Symbicort for Asthma, Maintenance User Reviews (Page 4)

• ren...
• January 29, 2011

"I have been asthmatic for years. I was using my other inhaler up to 6 times a day, and then my doctor suggested Symbicort, and it has been like a miracle. The first time I used it, and ever since, it's just worked great. No more asthma at all. Amazing. Anyway, I have had no side effects so far, and I pray I don't, so I can get back to exercising. I had to stop before, I would have an asthma attack every time. So, now we will see if I can climb that hill."

• wol...
• May 29, 2010

"Symbicort has made an amazing improvement in my asthma since I started taking it. I have asthma triggered by pollen, grasses, and weeds. During the pollen season here in Atlanta, I wore a mask to go outside. Now I don't have to. Our pollen season is long: March through May, and I was miserable until my allergist (MD) put me on this medication. You have to give it a few days to take effect, but then you can really feel the difference in your airways after you've taken the prescribed inhalations. P.S. I also take Allegra (antihistamine) - so the two products have helped me breathe like a normal person, finally."

• jay...
• November 7, 2008

"I love this inhaler. I have been a severe asthmatic for 35 years. I tried all the medicines out there - nothing worked. With Symbicort, I have been asthma-free for months and have not had to use my rescue inhaler since I started it. Thank you, Symbicort, for my life back."

• Ang...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 22, 2023

"I have had mild asthma in damp, cold weather most of my life. I was prescribed Symbicort after a bout of pneumonia caused my asthma to spiral out of control. I have used this for over four years now. It worked to clear the inflammation, so I stopped wheezing. However, I began to experience a few silent attacks of asthma when stressed out. These caused lung pain on one side and tightening of bronchial tubes. I developed a moon face and water weight gain. I had thoughts of dying every day, fatigue, dry skin, yeast infection, thrush of the mouth, and cataracts at 54 (removed at 59). I asked for a lower dose, but the doctor would not do that. This past year, I started having ankle swelling at joints and pain in my big toe. It increased so I could not walk at times. It was diagnosed as high uric acid, which leads to several health conditions. These are all side effects of using this drug. Yes, it stopped the night dry coughing and wheezing, but the side effects became too much to bear. I tapered off the inhaler three times until I am off this drug."

• Anonymous
• June 15, 2010

"I'm a seasonal asthmatic. My worst months are May to September. I was using my Ventolin inhaler up to 8 times a day on the onset of my allergy season, so my doctor put me on Symbicort. The effects were immediate. I've been using it for 2 weeks and haven't used my rescue inhaler since. My side effects are no different than the side effects of my inhaler - increased heart rate and dry cough."

• Amy...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 22, 2022

"Not only did this not do much, but severe side effect, deep depression. Didn't realize that until discontinuing for a while, and then restarted. Depression started within a mere 2 weeks of use. Yowza, beware."

• C i...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 7, 2018

"I used to take Advair, but it dried out my nose severely, and then my doctor gave me Symbicort. I've been using it for 5 years now without any side effects. It has been great, I hardly ever have to use my Ventolin."

• Anonymous
• March 8, 2010

"I have been on different asthma medications for the past 3 years, and this is the first one that actually works. No wonder this inhaler costs so much more than the other kinds! The only side effect I have is awareness of my own heartbeat when I am lying down."

• ber...
• November 23, 2008

"I have been using Symbicort for a week now and can breathe better, and don't have to use my albuterol at all. I do keep albuterol handy, though. The only side effects I have right now are a pounding heartbeat, nervousness, and my eyes are a little irritated. Hope my side effects get better because I really like this inhaler."

• til...
• October 10, 2011

"I have been using Symbicort for the past two years. Before that, I had constant chest infections and had loads of steroids and antibiotics. But since I was given this, I can do a lot more and don't need my Ventolin very much at all."

• Ale...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 22, 2019

"I have been on Symbicort for the past 16 years and have not had to use my rescue inhaler. The only side effect that I can say is I get less sleep. I exercise four times out of the week and never have a breathing problem. I love it."

• swi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 17, 2017

"I have been on the Symbicort inhaler for a couple of years for asthma, which I seem to have picked up since our last move to Vernon, BC. During this time, I have completely lost my taste buds. I am a retired professional chef, and tasting food is important to me. I can hardly taste any salt, seasonings, etc. I cannot smell things like peppermint, curry, paprika, etc. Right now, I am just cooking from experience, and I do not like it one bit."

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2009

"Having developed increasingly severe asthma symptoms over the last year, I was up to using Ventolin daily with little relief. Today I finally went to the doctor who immediately put me on Symbicort. I took my first dose just 1 hour ago, and this stuff clearly works well. I wasn't even feeling particularly tight when I took the first dose, but within minutes my breathing was noticeably easier. I will post again once I have been on it for a few weeks, but so far my expectations have been exceeded."

