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| Advair | "I have just stopped my 12-year-old son from taking Advair (250/50) because, after two months of use, he developed what our family Doctor says is Steroid Psychosis. He would suddenly start crying and said that voices or very strong feelings were telling him to kill himself and the family. We stopped the Advair and he stabilized after 12 hours. We tried a lower dose of 100/50 Flovent to Serevent ratio and his Psychosis returned after only six hours. After reading several comments regarding Advair or Serevent induced mental illness from many people on several different websites, I'm convinced that a specific warning to that effect should be plainly written in the drug literature provided with the medications. My son's allergy doctor and our family physician both contacted the drug manufacturer and they said that they had never heard of this problem before. I think that they are not being up front and this poses a danger to all who take this drug." | 2006-01-14 | |
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| Advair | My sister was on advair for over two years. A year ago she went to get a refill on her prescription, the pharmacist told her she had to see her physician first before it could be refilled becuase he saw she had been on it for a long it. Since my sister had exams she decided to postpone on seeing the doctor. Five days after she stopped taking the advair she had psychotic episodes. She was hearing and seeing things, she was extremely aggressive. During her psychotic episodes she would say things that were true but then she would add lies. She cursed my mother who she loves dearly. She called my mother the devil, accused my brothers of trying to rape her. The worse was when she almost took a knife to my youngest brother. She had to be put in a psychiatric hospital. Since then my mother had been paying for expensive antipsychotic drugs. Its been almost a year now and we as a family are still battling the damage that this drug has cuased my sister. She is a very bright girl, was top of her class in high school. But since the episodes she had to withdraw from school and has to reschedule her exams until she is fit enough to take them. She has no history of psychiatric problems neither has the family. The doctor really does not know what could have caused this except saying that the advair may have played a role in the chemical imbalance of the brain.
| 2006-07-02 | |
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| Advair | I've used Advair in combination with predisone to treat my severe asthma. I am currently 100% disabled due to steroid psychosis. My condition has been stabilized with the use of anti psychotic drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist.
| 2008-02-07 | Email |
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| Advair | I was put on Advair for a brief period of time and I thought I was loosing my mind (sever anxitiy, depression,feelings of fear)I went to my doctor who prescribed Paxil and Xanax and proceeded to tell me I was having panic attacks. I then when to and Asthma/Allergy doctor and told him the effects that I had on the Advair, I didn't want to be put on any steriod, period. He prescibes Pulmicort and Rhinocort for allergy and asthma...and the doctor said there was no shame in having to take the Paxil or Xananx for panic attacks....I told him I KNOW its from the steriods...The doctor said that he would prescibe this to his child (Lord help his children)..Now I am strung out on mood drugs that I don't care how I feel any more...But this is NOT how I want to live my life. Why wont the doctors believe me? | 2007-01-30 | Email |
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| Advair | In Oct 2004 my daughter was admitted to the psych ward of the local hospital after 6 mos of using Advair...she is HIGH functioning autistic, dosed herself, and became delusional...they gave her antipsych drugs and she is still trying to come off, better as they diminish...we have had a Dr at OHSU say "steroid induced psychosis" after another Dr put her on more steroid, but we never knew there were steroids in Advair, her body CANNOT handle any kind of steroid per Dr Cook at OHSU...we know the ADvair started all this...my daughter ice skated, taught at the rink, and performed w/Scott Hamilton....she was never nuts until Advair, now I know...
| 2007-10-19 | Email |
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| Advair | My 8 year old daughter has been on singulair and advair for at least 2 years. She was also given flonase for allergies. I noticed when I gave her medicin in the morning, that she would be crying 5 minutes later, and complaining of a stomach ache. Side effects have included bed-wetting, nightmares, headaches, stomachaches, weepiness, muscle aches, sore throat and weight gain. After battling these symptoms for years, believing the medicine was HELPING some of these problems, I began to realize the medicine was CAUSING it. I've eliminated singulair and flonase, and am strongly suspicious of advair for the stomach pain, sore throat and weight gain. Her pediatrician dismissed my suspicions about the weight gain, saying it was pre-puberty. My poor daughter says, "I'm sick of being sick!"
