Comments on: Clearing the confusion on asthma medications, and why Advair and Symbicort are still safe http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/12/clearing-confusion-on-asthma.html medical blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:15:05 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: laikaspoetnik http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/12/clearing-confusion-on-asthma.html/comment-page-1#comment-88649 laikaspoetnik Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:57:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/12/clearing-the-confusion-on-asthma-medications-and-why-advair-and-symbicort-are-still-safe.html#comment-88649 I don't find the arguments very convincing. According to 2 Cochrane Systematic Reviews, long-acting beta2-agonist inhalers give a higher risk of serious side events, <i>even</i> when used together with corticosteroids. See the last cochrane review about formoterol: http://is.gd/bCmh. Coincidentally I posted the podcast of this review on my blog yesterday: http://is.gd/bCo6.<br/><br/>The conclusion of the Cochrane authors is to keep using combinations if patients feel it helps (because there is just a small increase of risk), but to discuss the discontinuation in case of no benefit. Thus in the case of Mathew's patients, the patient should be advised to continue taking Advair.<br/><br/>I have a child with asthma (hospitalized 3 days), who controls her asthma very well by taking corticosteroids in the mite-season and beta-2 agonists when needed. I’m glad we can keep the medication to a minimum while keeping the asthma under control. I don’t find the arguments very convincing. According to 2 Cochrane Systematic Reviews, long-acting beta2-agonist inhalers give a higher risk of serious side events, even when used together with corticosteroids. See the last cochrane review about formoterol: http://is.gd/bCmh. Coincidentally I posted the podcast of this review on my blog yesterday: http://is.gd/bCo6.

The conclusion of the Cochrane authors is to keep using combinations if patients feel it helps (because there is just a small increase of risk), but to discuss the discontinuation in case of no benefit. Thus in the case of Mathew’s patients, the patient should be advised to continue taking Advair.

I have a child with asthma (hospitalized 3 days), who controls her asthma very well by taking corticosteroids in the mite-season and beta-2 agonists when needed. I’m glad we can keep the medication to a minimum while keeping the asthma under control.

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