• Anonymous
• May 24, 2010

"My breathing improved after a few days, but after being on the inhaler for one week, I began developing oral thrush. My doctor put me on the lower dosage (after a week on Diflucan for the thrush) and had me use a spacer, but after one week, I had the thrush again, and he had to take me off the medication. I don't know if that is more of a rare reaction to the medication. I always rinsed out my mouth after using the inhaler, but it didn't seem to help."

• Ala...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2022

"Symbicort by AstraZeneca did absolutely nothing to relieve my asthma. For $40! (Australian dollars) I used it twice a day for over 2 months as prescribed. I went back to my $7 Ventolin inhaler and was relieved instantly. Useless, very expensive drug in my experience."

• MUD...
• December 9, 2016

"I am genuinely surprised at how many people have had bad experiences on this drug! It's interesting since I've had an amazing time with Symbicort, and it's made my life a lot easier. I had mostly allergy and exercise-induced asthma, and growing up, I only occasionally needed my blue puffer. It was when I started to get nocturnal asthma and had a hard time breathing in the winter that my really frequent use of the rescue inhaler was not a good thing. Symbicort has made everything a lot easier. I finally sleep the entire night without waking up thinking I'm having an attack. The only downside is when my asthma is very persistent, one puff doesn't last the entire 12 hours for me, but I can always up my dosage with my doctor if needed."

• edy...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 23, 2021

"This stuff is terrible. I was naive to think that my doctor cared enough that they wouldn't prescribe a medication or not even question said medication when I've clearly had a ton of side effects for the last 10 years. Even my pharmacist argued with me when I told him that depression was a side effect. Like, what? Of course, it may not have been Symbicort, but I can't believe it took all this time for me to realize that my health concerns were due to that. I guess I thought doctors would warn you about side effects, but clearly not. So this is my list: went to the ER three times, and twice I needed an emergency endoscopy to remove food caught in my throat. The specialist diagnosed me with GERD. I had absolutely no throat issues before starting this medication. I had to go to emergency because, on another occasion, my face blew up twice its size, I'm having liver issues."

• Why...
• May 9, 2015

"I was perfectly controlled on Seratide, but my medical practitioner advised me to change. As far as I can tell, Symbicort has no effect at all. I don't get relief from the reliever part, and I wake up coughing and spluttering. I still need to use Ventolin. If I didn't know better, I would say it was a placebo."

• Jea...
• November 2, 2008

"I had been using my fast-acting inhaler up to 4 times daily, that is before I started using Symbicort. Shortly after using Symbicort for the first time, I noticed the pain in my chest was finally gone. No more painful inflammation in my lungs. I'm no longer producing that crappy mucus, and I have not had an asthma attack in the 6 months that I have been using Symbicort. The only real side effect I have experienced was the sensation of my own heartbeat when using it for the first time, and sometimes I get a head rush when I take it. Other than that, I'm happy to have my life back. I can finally go to bed knowing I can sleep through the night without the fear of waking to an attack. I love this stuff."

• Nea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 5, 2021

"Extreme foot cramps and toe cramps after 2 days' use, one puff each day. Increased for nerve pain that hasn't stopped for 3 weeks. My normal foot pain meds aren't even touching my foot swelling and pain. I don't know what's in Symbicort, but I returned the med to the pharmacy for them to dispose of it. Really, really bad medication for me. This stuff ruined me. Works for some people, but for me, it has caused a nightmare of pain in my feet."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 24, 2024

"I was hospitalized due to asthma twice before being moved to Symbicort. There are some days that are better than others, but it is still a night-and-day difference. I am able to sleep through most nights now and rarely do I have any issues with shortness of breath. I know this will not work for everyone, but it is worth a try if you have asthma severe enough that you can no longer live your life normally."

• Dee...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 10, 2020

"I am experiencing some side effects from Symbicort: this is my first time reading my asthma medicine packet, and it says to call your doctor if I experience any side effects, and it's bone pain, trouble sleeping, feeling weak, dizzy, nausea, back pain, weak bones, muscle spasms, and cramps."

• mis...
• June 16, 2015

"I was having to use albuterol several times a day, after nearly collapsing while fighting fire. I saved up and sought treatment. I no longer use albuterol! Been 2 months now, and insurance covers this."

• BAR...
• November 6, 2020

"Symbicort prescribed, and I have taken as prescribed. I developed a severe sore throat, worsened breathing problems, wheezing, and a terrible cough. Upon reporting issues to the doctor, the medicine was immediately stopped. I am a retired teacher on a limited fixed income. I have received no response concerning reimbursement for any of the high cost of this medicine. If prescribed, be aware of the high cost and possible side effects."

• Ban...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 22, 2020

"My asthma was terribly controlled. I was taking Flixotide as a preventive but was using 1 Ventolin inhaler up per month as I was getting wheezy and short of breath often. Since on Symbicort 400/12, I have probably reached for my Ventolin twice over the past 2 months. I cannot believe the difference, I don’t have anxiety if I leave the house forgetting my Ventolin. Working great for me."