prednisone

[pkukid]

i was diagnosed with asthma 3 yrs ago. i still have symptoms everyday and attacks 2-3x a week. i've had a increase in symptoms in the last several months even to the point where it has become a quality of life issue for me. i recently asked my doctor about trying a very low dose of daily pred to releive my symptoms, to which he replied," it'll kill you."
i figure my asthma will likely kill me long before the pred does. i am already on several medications for my asthma
( symbicort 160, singulair, duoneb 2x daily as a maintanance ,and still need my maxair daily. i have been on 6 prednisone tapers so far this year and have been doing allergy shot for 1.5 yrs with next to no improvement in my asthma. my question is, i know all the good , bad and ugly about prednisone but i HAVE TO be able to live my life!!! does anyone know of any alternatives that i might discuss with my doctor. i don't really want pred daily but i just have to reclaim my life that i've lost for the last 3yrs.

[5191sharon]

Has your Doctor run your lgE levels?  There is a rare syndrome that I have been diagnosed with called HIE Syndrome also known as Job Syndrome. It mimics uncontrolled asthma regardless of treatment.  One of the characteristics is the continual treatment of steroids and antibiotics, normally, on a monthly basis to get the smallest amount of relief.

[ChitChatNine]

WELCOME to our Community!

C~

[caregiver222]

You should ask your physician to give you a try on Foradil aerosolizer, 12 mcg (formorterol fumarate inhalation powder), twice a day. It has the disadvantage of raising blood pressure, and very expensive, but it works very well and in some cases can eliminate the need for oral prednisone and all other medications. The manufacturer has a special till December and will give a months free supply to any physician making a request.

[Victoireh]

Are you under the care of a pulmonary specialist. Also other comorbid conditions can aggravate the asthma, such sinusitis, GERD and unknown allergies. You really should be tested for allergies, if you haven't already. GERD can be silent and produce a cough as it's only symptom. If another cause can't be found then an increase in inhalers is a good idea. How many puffs/day of your Symbicort do  you use? You can use safely up to 8 puffs/day. I have done it for a long time, but my doctor switched me over to pulmicort 400ug x 4 puffs/day and Oxeze 12ug x 3 puffs/day. These two inhalers are the same components that are in Symbicort, but in stronger dosage. I feel at this dosage I don't have what I call mild asthma symptoms all day long that interfere with your daily life. What happens is in the morning you can be a bit into the yellow zone, but by afternoon you're back into the green zone, so you're not really symptomatic anymore. Your doctor should try giving you stronger inhalers or get to the root of the problem, before moving onto regular doses of prednisone. As it is reserved for very refractory asthma.