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How to deal with side effects from Symbicort
I have gone back on Symbicort (160/4.5) after having been off maintenance inhalers for about six months. I had been on Wixela for six months, and before that, Symbicort for 10 months.
I went off the Wixela because of bad side effects. I don't recall having had any serious side effects from the Symbicort back when I was taking it before. (I had to go off it because it was no longer on my formulary for 2024.) However, two days ago I started back on Symbicort. The first day I took two puffs in the a.m., two in the p.m. The next day(yesterday) I felt all stuffed up in the sinus area so I reduced the dosage to one puff twice that day. Then this morning I have been sneezing, with headache and pressure around the eyes, and an irritated nose. So I didn't take any Symbicort today.
The Symbicort leaflet says it may take a couple of weeks for it to take effect. So I'm thinking that my body needs to get adjusted to it. So maybe I should take lower doses, perhaps every other day, for awhile until things calm down.
I am looking for a new pulmonologist, so right now am without one. Yesterday I saw my PCP. Though I didn't ask him directly what to do, he gave me his general opinion: That it's ok to monitor your own dosages of an inhaler depending on how you think it's working.
Anyone got any ideas on what I should do going forward? I have mild to moderate intermittent asthma, allergic rhinitis, and GERD. I know I need a maintenance inhaler because after that six-month period without one my cough began to come back.
Thanks for any input you can offer.
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Could you please post a daily menu ? Do you use dairy? I'm on a blood thiner so there's a lot of green veggies I can't have. Any suggestions on casseroles or soups? Are there crackers you can eat? I think I can stop the bread or do you just replace flour with something else? I would appreciate any info you can furnish. Thanks.
Yes, I eat lots of cheese daily. Eggs are a must in every form. Today we had a Fatada with artichokes, cheese, spinach, purple onion, red bell peppers, black and green olives. It was delicious. Sometimes we have boiled eggs with cheese and olives and other times an omelet with all the veggies. Keeps me full for a good portion of the day. We eat white American cheese with nuts as a snack and tons of Parmesan cheese on salad, chicken, you name it . I have to watch a lot of fruit because I was border line diabetic and I can have a little but not much. The problem is going to be for you that blood thinner . . . . I eat loads of green stuff daily. You are limited with green veggies on your blood thinner. I also take a blood thinner but it is not proscription, it is Arctic Cod Liver Oil. My eyes at 68 have gotten so much better by 2 moves downward on my prescription and the eye dr asked me what I was eating . . . . I take daily fruits and veggies capsule that I get from Costco (so much cheaper than what you see advertised on TV), the Cod liver oil, eggs, cheese, red bell peppers, onions of all kinds, every green veggie you can think of, fish twice a week (salmon & cod). Fry the Cod in Coconut Oil, at times, with a touch of flour and cornmeal mix, not much at all, salmon on the grill, lots of chicken Mediterranean style with artichoke hearts, Spanish onion, baby tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red bell peppers with a little bit of Farro (ancient grain) not much at all mixed in together. I have to watch my carbs for diabetes and GERD. You can try almond flour, I didn't like it though. We don't buy bread at all because of the preservatives and carb count. I skip crackers. Don't eat a lot of soup because it doesn't fill me up and I get hungry. I usually have a salad for lunch sometimes meatless and sometimes with scallops or shrimp with lots of red veggies. We eat lots of raw spinach for salads. We eat tons of nuts of all kinds . . .. pecans, walnuts, and almonds. They make good snacks. I drink coffee and red wine and no heartburn when I watch my carb intake. My body loves meat but I do limit my red meat to one time per week. Dr said once a month but I can't do that. Oh we eat ham as well and turkey. We use lots of olive oil and coconut oil to cook with. We buy lite salad dressing because I need more than olive oil on my salad but use just a little to moisten. Oh, lots of mushrooms to replace potatoes and rice on the plate . . . that helps me not to feel deprived. I can easily live without bread or crackers but most folks have problems with that. Sweets are my issue so I just do not have it in the house. I do have dark chocolate squares at times in the house when I am having a fit wanting sweets but limit myself to one square. If I need some rice or potatoes every now and then, I eat them but know that is will be off limit for a little while. I can do that. It keeps the Dr at bay from putting me on diabetes meds. That keeps my diet in line a good bit for me. NO more meds, I take enough for asthma and BE and any bacteria I pick up. Good luck . . . hope that this helps a little. Sometimes finding food that works for you is hard.
Thank you SO much. It sounds like cheese, nuts, red bell peppers, tuna, salmon will be the main foods. I wonder if dairy is bad. I use powdered milk and powdered peanut butter with a banana and chia seeds for a morning smoothie. What about lite spam? I love the stuff. I eat lots of mushrooms in sauces and with peas and carrots. Is there a certain recipe book you recomend? is this a KETO diet? What about pineapple juice or OJ? Are potatoes and rice no-no's. I always rinse cooked ground beef before I use it. Is this a no-no also? I'm pre diabetic and need to lose at least 20 pounds. I hope I'm not being too needy and I do thank you again.