Re: Instdsign, Ginger, et al (alternatives)

[Guest guest]

The " alternatives " as I mostly experienced them were Advair 500/50

(which has inhaled steroid), plus the usual rescue inhaler,

Albuterol, guifenesin (to liquify mucous - SSKI can be used unless,

like me, you're sensitive to iodine), plus other inhalers that have

cortizone in them. Advair was the biggest help to me but even then

my pulmonary function was definitely below normal. Advair and the

other drugs were NOT preventives -I guess you could say that in a

sense the steroids are " preventives " as well as helping one out of a

difficult breathing situation. I have been on oral steroids quite a

lot essentially lowering or quitting them a few years ago. The other

piece for me was discovering I have an unusual (apparently)problem

in that I cannot absorb certain nutrients from food and over-the-

counter vitamins. (B6, B12, Vit D) and that seemed to affect my

immunity - i.e., long term bronchitis. Also affects neurology,

brain, etc.

Those things I listed above are for treating asthma so in a sense are

alternativs but do not prevent asthma although Advair, used

consistently, reduced the problem for me. I've heard bad things

about Advair over the long run but it helped out a lot. I'm still on

it at least once a day even though my pft showed I'm " normal " now on

Xolair. I'm also on Spiriva which is another treatment (more for

copd). These drugs all work differently than Xolair which tries to

inhibit the cascading effects of IgE which in turn causes allergies.

Desensitization shots were worse than a failure - they triggered a

bad reaction every lousy time. Probably why I have a very poor

opinion of allergists. Much happier w/my pulmo, but that's my story

and others have theirs. I'm still on Xolair and want it to work

significantly w/only good side effects. (I said it was a Christmas

wish list !!! <grin>)

--- In , " meagainbenny " <bennetme@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi ,

>

> I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one on Xolair and

still

> on pred too! It sounds as if we both have had (and probably anyone

on

> long-term pred too) the lovely side effects from it, I'm so

grateful

> (and so is my family - the mood swings were great) that Xolair has

> allowed my dose to become lower.

>

> I was wondering - in one of instdesgn's posts it was mentioned

> that pred IS NOT the only alternative to Xolair. Does anyone know

of

> any alternatives? My pulmo told me that Xolair was the only

> alternative to high doses of pred short of being admitted to a

> hospital and that was the answer I got from my PCP too, so I

believed

> them.

>

>