Asthma medication making me worse?

[Nickoteen]

Ok I had asthma when I was younger.Started smoking weed when I was 15...smoked daily for about 5 years.I quit 5 months ago.Through the years my breathing wasnt very good.When I would smoke my lungs would tighten up.I wasnt taking any asthma medication either.Turns out I was actually allergic to marijuana and thats why it was effecting my lungs.

Anyways I have now quit and its been almost 5 months.I have tried a few different steroid inhalers and they all seem to make my breathing feel worse after taking them.My lungs feel congested and mucusy after taking them.What could be going on with this??

Also I have heard it takes 1-9 months for the cilia to grow back after quitting smoking.Its been 5 months and I havent coughed up any tar at all.Could my cilia be damaged beyond repair meaning the tar will be in my lungs forever??? Im worried about this because I am allergic to marijuana and the idea of having tar of something Im allergic to in my lungs forever is quite distressing.Think my cilia will grow back and get working again?

Mucus seems to be a major issue for me.I dont get typical run for my rescue inhaler attacks...instead it just seems to be a chronic feeling of not being able to breathe freely..worried that it could be chronic bronchitis,broncheictasis..or something like that

Oh and on another note I had a spirometry lung function test a year ago and everything turned up normal

I will be going to see a respirologist soon but just hoped you could share some thoughts and insite in the mean time

thanks

[MikeWalk]

I am currently receiving disability benefits due to asthma symptoms that are triggered by various paper products, especially photocopy paper.  I cannot work in an office environment due to all of the paper.  This has been going on since 2001 in terms of being off of work.  Since that time, there has been some improvement as I have been able to structure my life to avoid dealing with too much paper, such as by use of the computer. I currently work part time out of my house on the computer.

During the period before developing this problem, I was using an alupent inhaler for up to 10 times a day, minimum 8, for ten years, in addition to a non steriodal and steroidal long term inhalers.  Once I stopped working I was able to stop using the alupent except for extreme emergencies.

I have had asthma since birth and have allergies to molds, various foods, and other biological inhalents but have been told that the paper is not an allergy but a chemical senstitivity or reactive airway disease of some sort.  There does not seem to be any treatment other than avoidance. At the beginning I was not even able to pay a credit card bill with paper checks without wearing a mask.  I seemed to have plateaued now in terms of the paper sensitivity and can handle the amount of paper that you encounter in a normal non work environment (except for reading newspapers) but still cannot work in a paper intensive setting.  

My disability carrier sent me to a psychologist and psychiatrist last year who said that I have a somataform disorder and am somatacizing stress.  I also have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue which pre dated the paper problem.  I had also rehabbed a couple of houses in the 70's and 80's and was probably exposed to lead based paint and toxic solvents, although I always wore a mask and kept the place well ventilated while doing the actual work. My problems with cardboard and newspapers started around that time, however.  I also had to work with a great deal of paper in the office and worked in a basement office next to an old heater when the photo copy paper problem became severe enough to be noticed.  Prior to that I believe I was masking the sypmtoms with the alupent.  Eventually that stopped working for me and that's when I had to close my office and apply for the insurance benefits, which I fortunately received.  I have never been a smoker of any kind.

What are your thoughts on this situation?  Did the alupent contribute to the problem? I understand it is not being prescribed as much and/or doctors are warning their patients to minimize it's use.  Is this reversable?   Thanks.  

[Nickoteen]

oh.Thanks for the heads up!

[starion]

You won't get another reply from the doctor unless you post another question at the beginning of a new thread.  I've never seen more than one response by the physician to the original poster and question on this board.

[Nickoteen]

Thanks for the reply! Just a question about the inhalers.It seems that its the steroid inhalers that make my lungs feel worse.I have taken Flovent and Qvar.Ive tried the Flovent dry powder diskus and the aerosal puffer.They all make my breathing feel worse after I take them.What could this be? It doesnt happen with the bronchiodilaters..just the steroids.Could it be the steroid irritating my lungs? Might a nebuliser be a better option?

thanks again

[starion]

It can take a while for the moderator to get to all the many posts & perhaps there is a priority in dealing with the most urgent before those perceived as less urgent.  I'm not sure.  It appears that eventually all posts are answered by the moderator.

[National Jewish]

At your age, and having smoked weed for only 5 years, the odds of complete recovery from the effects of smoking are in your favor.  But there are no guarantees, especially with your having airways compromised by asthma.  It is impossible to know if your 'mucus problem' is due to the weed or your asthma, or a combination of these.  It is unlikely that your cilia would be damaged beyond repair at this time.

It may take years, rather than months for your lungs to return to their pre-weed smoking state.  You should continue to use the inhaled steroids and ask your doctor if he/she would consider adding a long-acting inhaled bronchodilator to the inhaled steroid.  Yes, you could have bronchitis or bronchiolitis from the smoking, but smoking is not a cause of bronchiectasis.

It is also very unlikely that tar or any other inhaled substance would remain in your lungs indefinitely, in the presence of normal measured pulmonary function.

Please be patient, take your asthma medicine regularly, as prescribed and whatever else you do, do not ever again resume smoking.  Also, choose an occupation that does not expose your lungs to industrial dusts, gases or other toxins.

[Nickoteen]

Just wondering why I havent gotten a post from the MD

[starion]

Have you been evaluated for other conditions--allergies, gastric reflux (GERD), possible heart conditions, vocal cord dysfunction (VCD)?  These can all worsen breathing and would not be helped by inhalers.

It's good that your lung function test was normal, which means that at least at the time you took your test, your lungs were functioning "normally."  Hopefully your doctor can help figure out what's going on.

Good luck!
Starion

[starion]

Congrats on quitting smoking!  That's the BEST thing you can do for your lungs, health and life!  Your lungs & body will take time to recover, but they are healing and improving.
At your age it is highly unlikely that you'll develop serious lasting damage from your five years of smoking, but you're right to make an appointment for a good medical evaluation to figure out what's going on and how to start feeling and breathing better.
Which medications have you tried that you indicate have made you feel worse?  Sometimes, we have to try several different combinations to find the ones that work best for any particular individual.  Have you let your physician know your reaction with the meds you've tried?  Have any others been tried?

Do you have allergies (which are a frequent cause of mucous production)?  Do you know which allergens you're sensitized to?  How are you tring to minimize your exposure to them?  Allergy medications?  Allergy shots?

Starion

[Nickoteen]

Hey thanks for the reply starion...the reason I am worried about permanent damage is because its not just smoking.I was allergic to the weed.So it was smoking something Im allergic too for 5 years.

Ive tried Flovent,Qvar,Symbicort....all have done nothing.And when I take them a couple hours later my breathing feels worse