TREATMENT OR CURE - Q&A to What About Side Effects?   Home | Asthma Assistant | Glossary | Disclaimer   Is it Asthma | Society & Self | Take Control | Treatment or Cure | Quality Living

Will I become dependent? The medications for asthma are to relieve and prevent asthma symptoms. They are medications you take because you need them. In a sense you are dependent in that you need them to stay well. However, actually using the medications does not make you dependent on them. You will not be taking them just for the sake of it, only to keep you well. If your asthma goes into remission then you will be able to stop the medications safely under the guidance of your doctor. What are the side effects of relievers? Side effects experienced from using reliever medications are not harmful and will only last for as long as the drug works. They are rare in lower doses, but if you use more reliever during an asthma attack or through a nebuliser, you may feel light-headed, with some palpitations (heart thumping) and shakiness (tremor). Generally, if you are sensitive to one type of reliever e.g. ventolin, you can change to another e.g. bricanyl and find the side-effects disappear. Although both medications relieve symptoms, they contain a slightly different type of drug. The relievers atrovent and oxivent, which work in a different way to the drugs ventolin and bricanyl, may cause a dry mouth and blurred vision. This again tends to be at higher doses such as those used in a nebuliser. Rarer side effects are constipation and difficulty passing urine. What are the side effects of preventers? Most of the current preventers are steroid based and are the most successful group of drugs in controlling asthma. The word 'steroids' conjures up all kinds of images and many people have great fears about taking them. The steroids are not the same as anabolic steroids used by athletes to enhance performance; they are a different type called corticosteroids. These corticosteroids mimic a natural substance produced by the human body called cortisol. Inhalers containing steroid have very few side effects at the low doses which a majority of people are using. Some people may suffer from oral thrush, a fungal infection in the mouth, or a hoarseness of their voice. However, these will be minimal as most of the medication is used by the lungs when breathed in. It must be mentioned that people do differ in their sensitivity to these drugs; some will be more susceptible to side-effects at lower doses of medication than others. People on doses of 1000mcg or more inhaled steroid are more prone to side effects. These would be similar to those experienced by people taking regular/frequent steroid tablets. The key is to remember that the benefits of taking these medications far outweigh the risks of uncontrolled asthma. These risks include a poor quality of life, asthma attacks, long term lung damage, and even death. What about steroid tablets? Steroid tablets contain much higher doses of corticosteroid than steroid based inhalers. This means that much more of the steroid is absorbed by the tissues as it passes around the body. Short courses of steroid tablets are often used for a few weeks if asthma is out of control or following an asthma attack. They are generally harmless long term if the number of them is not greater than 2 or 3 a year. A short course will only be prescribed when really necessary and you are at risk of or recovering from an asthma attack. You might notice some temporary weight gain, with increased appetite and some mood changes whilst taking them. People with severe asthma who take frequent short courses of steroid tablets or tablets on a daily basis longer term, will be susceptible to more serious side-effects. These include bone thinning, raised blood pressure and diabetes. This is why every possible avenue of treatment should be explored before anyone is given long term steroid tablets. An example of a steroid tablet is prednisolone. Can I prevent side effects? Whatever dose of medication you take, it always pays to be cautious. There are ways you can reduce and minimise side effects. Some of these are summarised below.   Use a Spacer If you are on a higher dose of inhaled steroid you should always use a spacer device with your inhaler. This reduces the amount of steroid which is absorbed into the body. You can find out more about spacers in Inhalers or Tablets? In addition, if you use a spacer with a mask attached, always wipe your face within the mask edge after using your inhaler.   Good Oral Hygiene Always brush your teeth after using your preventer to make sure you have removed any drug remains from your teeth, then rinse your mouth and gargle, either with plain water or a mouthwash. Do not swallow the rinse: spit it out as it will contain the remnants of the medication.   Monitor Your Asthma Side-effects can be minimised by making sure you are on the lowest dose of preventer needed to keep your asthma under control. Monitoring your asthma at home can help you to ensure you are well controlled and enable you to reduce your medications safely under the guidance of your doctor. You can monitor your asthma using the Asthma Assistant Application.You can find out more about home monitoring in general in Getting to Know Your Asthma

Topic "Treatment or Cure" Updated 14th August 2003

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