural stuff doesnt always work for everyone,
and it isnt a miracle cure......my son was healthy for 7mths and now is sick so its not perfect

BUT I have found it helpful as its all natural and with a child who is already on a natural high most of the time (aka his hypo already! :D )
Using natural stuff instead of medication just seems more appropriate to me

Like i said to the doctor yesterday (as my toddler ran around his office getting into trouble lol) "this is my son sick wth a chest infection and no drugs......now imagine him sick and on drugs LOL he bounces off the walls and gets very aggressive!"

Hopefully O will be better soon and off the steroids very soon and back on his natural regime:)

[jessgray]

nemosmum- i love the brauer's range.i dont know what i wouldhave done a few months ago when ds was an insomniac lol that calm medicine helpedhim so much we havent used it for a while though.

missie_mack- my friend was told the preventor was the cause he has had the same dr all his life.

who would have thought sharing some info would lead to such rudeness from people.

[BlueGin]

Hi Jess, thank you for this thread! I was just doing a search on the Hub after some extremely annoying treatment by doctors forcing me to use Ventolin. Having this info (side effects and such) to hand both bolsters my confidence in rejecting unecessary treatment, and my case when I tell them I don't want it! :thumbsup: For making such useful info readily available.

[Deenie]

meh. everything can kill you these days if i stress anymore my head will explode. but thanks for going to all the effort to let ppl know:thumbsup:

ill read it tomorrow when im more awake:)

:iagree:

Well put... :)
I have suffered so badly with my asthma today and have tried so hard to not take any medications in the last 6 months, but the fact is when I don't get enough oxygen, neither does my little one which stresses him out too..

At my OBGYN app. today he told me to use my Ventolin AND Flixotide which he says ae both safe.

I'm certaintly not trying to over do it, however God it feels good to breathe! :)

[LivinOnAPrayer]

id rather have the drug when im up at 2am struggling to breath. if i didnt i would die.

[shockinamillion]

Like anything it is a matter of weighing up the risks. Without all this medication my brother would not have lived to see five let alone 15 (OMG I cannot believe my little brother is 15:eek:).

Everything carries risks, we need to think about the chances though.

My brothers growth was slow. He is now taller than me and growing into quite the young man. Thos years of looking peaky and small were worth it to keep him alive.

A specialist is definately the way to go. Education as well. Make sure whoever needs the medcation knows that it is only needed sometimes. My DPs idiot brother sucks on his ventolin like a dummy (at almost 19 yrs of age) and takes it 3 to 4 times a day and wonders why it does not work when he really needs it.

[missie_mack]

Things are improving there are preventers available that aren't steroids (although granted they don't work for everyone) and liquid bricanyl is used far less. If you see a paed they are less likely to hand out a steroid preventer to little ones if they can avoid it however I do find prednisone treatments are handed out by any GP as their fallback treatment all too often despite the side effects without all alternatives being considered ....

[naiwen]

DS has chronic lung disease and needs frequent steroids, I do worry about the side effects but it's a choice between that and brain damage or death from lack of oxygen so really there is no choice.

[SimplyMum]

Although I didn't know any of the side effects in detail, I knew they obviously existed. Like any drugs- they're are always going to be side effects and risks associated.

From birth, DS had a 'rattly chest'. I went to 3 drs before he was 18months to try and clear it up. One dr said that it was normal, another said it was bronchiatis and should be gone within a week (after it being there 18mths), another said it was asthma and prescribed medication without even listening to his chest.

I refused to give him medication. I mean, they didn't even look!

DS ended up in hospital after he had a coughing fit, stopped breathing and than a convulsion. From this, we were referred to a pead and got a authority script to clear up the rattle in his chest. It cleared up within 1 month!
Ds has been dx with mild asthma but I have learnt that if I take the right precautions than I don't have to resort to the meds.

DS main problem is when the cold air gets thick and into his lungs. I have found by not allowing him to be outside past the hr of about 4.30-5pm, having a heater and vaporizor on in his room of a night and vix on his chest than we are pretty good. Obviously I still keep the asthma medication on hand just in case.

Him ending up in hospital was a blessing in disguise- it resulted in us getting to the bottom of his rattly chest but I'm glad I didn't just take any of the drs advice on face value- IMO none of the drs did their job properly.

[shinebrite]

Im an asthmatic, have been classed as a chronic asthmtic since I was 18mnths old. I was on steriods (prenisilone SP?) when i was young and its why I didnt make it to 5 foot 4, Im just under 4 foot 11. didnt put on weight like some kids though was skinny. But to tell you the truth Id rather be a little shorter as I know how horrid it is to feel like you cant breathe! You feel like your going to sufficate so I suppose in this case being able to breathe out weighs the cons of the drug. Im so glad my DD hasnt been diagnosed with Asthma, I couldnt bear it and dont know how you mums deal with a baby with asthma!!! I spent most of my childhood in hospital because I was basically allergic to the '90's' as they said. moved to Canberra and because of the lattitude here I can breathe better, the air is better quality, I think once your older you can manage it better but when your a tiny tott its hard so drugs IMO are inportant for quality of life. Good info OP.