Anyone Tried Xolair? - Asthma Message Board

cowgal · 09-07-2004, 03:51 PM

I've had it with advair and the side effects - even though it worked well. Stopped using it about 2 weeks ago and already feel better overall - EXCEPT for the asthma. Had forgotten about the wheezing, can't walk 3 blocks and still have any breath left, the advair worked so well. But after reading everyone else's problems I chose to wean myself off.

I been doing research to try and find what is the newest/greatest and keep coming up with Xolair - twice monthly injections. Has anyone tried it and what do you think?

cupcake118 · 09-07-2004, 08:33 PM

I'm on xolair right now and for me it's not the miracle drug that everyone claims it will be I have seen absolutly no improvement since starting xolair 3 months ago and I'm on the max dose, both my asthma and allergies have been worse since starting it. With that said since I"m new here I don't know how severe your asthma is and just from you saying that you've stopped youre advair and the fact that you aren't in the hospital tells me that you might not have severe enough asthma to qualify for xolair. Xokair works by binding the IgE to prevent and allergic response so the first step to getting xolair would be to have an IgE drawn to see where you're at and if it's high enough and your doctor can somehow push xolair by the insurance which will take a while, the dosing is then based on your IgE and your weight, so you could only end up getting like 2 shots once a month or you could be on three shots every other week it just depends on your IgE.
About the advair since I'm new here i don't know what problems everyone was having with it, but you do have asthma and it sounds like even if it's mmild you need to be on a controller med, i changed from advair and supplemental flovent to foradil and Qvar and saw a slight improvement in my Fev-1 not much but I'll take what i can get right now. Qvar has smaller particles in it than the flovent has so it gets deeper into your small airways. That may be an option to look at as well.

cowgal · 09-08-2004, 02:30 PM

Thanks for the reply, cupcake. Have been on asthma meds for 45 yrs and relocation to a different climate during the last 4 years has helped about as much as anything. Good to know that xolair may not be the answer either. Just know that after 18 months of feeling crappy while using advair - granted i could definitely breathe easier -
i have weaned off of it over a period of 3 weeks. Been 2 weeks without it now and I'm waking up in the middle of the night again because of the wheezing but I have returned to Accolate and albuterol inhaler. Have only been hospitalized twice with my asthma so mine is not nearly so severe as some others. I hadn't heard about Qvar or Foradil so I'll study up on those. In a very small town and a far far drive to city so I need to be prepared before I visit doc's office. Again, thanks for the reply. cg

reader1 · 09-08-2004, 05:10 PM

I love Xolair. I love it. I haven't had a pred taper since FEbruary. This time last year I was taking 5-8 meds every day to stay out of the hospital. Now I take claritin every day and nothing else. I've also stopped the allergy shots. I no longer have to live in a bubble. Thank God for Xolair.

It really is only for people with severe allergic asthma. It is terribly expensive - I get 3 injections every 2 weeks and my insurance gets billed $2600 per month.

asthmatic · 06-18-2005, 07:38 PM

I'm on it and have noticed some improvement, although I've been having a hard time for the past months due to pollen despite being on it. Xolair is meant for "moderate to severe IgE moderated asthma", I have not been admitted to hospital for my asthma in over 10 years. You don't have to be at death's door.