Q for Hotchick! - Asthma Message Board

jp3892 · 02-10-2004, 08:22 AM

Hotchick, I noticed in a lot of your posts that you have taken theophylline before and did not like it at all. Can I ask u exactly what dose you were on and for how many months/years u were on it? Also what did they put u on instead of theo when they took u off it?

hc85 · 02-10-2004, 05:24 PM

They put me on theophylline more than a year and a half ago. They were trying to control my asthma without using the oral steroid approach because oral steroids, as you probably know, have horrible side effects. Well, for me, so did the theo. According to my weight, age, and height, the recommended dosage for me was 200 mgs twice a day. When I began experiencing side effects we dropped to only once a day. Still had side effects, but no benefit. This was around the time they drew my first theophylline level. It was too low, not enough to be therapeutic. They upped it back up to 200 mgs twice a day and I was still experiencing side effects, with no benefit. Then they drew another level. I still metabolized it too quickly. They upped it to 300 mgs twice a day. More side effects. I lost more than 20 lbs in six weeks. I'm 5'7" and by this time I was only 95 lbs. I was vomiting everyday, stomache upset, couldn't eat or drink, I was dehydrated, experienced horrible headaches, and shook so bad that I couldn't write and any paper that I held would be torn, yet I still didn't experience any benefit. I remember laying in bed, wondering why we had me on this horrible drug when there was no benefit when all it was doing was making me more sick. Another theo level told us that we had finally reached the therapeutic range, but yet I saw no benefit for it. I still had these horrible side effects, too. We kept me on that dose for two or three weeks. No change in the side effects or the effectiveness. They tried two different additional brands for three weeks each. No change with either brand. At that point I was still experiencing side effects and down to 90 lbs. Aside from that my lips were chapped and my body was dry from dehydration, I stopped menstruating from loss of body fat and I basically felt like crap. All this time, my theophylline level was therapuetic. Finally, after four months of the horrible drug, they took me off it. At this time they were still having trouble controlling my asthma. After the failed effort of theophylline they tried a prednisone burst to control my asthma. Also after the failed attempt, they started petitioning for me to go to National Jewish. This was about the time they started me on oral steroids, and I've been on them since. This last year I was admitted 12 or so times; I really lost count after that. One of those times was for three weeks. National Jewish has kept me since my initial evaluation in March. I'm sure that I'm not the norm for theo side effects. In fact, most of the information I read on theo says that side effects are minimal, but for me, they were horrible.

jp3892 · 02-11-2004, 10:32 AM

So I guess ur saying theophylline is a great weight loss pill?!!!

No seriously, I don't understand why after reducing your dose to 200 daily (with side effects), they upped it to 600! Doctors never ceasde to amaze me. Yours is definitely not a common reaction to theo (even for people starting off on it which is usually only when they occur) but almost certainly an allergic reaction to it.

Tell me this: do u drink much tea/coffee or Coca cola??? If you do, do u get a reaction when consumed excessively?

hc85 · 02-11-2004, 12:42 PM

I don't drink tea or coffee. I do drink some diet pepsi every now and again. I lie. About everyday I go to work (four out of the seven...I only work 27-28 hours, if I work more, I end up in the hospital) I consume 20 oz of diet pepsi. Sometimes more if I'm thirsty, though I do try to get my water in too. I don't like chocolate, either. Though, I don't get a reaction to it like I did with the theophylline. The only reaction that I get of drinking excessive amounts of drink with caffiene is that I have to pee excessively. Maybe we just put my body in caffiene shock. I have no clue, but I will not go on that pill again. I just look at as an intolerance...Not necessarily an allergy.

I know my allergies to drugs. I'm allergic to codiene, and ironically, benedryl and atarax, which are antihistimines. These all present with an itchy rash and trouble breathing, and I've experienced anaphylaxis with the codeine.

jp3892 · 02-12-2004, 09:11 AM

Well its just that the by-product of caffeine metabolism is theophylline not the other way around so u did have SOME amount of theophylline at some stage in your system. It might be an extreme intolerance to it but it seems like more of a reaction to me. 200mg at any time is not a lot of theophylline. I think you can take up to 400 mg at any one time, maybe more (I know I have) and the maximum dose is about 8 or 900mg daily. It seems strange that your blood levels were so low though. U were metabolising it fast even though u were puking up as well!!!