Just returned from the ER. My grand daughter is having another cough variant asthma episode (the pollen/mold is unbelievable here in Dallas, TX right now). Well, she normally takes the xopenex 1.25 four to six times a day (more if needed). Unfortunately, this strength of xopenex wasn't doing her any good. However, the hospital used 10-20 mg??? This breathing treatment lasted about 1-2 hours and her inflammatory cough stopped IMMEDIATELY so we were able to go home right after the treatment. Does anyone know what the side affects could be if a patient were to use this strength for at-home use? I wonder if the body would get immune to it the way you can become immune from using predinisone too much? I'll be calling her pulmonologist this morning because I have a few questions for him because I can't understand why HIS office doesn't supply this strength of xopenex for his patients in an emergency situation. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks for letting me purge this morning .
Possibly because of potential side effects with the higher doses. Not so much being immune, but cardio side effects. The hospitals/doctors offices can use higher doses because they can monitor for side effects and treat for them if necessary. Can't do that at home. Also - if your granddaughter *does* need the higher dose, perhaps she should be on other drugs as well - her asthma might be changing so that she needs a long term controller as well as the rescuer (xopenex).
Thanks Gabby for the response. I spoke with her pulmonologist today and he basically said the same thing you did (that this amount of xopenex should be given in emergency situations only). He also explained that the 10 mg. of xopenex was met by using up to 4-5 vials of maybe the 1.25 of xopenex in the nebulizer at once. My grand daughter is on quite a few meds now (prednisone, foradil, flovent, singulair, nose irrigation, nasonex, and sometimes asteline), but the asthma hasn't been stabilized for quite sometime now. She's had her second shot of Xolair so far so I guess we'll just have to pray and hope that this will eventually work for her.
Well, I feel for you guys - I'm also using that amount (1.25) of xopenex in my nebulizer - don't have the patience to do it 4 times a day, so usually just 1-2 times...but I still don't feel like I'm completely under control. I use salenterol (sp?), asmanex, nasonex, singular, astelin - besides the xopenex nebulizer and inhaler...It can take some "tweaking" to get the meds right, but I don't feel terrible enough right now to go for a "tune up" with my lung doc...I'm triggered by weather changes/fog/cold, and respiratory infections...hang in there!
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