| 2007-11-01 | |
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| Advair | Went back on Seretide (think called advair outside of Ireland) and seem to have very bad mood swings and a feeling of 'unreality'. only really linking to it now
| 2008-01-30 | |
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| Advair | My daughter is fivteen years old she has been on advair about three years but she was on flovent previously for a number of years also. I first saw mood changes then it progressed to anxiety now she is afraid to sleep alone at night this is not normal . She also had hallucinations and heard noises. I told her pedetrician he said to have her stop all her meds. He said it could be possible the meds caused this. He suggested her see a psychiatrist. I took her in to have an psychitric evaluation they said she suffers from severe anxiety they suggested she needs medication for this.she has an appointment this month. She is able to go to school but her grades do suffer because she has memory problems and the loss of sleep. She stopped taking her meds in August 2007. I spoke with the pharmist who said it can take months intill the effects go away. He said it is possible because the long term use of the cortisteroids can cause this. My other daugher just started taking advair she is ten years old and recently she is complaining of insomia. I had her stop taking her advair.
| 2008-03-13 | |
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| Advair | I was on Advair for about 2 years to help control my allergy-related asthma. I experienced many of the psychotic side effects: aggression, insomnia for a few days then crashing and sleeping for days, depression, crying spells, weight gain which only added to the depression, inability to concentrate, panic attackes. I was in school at the time and found day-to-day funtioning very difficult. It affected my ability to concentrate, my relationships with people and I became very withdrawn. After reading some info on these side effects of Advair, I stopped it immediately and after a 3 week period of withdrawal, I improved considerably and 2 years later I am much recovered.
During this period I saw 4 doctors - NONE of them told me about these possible side effects and all of them discounted my repeated attempts to talk aout my symptoms. I will never take a steroid for the rest of my life. | 2008-03-17 | |
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| Asmanex | Have there been any side effects like this for asmanex? I've been using asmanex for a year now and my husband noticed depression and anxiety in me about a year ago.
| 2008-03-13 | |
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| Flonase | Almost immediately I experienced wild mood swings. Shortly after that my resting heart rates shot up to 110 bpm and I started having heart arrhythmias. Soon thereafter I was feeling weak and very fatigued. I looked up the side effects for Flonase online, found the symptoms I was experiencing among them, and stopped using the Flonase. Within 24 hours all of the symptoms except the tiredness resolved. The concept that inhaled steroids are only topical is nonsense in light of the fact there is now an inhaled version of insulin. Whatever goes into your nose enters your entire system. Plus, the olfactory bulb (how you smell) is the only organ in the entire body that's directly hard-wired into the brain. This means that what's inhaled into your nose has to have a direct effect on the brain. Time to rethink inhaled nasal steroids for sinus congestion and allergic rhinitis.
| 2007-06-05 | |
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| Flonase | I have used Flonase in the past with favorable results. I began using Flonase again this year and experienced extreme anxiety, dizziness, headaches and muscle tension. Within weeks, I began seeing a therapist for anxiety and believed I was suddenly unable to cope. My symptons progressed rapidly resulting in my inability to drive or work. My doctor prescribed an MRI which showed nothing other than chronic sinusitis. I began suspecting the Flonase was causing my symptoms and mentioned this to my therapist. By this time, he was convinced it was a physical problem rather than mental and suggested I discontinue my use of Flonase. Symptoms are slowly improving. I am angry I spent thousands of dollars and almost lost my job. Some of my coworkers are no longer as confident in my abilities as they once were. Before this experience, I was considered a top-tier employee. Awful experience!
