Has anyone taken Biologics?

Have had 2 doses of tesspire at this time. Nothing else seems to keep me out of hospital. I fo breathing treatments and steroids at home. Am hopeful this works.

I have Eosinophilic Asthma and currently on Fasenra and also take a puffer called Breezhaler..
My peak flow unfortunately is still at 150/160 which is still lower than I would like but before Fasenra is was only around 130 for awhile and of course than would go on Predisone which I have not used since Fasenra.
I have permanent air way damage so I believe that is why my peak flow is not greater.
My question is what puffers or perhaps none are people taking while on Fasenra to improve Lung Function

I have had asthma my entire life and am 71 now. three years ago it became eosinophilic asthma. I have been using the biologic Fasenra for two years now. it is a life changer. while I continue to have flare-ups, I now live a fairly normal life. prior to starting the biologic I was unable to live my daily life. I have had no negative effects from the biologic. It is important to learn your triggers. While my asthma trigger was environmental allergies, my eosinophilic asthma trigger is viral and bacterial infection. That is a little more difficult to anticipate and avoid, but I am learning to recognize the signs of a flare up coming on, and trying to address them as aggressively as possible with use of Airsupra, etc. Good luck!

I’ve been dealing with asthma most of my life (I’m 69). Eosinaphilic asthma and ABPA happened in the past 2 years. My doc started me on the biologic (Nucala) right away so other than my Zafirlucast and Trelegy, that’s all I’ve tried.

Hello @jdmo1888 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I appreciate you sharing your positive experience with Nucala. How long have you been treating lung problems?

What other treatments did you try before using Nucala?

Biologics made a huge difference for me. Better lung capacity. I take Nucala.

Since I only have Medicare A&B and private insurance as my Medigap, once I hit my out of pocket max ($3k), my private insurance has covered all and I have NO copays.

@cynthiaefs I take Xolair and it has made a huge difference. After I meet my deductible, Medicare B covers the cost.

@cynthiaefs
This is to everyone on Medicare. The federal government sets a limit on how much we can be charged for prescriptions that are covered (this means on the formulary) by your drug insurance. This year it is $2100. It doesn’t matter how many prescriptions you have. If you have one or a dozen the cap on the entire set is $2100 (if your insurance covers them). So check every open enrollment season to make sure your insurance covers the drugs you need.

@hopeful33250 - mepolizumab (Nucala) is something I have to reorder monthly (they don't prescribe/dispense it in, say, in a 3-month supply). I keep it in our refrigerator (has to be kept there, but not much bigger than two decks of cards placed end to end), and I give myself the shot each month. It is an autopen, so you really don't see the needle at all - just this plastic thing. Easy to do. I've not noticed any side effects.

I was not big on being on prednisone, especially with only sleeping four hours nightly on it and having trouble blurting out things that I should really keep to myself to my family members. Not ideal for positivity and diplomacy, I guess.

The steroid rinse, which I've not yet used since it's not really cold and flu season, is budesonide. You mix it in a saline rinse bottle, which many people with allergies and asthma already have around and know how to use. You just add the nonrefrigerated liquid vial to the saline rinse bottle with the distilled water and saline, and then use it like a normal nasal rinse. My allergist just prescribed this to help stave off the very long-lasting colds and upper respiratory infections I seem to get every winter. So, here's to a better winter next year!

You do have to qualify for mepolizumab (Nucala), but it was not a problem for me to qualify. I had wanted to be on omalizumab (Xolair) for a long time, which my aunt in CA used and was lifechanging for her. She was certain I could talk my allergist into putting me on it. My allergist and I were both pretty sure it would indeed help me, but I never came close to qualifying. My IgE levels never hit the right number.

From my experience, I think it would be worth your while talking to your doctor about a biologic sooner rather than waiting till your appointment. You'd likely be in for a video chat or prerecorded video lesson on self-administration, but that should not be a big deal.