I would like to pick everyone's brains as to what the best medication is for the relief of asthma symptoms. I am finding zero benefit in my Ventolin so I want to suggest to my GP that I try something new in case the breathlessness I have been suffering is asthma related after all.

Basically I want to know the names (brand and/or medical) of any kind of medication that really gives the sensation of opening the airways. Thank you ;)

John.

Hi,

One question.....are you at least on a preventative as well (pulmicort, flovent, etc)?

I use Berotec....the reason is that it doesn't speed my heart up too much. I haven't used Ventolin for a long time. I initially switched to Alupent inhaler, which worked really well for me with even much less heart "flutters" than the Berotec..but of course, it was discontinued.

Anyway, I use Berotec. I also use Pulmicort as a preventative.

quincy

I would like to pick everyone's brains as to what the best medication is for the relief of asthma symptoms. I am finding zero benefit in my Ventolin so I want to suggest to my GP that I try something new in case the breathlessness I have been suffering is asthma related after all.

Basically I want to know the names (brand and/or medical) of any kind of medication that really gives the sensation of opening the airways. Thank you ;)

John.

I think you should have further testing done to determine whether or not you really have asthma. Most asthmatics respond well to Ventolin, but there have been instances where Ventolin doesn't help, but another beta-2 agonist such as pirbuterol (Maxair, I believe) will. Talk about this with your doctor, and see if he will order a chest x-ray or another imaging study .

quincy, good detective work :D I *am* on Becotide 200mg at either end of the day. I think it's slowly contributed to giving me a large lung capacity over the years through its steroid properties. It's just a shame I can't fill those lungs!!

swimfast [I wish *I* could :(], my GP did suggest that I may no longer be asthmatic but he said I should continue treatment anyway (despite it not helping). Thanks for the suggestion of Pirbuterol - I shall check it out. I have had an x-ray and it apparently indicated that my lungs were very clear. However, the lungs aren't my problem, it's my bronchial passage that seems to be the source of the blockage. Should I ask for another x-ray more specific to the throat?

A lot of this depends on triggers and nature of asthmatic responses. At any rate, after years of suffering with very severe, hard to treat allergic asthma, I am finally experiencing relief from Xolair.

Albuterol does the trick for me most of the time- depending on how bad th flare up/attack is though, sometimes I need 4 or 5 puffs before I am feeling better, but sometimes only one is just enough to clear that slight out of breathness.
But the absolute best for me is Xopenex, which currently is only available via nebulizer, however I believe it's launching very soon in an inhaler form! LOL I am excited for that.. it helps soo much more than albuterol & gives me less shakes, I only am shakey for a few mins right afterwards and then I am fine. It is a purer form of albuterol. So talk to your doctor about that=)

Thanks for your advice guys ;)

Of all the different medications I have been on for good control, Adviar diskus, as been the best one. Has the fewest side effects and keeps my peak flows under good control.

Some insurance do not have it on there formulary though. I cost me a bit extra, but worth it not waking: :eek: up in the middle night not being able to breathe.
:angel:

I really like Advair too. When I am having bad breathing days, I use it and I feel SO much better. It is covered by my insurance and only costs about $30. The only bad thing is that since it is a powder, you don't always feel as if you are getting the medicine. I use Albuterol for bad flare ups but since starting the Advair, I have barely used it. I also take Singulair at nights, and I have found that it works almost perfectly if you take it as closest to the same time as possible. If I take it late a few days a week, for example at 11:30pm instead of 9pm, I usually have difficulty with my asthma for about a week until I get back on schedule. Other than that, it works really well for me. I hope this helps! :)

'Best' is really a measure of you rather than other people, so you might find yourself trying several different kinds of drugs in succession.

Drugs that are open to you include:
Ventolin, Xopenex (aka levosalbutamol, sort of like left-handed Ventolin,) Berotec (which can cause more trouble with high heart rates,) and Bricanyl (same problems as Berotec).

Atrovent is another drug in another category seperate from Ventolin that people with emphysema tend to get more relief from than they get from Ventolin, and it sometimes works well for particular asthmatics. It's another thing you could try and will not speed up your heart.

I should probably add that all of these have to be prescribed by a doctor and need to be taken under the supervision of a doctor with the advice of a doctor etcetera etcetera etcetera.

I found Advair which is a combination of two drugs to work well.

I think Singulair is a miracle pill. I absolutely love it.

I have no side effects from it. It is not a steriod and is a once a day pill. It also helps with congestion and some allergies. My allergist gave it to me for asthma. I never even realized i could breathe so well!

i take maxair for a fast acting inhaler, but don't need it often. maxair doesn't seem to work as well as albuterol, but i had to switch because albuterol made me all shakey and racing heart like

I just got put on Singulair today since even on the symbicort I have an excessive amount of hard to clear respiratory secretions.

My doc thought the singulair would help clear them up.

Here's hoping, I have a follow up in three months. I'd love to know what it feels like to be healthy again.

hey! i used ventoline for a long time and it worked for me. but about 2 years ago i started using Foradil, it is better because of some reasons:
1) it starts working very fast after taking the dose
2) it is not an inhaler, but inhalable capsules and they are better for your genreal health and the environment too.

good luck!