Roflumilast and Diarrhea: What Users Say

• Rav...
• October 12, 2019

Roflumilast for COPD "Daliresp has been life changing for me. I have COPD stage 2, but am prone to repeat exacerbations, and by repeat I mean one after another. This went on for 2 years, then my pulmonologist told me about Daliresp. I decided to try it, despite his warnings that some people have side effects that make them stop taking it, such as severe diarrhea and weight loss, etc. I was one of the lucky ones and had almost no side effects. It’s been a year now, and my quality of life is so much better! I’m not continuously dealing with exacerbations anymore. I’ve gone from 8-10 a year to 1-2 a year, and for me it feels like a miracle. I was so depressed about how fast my COPD was worsening that I felt like I’d be gone in just a few years. I now have hope and a drastically slowed progression of this disease. I went from stage 1 to stage 2 in a year and a half. Since taking Daliresp, I’ve remained stable for a year now. I feel that this med is buying life, time, and quality of life."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 25, 2019

Roflumilast for COPD "I have taken Daliresp for 6 months. The first month I had pretty bad diarrhea, but it has slacked off over the last couple of months. I have lost 10 lbs. Which is great..lol. It does seem to let me breathe easier. I have not had a bad cold or bronchitis since I started taking Daliresp. I get it straight from the pharmaceutical company. Otherwise, I would not be able to afford it."

• mol...
• May 30, 2017

Roflumilast for COPD "Daliresp is great. Although taking the 500 mcg was a bit too much for me, it made me feel too lightheaded. I started splitting it in half and it seems to work well for me now. It does give me energy and opens up my lungs. I have also lost some weight since using it. It does give me diarrhea, but it's not severe. I take each half of the pill 12 hours apart. That seems to work really well for my lungs and I feel good. I have very severe COPD. I started using oxygen, 2 liters continuous, on March 1, 2017. The Daliresp and oxygen seem to work very well together. Most of the side effects go away after some time. I found that a good diet of fiber, fruits, veggies, and low fat sure helps alleviate the side effects. Get rid of the salt too."

• Dav...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 7, 2015

Roflumilast for COPD "I used to have exacerbations regularly after finishing a dose of prednisone. Began taking Daliresp a year and a half ago and have not had one since. The only side effect I had was a week's worth of very loose bowel movements when I first began. A great medicine."

• Naj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2016

Roflumilast for COPD "I have been taking this medication for 12 days now. Sometimes I have diarrhea the morning after I take it, sometimes I don't. I have had a headache for five of those days. Sometimes I get extremely nauseated after I take it, but it passes in about an hour. Sometimes I sweat. The first few days I felt like my breathing was better. Now, I'm not so sure. I have lost 7 pounds in 12 days. This medication suppresses your appetite and for me totally took away my craving for sweets. A good thing I guess, as long as I don't lose over about 15 lbs."

• jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2013

Roflumilast for COPD, Maintenance "My wife has been taking this medicine for 2 weeks for C.O.P.D. maintenance. It worked great for the C.O.P.D.; she used to cough constantly and had a hard time breathing, even while on prednisone. However, within 2 hours of taking the Daliresp, she stopped coughing and began breathing well. However, she developed diarrhea, then after coming off the prednisone, got severe back pain and was not able to sleep. It seems to help the C.O.P.D. very well, but the side effects may not be worth the breathing relief."

• Ann...
• August 19, 2019

Roflumilast for COPD "I've been on Daliresp for five days. Sick to my tummy and diarrhea is really bad. Tremors and headache. But going to give it a month or two and see if side effects go away. I take Imodium for poops and a nausea pill. It helps."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2013

Roflumilast for COPD "I have been using Daliresp for 1 week now. It appears to have improved my breathing, but I have several of the side effects. Now I'm having problems with diarrhea, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. I've got a call into my doctor now to see if the side effects will go away. If they don't, I'll have to go back to Advair."

• pau...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 7, 2023

For COPD "I started taking roflumilast in August of 2022 after experiencing several severe bouts of exacerbations and bronchitis, one of which required hospitalization. I also use Flovent and albuterol inhalers occasionally, as well as Anoro on a daily basis. I have been using roflumilast for almost a year. I am in my early seventies, retired from being a steelworker, and am a smoker. Pros: roflumilast has practically eliminated my constant bronchitis and reduced the frequency of catching colds and the flu. I have been able to return to nearly normal activities. Cons: I experienced loose bowel movements for the first month, but they eventually subsided. I also lost around twenty pounds. Roflumilast affects my muscle aches, pains, and strength. I sometimes experience occasional severe muscle spasms and cramping. Additionally, I have occasional sleep problems and insomnia, as well as a loss of appetite. There is also some mild depression, which may be related to both age and the medication. These side effects come and go, with good and bad days that can sometimes last for a week. Roflumilast is expensive without insurance. Despite these side effects, the benefits of roflumilast outweigh them. However, there are days when I feel like discontinuing its use. I hope this information helps you make a decision."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 2, 2014

Roflumilast for COPD, Maintenance "Love what this does to improve my breathing, but the diarrhea just won't go away, and that is the worst side effect for me. I tried taking it in the morning and got headaches and felt nauseous, as well as having the diarrhea, so I took it at night, but the diarrhea has persisted. If I can't take something to counter this side effect, I will stop taking it, as I can't go anywhere with the diarrhea."

• Sta...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2022

Roflumilast for COPD "Reading reviews of people starting with 500 mg and getting really sick should talk to their doctor. Mine started me with half the dose of 250 mg for a week, then up to 250 mg for 3 weeks before I went to the 500 mg maintenance dose. Just a few side effects like diarrhea that really isn’t that bad. Just an idea."

• GAl...
• February 3, 2018

Roflumilast for COPD, Maintenance "I have COPD with mild bronchitis. I got the flu pretty bad this past flu season with lots of congestion and wheezing. Once the flu was gone, my doctor suggested Daliresp 500 mcg to prevent future flare-ups. That was on a Monday, 5 days ago. I took my 1st dose on Monday night. Tuesday morning, I woke up feeling very tired. I took the 2nd dose Tuesday night. Woke up Wednesday feeling worse... a flu-ish feeling with exhaustion, body aches, and diarrhea. For some reason, I gave it another chance Wednesday night, and when I woke up Thursday morning, forget it. I was so sick -- almost felt like I was poisoned. Could barely get up. No strength, no appetite, body aches, lightheaded. So I did not take it Thursday night. It is now Friday night (48 hours since my last dose), and I still feel very sick. I read that it can take around 4 days for Daliresp to leave your body. I'm hoping for a quick recovery. Needless to say, Daliresp is not for me."

• Tam...
• July 31, 2017

Roflumilast for COPD "Daliresp did cause me nausea and diarrhea, but... Doctor prescribed Zofran for the nausea, and Zofran causes constipation. Problem solved."

• Anonymous
• January 17, 2012

Roflumilast for COPD, Maintenance "Daliresp did open me up, but the side effects were bad, so I had to stop it. Diarrhea, nausea so bad I had to take medicine for it."

• Lpi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2017

Roflumilast for COPD "Breathing great, diarrhea not so great. Not worth it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 30, 2023

Roflumilast for COPD, Maintenance "This causes me to have diarrhea, and I never had that problem before. It did appear to help with breathing after I started taking it in 2019. Just not completely sure it's worth the high price for it."

• Huc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 8, 2021

Roflumilast for COPD "I was on it 6 days. Could not get a breath by day 6. My side effects are nausea, diarrhea, severe dizziness. I put it on my allergic list now at my pharmacy."