10 replies to this topic

[sammo72]

After months of running with a terrible cough and wheeze and also constantly yawning, I was pushed by my lovely wife to see my GP to sort it out.


I have been diagnosed with Exercise Induced Asthma and was prescribed an inhaler called 'Symbicort 200/6'.

Reading the side affects and they are really scary and not what a runner wants to hear: elevated heart rate, lethargy, depression, weight gain, ulcers and the list goes on and one.

Just wondering if anyone in CR land is taking Symbicort for the treatment of ashtma and how they are finding it, including the side affects if any ?

[Tom31]

I was prescribed Symbicort pre-Gold Coast Marathon after a bad chest infection which lingered.  Still finishing the inhalations now.  Only side effect seems to be that I'm running better than ever.

[SirPlod]

I developed bronchitis/asthma a couple of years ago and was out of running for about 4 months. After antibiotic after antibiotic and using ventolin (none of which workked) - Symbicort finally sorted the problem out! I did notice that with Symbicort I felt a bit jittery with an elevated heart rate in the first week of using it, but after that, nothing. I’ve since used it on and off every few months when I feel a chest infection coming with no side effects. Its seems to nip it in the bud.

My doctor did stress the importance of rinsing/gargling when using it though.

Didn’t know about the weight gain part though – now I have something to blame!

[WetWeek]

SirPlod, on 23 August 2011 - 03:13 PM, said:

My doctor did stress the importance of rinsing/gargling when using it though.

+lots.  You'll have a nasty dry sore throat if you don't.

I've been on it for yonks and can't say I've noticed any significant side effects.  Interesting about the depression, though.  Hmmmm......

[TheRuns]

Depression/weight gain/ulcers are side effects of the corticosteroid component. The elevated HR/tremors are a side effect of the beta agonist part. Thousands of people take Symbicort and many run. It is quite safe.

[TheRuns]

I can't seem to edit my post as I am on my phone but looking at the PI it would seem that many of the SEs are transient. Tachycardia or weight gain occur less than
1% of the time.

[johnnyboy29]

I run on Symbicort just fine!

Edited by johnnyboy29, 06 April 2013 - 04:48 AM.

[RunningWhiz]

I have taken Symbicort daily for one month but stopped due to side effects as above. All other asthma meds are not working well for me. I still wheeze and have shortness of breath on every run.  

[8toenails]

TheRuns, on 23 August 2011 - 03:38 PM, said:

Depression/weight gain/ulcers are side effects of the corticosteroid component. The elevated HR/tremors are a side effect of the beta agonist part. Thousands of people take Symbicort and many run. It is quite safe.

Agree - I swam national level on something very simliar (because symbicort wasn't aronud then) and now run on it, as far as I am aware as a health professional the risk of side effects is much lower than the potential side effects of not being able to breathe...

[Robbo78]

Ive had asthma my whole life and symbicort has been the best preventative that ive used. I can now get away with one inhale in the morning and only up it to one in morning and night when im crook. No dramas running on it yet

[Curt]

I too have suffered with asthma my whole life. I'm 45. I was the kid who used to walk around at the back of the school cross-country group. Couldn't run to save myself.

I have been using Seretide (essentially the same as Symbicort) for about 8 years now and have never been healthier. My ventolins (which I used to use 2-3 times a day) now go out of date before I use them up. I could not tell you the last time I used a ventolin- it would be months. I don't carry ventolin with me on a run- I simply don't need to. Of course when I do get a cold or the flu I drop like a stone and take longer to recover but that's my dodgy lungs, not the Seretide.

As for rinsing mouth and throat after a dose- I just brush my teeth. 2 jobs done at once.

The side effects are mostly dose-related, which means that at the doses you're using (200 micrograms per dose) you're unlikely to experience weight gain, ulcers, fluid retention or any of the other side effects normally expected if you were to swallow a dose. Oral (tablet or swallowed liquid) doses are usually in the 5-25milligram range, so anything from 25 to 125 times the amount you're getting from a 200/6 Symbicort.

Symbicort is used both long-term (to control asthma-type symptoms) and on a 'when needed' basis for exercise-induced asthma. I'm not sure which has been prescribed to you, Sammo, but follow your doctor's instructions for whichever treatment has been recommended for you.

One final thing- when recommended for long-term use the benefit from using something like Symbicort or Seretide has been shown to keep accruing for weeks or even months after the start of therapy, so if you're advised to take it long term you can expect to continue to gain benefits from it for quite a while. If it's only been prescribed on an as-needed basis then it's because your doctor doesn't believe your lungs need it all the time, and taking it regularly in such circumstances would just be a waste. As always, if you have any specific questions- they're best asked of your doctor or pharmacist who know you and your history.

Life wasn't meant to be wheezy.

Curt