I used Symbicort (inhaler) once 5 years ago to address chronic cough/long-term, non-asthmatic shortness of breath, and it triggered a mildly painful spot in my upper back between shoulder blade and spine. After discontinuing Symbicort, a second inhaler (Xopenex) made that same pain sharp, so I gave up on inhalers. The thoracic spot faded overtime, but I could always tell "something" was there, though nothing showed up on x-ray, CT scan, or MRI. All of a sudden several weeks ago, the spot became painful again without a trigger, and I can still feel it on a daily basis with deep breaths, coughs, etc. My pulmonologist suggested it might have been a bad reaction to the original Symbicort, but he doesn't seem concerned about it. I feel like even a mildly painful spot in my back needs attention, but I'm not sure what type of physician would address this? For those who experienced back pain from Symbicort, does any of this sound similar to your situation, and if so, what did you do about it?
Those with back pain from Symbicort--was it upper back? Did it go away and return? Sharp or dull?
- Asked
- 27 Jan 2021 by SAS471
- Updated
- 31 January 2021 (5 weeks ago)
- Topics
- symbicort, cough, pain, back pain, chronic, dyspnea, shoulder, upper back
Answers (1)
Hi SAS471,
I cannot find why you have back pain while on Symbicort other than it’s a side effect.
Do you have any other medical conditions?
People found to have back pain (2.2%) also have Rheumatoid Arthritis,
High Cholesterol, MS, Diabetes, Osteoporosis Chronic Pain and others.
iMPORTANT - Talk to your doctor before stopping your inhaler.
Symbicort won’t have a visible effect now in your life.
It’s a long acting inhaler that prevents your COPD from worsening as you age.
It’s not a rescue inhaler but just as important.
You don’t want to have any regrets that you discontinued it if you have troublesome shortness of breath when you are older.
Next...
I think your doctor cares about your pain but in my experience,
May not know. Lol...
Next...
I would either go to an orthopedist or a pain specialist.
Treat it as a new symptom in your head. You may have a new diagnosis that can identify what’s the best course of treatment for you.
Check out Symbicort here on this website. Drugs.com is very thorough.
I scrambled around and found some statistics you may like.
Source : e health me :
- Severity of Back pain *:
* least: 0.0 %
* moderate: 28.57 %
* severe: 57.14 %
* most severe: 14.29 %
- Time on Symbicort when people have Back pain *:
* < 1 month: 45.45 %
* 1 - 6 months: 32.73 %
* 6 - 12 months: 0.0 %
* 1 - 2 years: 5.45 %
* 2 - 5 years: 14.55 %
* 5 - 10 years: 1.82 %
* 10+ years: 0.0 %
- When people recovered from Back pain *:
* while on drug: 0.0 %
* after off the drug: 0.0 %
* not yet: 100 %
- Race of the people *:
* African American, NonHispanic: 14.29 %
* American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.0 %
* Asian: 0.0 %
* Hispanic: 0.0 %
* Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders: 0.0%
* Two or more races: 0.0 %
* White, Non-Hispanic: 85.71 %
- Time on Symbicort when people have Back pain *:
* < 1 month: 0.0 %
* 1 - 6 months: 0.0 %
* 6 - 12 months: 37.5 %
* 1 - 2 years: 12.5 %
* 2 - 5 years: 25.0 %
* 5 - 10 years: 12.5 %
* 10+ years: 12.5 %
- Gender of people who have Back pain when taking Symbicort *:
* female: 100 %
* male: 0.0 %
- Age of people who have Back pain when taking Symbicort *:
* 0-1: 0.0 %
* 2-9: 0.15 %
* 10-19: 2.34 %
* 20-29: 1.9 %
* 30-39: 4.54 %
* 40-49: 15.24 %
* 50-59: 25.2 %
* 60+: 50.62 %
- When people recovered from Back pain *:
* while on drug: 0.0 %
* after off the drug: 0.0 %
* not yet:100%
—————
Me...
Symbicort DOES cause mineral deficiency in bones. I assume you need to be on the med long term for this to happen.
Have you been checked for osteoporosis?
If your doctor prescribes it you may want to try :
-physical therapy with deep tissue massage & hot or cold compresses
-Acupuncture (no script) with a current was effective for me
-TENS unit (script only NOT the drug store type)
What you can do for yourself:
-Meditation
-Deep Breathing
-Guided Imagery
Basically, all the relaxation self-help for pain.
Be well
:-)
Further Information
- Symbicort Information for Consumers
- Symbicort Information for Healthcare Professionals (includes dosage details)
- Side Effects of Symbicort (detailed)
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