how long will a steriod inhaler last ?
Question:
Ted I’m sorry for jumping on your doctor. Glad h e didn’ have to experience my big feet. Was under the impression he t o o k you off the ’steroid. You later clarified by saying <<<my doctor encouraged a test to determine if the Pulmicort was really helping>>> Apparently you both did the right thing by checking out whether absence of the medication brought back the symptoms. Our situation may be smilar. I’ve been using albuterol and steroids for some eight years for my symptoms. And my two sccessive pulmonologists in that time both diagnosed me with COPD/emphysema.My present lung doctor says he doesn’t really know whether I have COPD. He was honest enough to tell me he has no explanation for one of my symptoms. But as far as my asthma goes, I remember way back in high school I was one of the kids who couldn’t run all the way around the reservoir, could only run a block or two. And in boxing I could do two one minute rounds. But I would die in the third. And never knew I had asthma until seven or eight years ago when this other thing, whatever it is, kicked in. So anyway Ted, I think you’re doing very well pursuing and evaluating your symptoms. Looking into it and finding some answers before it gets a chance to get worse. Good luck—jack
Response:
> Ted said his doctor, having read steroids wern’t much good for COPD took > him off Pulmicort. > Ted I hope you’ve found another doctor.
Ted’s doctor is correct. Inhaled steroids do not prevent long term progression of disease in COPD as they have been shown to do in asthma. What they do is to prevent and treat exacerbations. If a person with COPD is not having frequent exacerbations then there is little proven benefit from them. If your experience differs then the two things I would consider are whether there might be a component of more typical (i.e. allergic) asthma or if you have some continuing trigger that leads to frequent exacerbations. — CBI, MD
Response:
> > Ted said his doctor, having read steroids wern’t much good for COPD took > him off Pulmicort. > Ted I hope you’ve found another doctor.
I did reply but my ISP was having problems that day. > Ted’s doctor is correct.
I am willing to take meds that help but prefer to avoid any more than neccessary. I keep very good records of my PEFs with software that I wrote so my doctor encouraged a test to determine if the Pulmicort was really helping. I weaned off the Pulmicort over a 7 day period and observed that I lost about 40 points on my PEF over a 112 day period. I then re-started the pulmicort and, at 23 days, my PEF readings appear to be increasing although it is a bit soon to draw hard conclusions. > Inhaled steroids do not prevent long term progression of disease in COPD as > they have been shown to do in asthma. What they do is to prevent and treat > exacerbations. If a person with COPD is not having frequent exacerbations > then there is little proven benefit from them. > If your experience differs then the two things I would consider are whether > there might be a component of more typical (i.e. allergic) asthma or if you > have some continuing trigger that leads to frequent exacerbations.
I suspect that the COPD may be associated with asthma and the Pulmicort is helping the later. I have not seen a reference that makes clear the difference and what is needed for differential diagnosis. Suggestions? TIA Ted
Response:
Ted said his doctor, having read steroids wern’t much good for COPD took him off Pulmicort. Ted I hope you’ve found another doctor. jack
Response:
> Ted said his doctor, having read steroids wern’t much good for COPD took > him off Pulmicort. > Ted I hope you’ve found another doctor.
You are making a whole bunch of assumptions. Have you personally looked into steroids for COPD? Can you supply some references? Ted
Response:
Please pardon my brevity the other day. Hope to catch the right moment, and soon, to extrapolate on my comments. My experience as a patient will, more than anything else, be the basis of what I may have to say. Ted. Thanks for your forbearance. jm (background) Ted had written in reply to
Ted said his doctor, having read steroids wern’t much good for COPD took him off Pulmicort. (Jack says)Ted I hope you’ve found another doctor. (Ted says) You are making a whole bunch of assumptions. Have you personally looked into steroids for COPD? Can you supply some references? Ted >>>
Response:
writes – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> how long does the effects of a steroid inhaler last ? for example if i stop > taking it , when will the help (go away) ? >Recently my doctor read a report that suggested that steroid inhalers >aren’t much help in most cases of COPD which is what we think I have. >So I weaned off the Pulmicort over a one week period. >I keep very good records of my PEF and wrote software to plot the data. >My performance deteriorated over a two month period so after a further >period of 50 days to be sure we weren’t seeing a random fluctuation, I >went back on it. It appears things are improving again but I can’t be >sure yet as it has only been two weeks. >That should give you some idea of the time scales involved.
It varies in different people is the best answer IMHO. Sometimes I have not noticed the red marker in the window on my inhaler, and wondered why I’ve started coughing, which would be after a couple of days of a low dose. When I started using it I also had a similar very fast response – over a couple of days my PEF chart sorted itself out – the morning lows vanished and the general level moved up a bit. — Five Cats
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> how long does the effects of a steroid inhaler last ? for example if i stop > taking it , when will the help (go away) ? > Recently my doctor read a report that suggested that steroid inhalers > aren’t much help in most cases of COPD which is what we think I have. > So I weaned off the Pulmicort over a one week period. > I keep very good records of my PEF and wrote software to plot the data. > My performance deteriorated over a two month period so after a further > period of 50 days to be sure we weren’t seeing a random fluctuation, I > went back on it. It appears things are improving again but I can’t be > sure yet as it has only been two weeks. > That should give you some idea of the time scales involved. > Ted
Ted, My experience with my mother, who had COPD, there was a huge difference whether or not if she was on a steriod inhaler. She was also on serevent which helped alot. Just FYI. Kathy
Response:
how long does the effects of a steroid inhaler last ? for example if i stop taking it , when will the help (go away) ?
Response:
> how long does the effects of a steroid inhaler last ? for example if i stop > taking it , when will the help (go away) ?
Recently my doctor read a report that suggested that steroid inhalers aren’t much help in most cases of COPD which is what we think I have. So I weaned off the Pulmicort over a one week period. I keep very good records of my PEF and wrote software to plot the data. My performance deteriorated over a two month period so after a further period of 50 days to be sure we weren’t seeing a random fluctuation, I went back on it. It appears things are improving again but I can’t be sure yet as it has only been two weeks. That should give you some idea of the time scales involved. Ted
Response:
> how long does the effects of a steroid inhaler last ? for example if i stop > taking it , when will the help (go away) ? > Recently my doctor read a report that suggested that steroid inhalers > aren’t much help in most cases of COPD which is what we think I have. > So I weaned off the Pulmicort over a one week period.
Yes and no. The study pbservation was that steroid inhalers do not improve the baseline ling function of people with COPD but they do help to reduce exacerbations. The theory/tie-in with other observations is that the inflammatory response of asthma is mostly eosinophils (associated with allergies and parasitic infections). The cells seen in COPD at its baseline are granulocytes (usually fight bacterial infections). During exacerbations of COPD the cellular response changes from granulocytes to eosinophils. As it turns out eosinophils are much more sensitive to steroids. — CBI, MD
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