19th May 2008
Special 1: Ouch! I know all of that is rough because I go through some of what you described!
Unfortunately, it is hard to tell what you do have, being that so many of those symptoms can mean all of the conditions you described (or some...or none too!) I wish I knew. I also wish I (and it sounds like you could benefit from one, too) had a pharmacist I knew well and trusted like a family friend that wasn't just trying to make money so I could ask if it was due to side effects of drugs or drugs making your problems worse. I wish I had answers but I'll just say I too am being treated for both allergies/asthma AND acid reflux. My NP wanted me to try the nexium since it prevents and relieves the reflux-but she told me it could take a good while to start working. So, in the meantime, I eat meals and sometimes its so bad I cough and gag until I'm red in the face and stuff keeps coming up, too. My "cough" is rarely if ever a "dry one". But then mucinex helps relieve it some too so some of it iS "phlem" but then Pepcid also helps a LOT too! Oh, I don't know if you do this but maybe its worth a try....I take pepcid with the Nexium not always together but say if I'm about to eat, I will take the pepcid too. I think you are only supposed to take it twice a day so I do sometimes and find that I gag less when I do...but then the asthma meds are so nasty tasting that that makes me gag too!!
:(
If you take Advair (what I started on and drs seem to just love) , I found that made me gag wayyy more than the inhaler kind w/out the dry powders. I am on Symbicort now and its better. Although I can still taste it and its gross but it does not make me feel that gagging sensation nearly as often as Advair did. I still wonder if Advair started some of this for me as I always felt worse on it!
Unfortunately, it is hard to tell what you do have, being that so many of those symptoms can mean all of the conditions you described (or some...or none too!) I wish I knew. I also wish I (and it sounds like you could benefit from one, too) had a pharmacist I knew well and trusted like a family friend that wasn't just trying to make money so I could ask if it was due to side effects of drugs or drugs making your problems worse. I wish I had answers but I'll just say I too am being treated for both allergies/asthma AND acid reflux. My NP wanted me to try the nexium since it prevents and relieves the reflux-but she told me it could take a good while to start working. So, in the meantime, I eat meals and sometimes its so bad I cough and gag until I'm red in the face and stuff keeps coming up, too. My "cough" is rarely if ever a "dry one". But then mucinex helps relieve it some too so some of it iS "phlem" but then Pepcid also helps a LOT too! Oh, I don't know if you do this but maybe its worth a try....I take pepcid with the Nexium not always together but say if I'm about to eat, I will take the pepcid too. I think you are only supposed to take it twice a day so I do sometimes and find that I gag less when I do...but then the asthma meds are so nasty tasting that that makes me gag too!!
:(
If you take Advair (what I started on and drs seem to just love) , I found that made me gag wayyy more than the inhaler kind w/out the dry powders. I am on Symbicort now and its better. Although I can still taste it and its gross but it does not make me feel that gagging sensation nearly as often as Advair did. I still wonder if Advair started some of this for me as I always felt worse on it!