Hi Everyone!

My name is 'Tee' and I'm new to this board. I'm hoping that you all can help shed some light on this mess we call asthma. I will give you the rundown real quick: I was diagnosed in my teens with allergy induced asthma and was given albuteral to use as needed. Most of the time the inhaler would expire with only a small amount used. About 4 years ago I had a flare up and a doctor put me on Flovent. I was only on it for a short time as we both agreed my allergies were the culprit, once allergy season was over I quit taking it without any problems. In February we moved to Alaska and my asthma is worse now than it's ever been. After several trips to the doctor and a pulmonary function test I was prescribed Flovent (as well as allergy medication). Since using the Flovent I have only needed my albuteral one time (which is awesome don't get me wrong), but what I have a MAJOR problem with is the 10 pounds :eek: I've gained in the month I've been taking it. I'll be the first to admit I gain weight by just smelling a Hershey bar but this is crazy. Has anyone else had this problem?

Thanks for listening to me ramble, I look forward to getting to know you all and gaining some knowledge from this board.

Tee :)

its one of the side effects of corticosteroids. Other more major side effects are muscle wasting, osteoporosis and diabetes!

Well that's nice... funny how the 2 pages the pharmacy printed out didn't mention that at all. I am soooo glad I found this board... I read thru some archives as well on this and found things that I didn't find out from my doctors.

Thanks for the info!
Tee

Doctors won't tell u because its rare that anyone will die from side effects of these drugs and u usually need them to get over your asthma (except in my case) so there's no question about taking them.

Well I called to make an appointment yesterday and somehow they had one available the same day. The doctor agreed that the Flovent was most likely the culprit and said I could stop it immediately. He said to have my albuteral with me at all times just in case but that he wanted me to have 3 weeks off of it to see how I did. If I am using my albuteral 2-3 times a day he recommended Advair but if I only need it 2-3 times a week then he said he'd be happy with that as long as I was feeling good. At one point a different doctor had told me she wanted me to get to where I didn't need the albuteral at all. I think I'd rather need a puff or two of albuteral every now and then than to be on Flovent every day. That's one frustrating thing about the military's health care system, you see a different doc or pa every time. So today is day one with no Flovent and we'll see how it goes. I went to workout this morning... with the unrealistic hopes that the 10 pounds will come off as fast as they were put on! LOL (Maybe I should swing by the weight loss boards now!) :)

Thanks for the info!
Tee

Just one question: What dose of Flovent were u on daily?

It seems that u are not on much and if thats the case then the weight gain should not really be from the inhaler. If its a high dose then u shouldn't come off! Maybe its just low and u are incredibly sensitive to its effects though :)

Thanks for the encouragement... I need all the help I can get at this point. I have been using the albuteral more and more since getting off of the Flovent. Needless to say that's not encouraging. I feel better in the mornings than I do in the evenings, nights are tough. I am more than happy to hear about this natural product that has your husband breathing 'easy'! I get so tired of being on prescriptions when there could be relief without side effects in a natural product. Any info you have would be a great help and thanks for the support Charlee! ;)

jp3892, I was on a small dose, 44mcg I think, 2 puffs once a day. Who knows, the weight gain could be that I'm putting on my fat layers for the Alaska hibernation coming up! LOL I always thought I'd make a great bear, eat to GAIN weight, give birth in your sleep, sleep all winter, sounds like a great life! :D The doc mentioned that if I was needed the albuteral more and more that he may try to give me Advair... not sure what the side effects of that are. I may try a natural path FIRST and then if I am still having trouble I will have to get back on a Rx.

Thanks guys!
Tee :wave:

Hi Tee,

I just wanted to let you know that I am new at this asthma stuff, I posted my own story a few days ago, but I gained 10 lbs. taking prednisone for just a few weeks. It came off in a few weeks after I stopped. I also stopped taking all meds and just using my inhaler, then realized I was using it 4-8 times a day, and now just yesterday I realized I was really getting bad and wheezing etc..and on my own started my Advair again, and from the first dose it worked like magic. I started it yesterday morning, and only used my inhaler, and then took it last night and this morning, and haven't used my inhaler all day today. It's amazing. I can breathe in fully and feel great.
That's my experience with Advair!!
:)

Aktee: you're taking 88 ug a day which is the lowest dose I have ever heard about. I'm surprosed the drug is actually working for u when u take it! There should be absolutely no weight gain from this dose (unless u are incredibly sensitive to steroids).
The usual long term weight gain dose (only for some people) would be above 1000 or 15000 ug a day!