Inhaled Corticosteroids
My doc says I have COPD but the main manifestation is asthma/allergic asthma. I also had childhood asthma. The doc wants to put me on a corticosteroid, probably because I go through Albuterol inhalers like candy. She sent me a list of possible products but I'm not a big fan of Big Pharma and don't want to buy a pig in a poke so I was wondering if anyone has had experience with any of these. Thanks.
Advair (fluticasone*/salmeterol)
Aerobid (flunisolide)
Alvesco, Omnaris, Zetonna (ciclesonide)
Arnuity Ellipta (fluticasone furoate)
Asmanex (mometasone)
Azmacort (triamcinolone)
Dulera (mometasone*/formoterol)
Flovent, Flovent HFA (fluticasone)
Pulmicort, Rhinocort (budesonide)
Qnasl, Qvar (beclomethasone)
Symbicort, Breyna (budesonide*/formoterol)
, I'm confident other members of our community will chime in if they have experience to share but in the meantime here is an article you may find helpful! https://copd.net/treatment/medication-overview/corticosteroids. All the best, Sam S. (COPD.net, team member). Thanks, I'll check it out.
ejk1023,
I only have experience with Symbicort. Been on it for a little over 7 months. It seems to help me a lot. I am recovering from mycobacterial pneumonia with COPD added to it. I use it twice daily and it seems to help me from having flare ups and also seems to help my breathing. I also have an emergency inhaler, ProAir HFR, which is albuterol. That also helps quite a bit. I only use it before doing anything physical. Like working out, mowing the lawn, etc. The only other thing I can add is that my doctor got me into a Prescription Assistance Program that gets me both inhalers monthly for 15 dollars total. That could be something to look into. I am not a big pharma fan either and I worked in QA for one for years. Hope you find something that works for you.
Hi there! That is quite the list, for sure. The first thing to remember is that medications effect each person differently, so even if someone else had a good (or poor) experience with a particular medication, that's not a guarantee you will. Do you think your doctor would be willing to narrow down the list for you a bit and select one or two preferred options? It seems like he or she didn't give you all the details you need to make an informed choice. You may also want to contact your pharmacy and insurance company to see what each of these medications would cost -- that could help you figure out the best option as well.
Let us know if you have questions and what you decide to do. All the best! -Melissa, asthma.net team