| 2007-04-16 | |
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| Flonase | After having tried Flonase in the past without any effective results I let a doctor talk me into trying it again 2 years ago. I took it for 2 days and both nights I had extremely violent and vivid nightmares. I never have nightmares. The only thing I could attribute it to was the Flonase--nothing else in my life had changed. I told my doctor that, and he said, "I've never heard of that from Flonase. That doesn't make sense because it's not systemic". I'm thinking, how is it not aborbed into my system? I'm a nurse, there are plenty of inhaled meds, injected meds, subdermal meds (pain patches)--all medications no matter what the route are eventually absorbed into your "system".
| 2008-03-20 | |
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| Flonase | I was against taking a nasal spray for a number of reasons but my dr convinced me to. He said that it doesn't absorb in to the system and there shouldn't be any adverse affects. Within a week I began to have severe headaches lasting all day that could only be relieved by lying down. After several days of this I started getting very emotional and irrational. It ended with me going in to a rage. I got in my car, ran a stop sign in a residential area and wanted to smash the car in front of me. I have never done anything like that before. I had no control and it was very frightning. I stopped the spray immediately. There is nothing else different in my routine | 2008-05-18 | |
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| Flonase | I have been using Flonase for approximately 13 months. I have had extreme anxiety throughout that period. I first attributed it to work. I then eliminated Singulair. Now the only medicine I have been taking for two months is Flonase. The anxiety is still in full-force. I am now eliminating the Flonase in hopes to eliminate the anxiety. There are no other elmements of anxiety in my life otherwise. | 2008-06-06 | |
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| Flovent | My daughter was on Flovent when she was 8 She was on it for 2 years. She was aggressive and very emotional. Later she started having hallucinations. She would say her hands felt bigger than what they were. She could hear voices but they were not saying anything just a lot of noise. Took her to neruologist who couldn't find any problems and recommended a psychiatrist. The neurologist suggested "off the record" that this could be a result of Flovent. She had a friend that experienced similar problem with her daughter. I took her off and within 6 months problems was resolved. All doctors say this was not the case but I still believe that Flovent caused the problems.
| 2006-04-09 | |
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| Flovent | Our pediatrician prescribed this for our daughter for asthma (Flovent) when she was 2 1/2 yrs old. (She had been on several other asthma meds before.) After only a couple doses of this medicine, she experienced a severe sudden onset of aggression, throwing herself around in a fit of anger, hallucinations, and saying weird things about bugs. I went in her room in the middle of the night and she was hysterical, talking about her toes being square and all sorts of other strange things. I immediately took her off of it. It was terrifying. Doctor and pharmacist were adamant that they had never heard of these types of side effects. But the symptoms went away immediately within the day or two after we stopped the med. It is over a year later and she's never experienced anything like that again. I have no doubt in my mind that it was as a result of flovent. I would not recommend this to anyone for use with a small child.
| 2005-05-05 | |
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| Flovent | I am so glad to have found this website. My daughter has been on Flovent and Pulmicort since 2005 and when she is on it, people beware. She kicks and screams at the top of her lungs at us. She even growls. I am very upset that no one told us about these side effects. I am almost at the point of a lawsuit. Why make our kids suffer this way? They don't understand why they act that way and for a long time, neither did I. Please let me know if anyone else has filed a claim.
| 2007-08-19 | Email |
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| Flovent | My 9 1/2 year daughter has asthma and has been taking flovent inhaler 2 puffs twice a day for about 2 years. Recenctly she had been coming downstaris in the evening after being put to bed around 9pm complaining of things feeling fast, talking fast, waliking fast, thing feeling small in her hand, and hearing a very fast talking voice in her head. She was not dizzy and she was able to carry on a normal conversation. She would also complain of a mild headache usually across her forehead above her eyes. The neurlogist had no clue as well and recommend a psychiatrist. We will be going this week to one. While in the neurologists office his nurse told us "off the record" that she has a friend with a duaghter in California who complained of similar symptoms. She too was on Flovent. The nurse said she was taken off Flovent and the girl does not have these symptoms anymore. She said her friend believes it was the Flovent however the docs seem to disagree. So this is where I am right now. I took my daughter off of flovent in the middle of Februalry. Symptoms continued twice a week up until April. The last time she has c/o of the symptoms was April 1.
| 2006-10-14 | |
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| Flovent | My 20 month old daughter was put on Flovent 110mcg 1 puff twice a day for recurrent croup. She had severe anxiety and agression. She had trouble falling asleep and would yell out in her sleep. All form of discipline that had worked in the past no longer worked. She would just laugh at us. Any minor thing would set her into a raging temper tantrum that would last 45 min. and would include throwing things, biting herself, and her whole body shaking. After two months, I lowered the dose to 44mcg 1 puff once a day, and noticed a significant difference in behavior. I rarely even have to get on to her now. She rests better, and is not bouncing off the walls. The ped. still does not believe it was due to the medication or that the original dose was too high. But, I am sure of it. I also had pharmacists to agree with me.
| 2007-02-23 | |
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| Flovent | My 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with asthma one year ago. Since starting the Flovent, she has experienced depression, anxiety, behavioral outburts and anger. She has always been a happy, well-adjusted child until this point.
| 2006-12-12 | |
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| Flovent | My son has been taking Flovent for over a year. While it did control his asthma, it caused severe agression. We are now taking him off the medication. My doctor did see other patients with similar reaction to Flovent however not reported in studies. We ran out of med for over a week and the change in behavoir was dramatic! Put him back on and the glazed look came over him and agression began.
| 2007-01-31 | |
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| Flovent | My 6 year old son was prescribed Flovent and Flonase nasal spray on 2/7/08. On 2/25/08 he started displaying excessive anxiety and cries every day about going to school because he feels "nervous". We took him to a phychologist and he has been diagnosed with Separation Anxiety Disorder. We are currently treating him with therapy, but his anxiety is getting worse. After the new story about Singulair I decided to research Flovent and Flonase and think these two drugs are the reason my son now cries all day and doesn't sleep in his own bed anymore. | 2008-03-28 | |
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| Flovent | I believe the use of Flovent, Flonase, and Prednisone caused my hip bone to die. I have to have a total hip replacement and I believe it is a result of using these medications since I have had no trama to my hip. | 2008-09-21 | Email |
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| Nasacort | I've been using Nasacort for allergies for about a month. Although it worked (sort of) for the condition for which it was prescribed, I've been having increasing fatigue, mood swings and loss of appetite. I'm sure it's the Nasacort, seeing as how nothing else in my life is different. I also have MS and I'm worried about the effect this experience is having in that respect. | 2008-06-18 | |
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| Nasonex | My son is 9 years old and put on Nasonex, a week after starting it his school called me and notififed me that Tyler was hearing voices and seeing things that no one else could, he started twitching in class before he was removed. The School would not allow him back in until he was cleared from the doctor. He missed 2 months of school before his symptoms went away. The makers of nasonex need to know that my son who is only 9 years old went threw hell and back at an early age. The doctor does think it was from him on flovent and the nasonx pushed him over the edge, into steroid psychosis. He is not yet back to normal he still is very sensitive and on an anti psychotic medicine.
| 2007-07-09 | |
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| Nasonex | This stuff (Nasonex) is awful, I will never use it again. It has caused Insomnia, weakness, jittery, heart palpitations, a cough, severe anxiety, chest pain, fast heart rate and depression I can't even relax.. Can you tell me how long until this gets out of my system? Do not take this it is poision!
| 2007-09-27 | Email |
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| Nasonex | Nasacort, Nasonex, etc. I used them since my sinus surgery last year while recently trying to find one that worked the best for me, and found that I was becoming depressed and anxious on a 24x7 level. Most frighteningly, I was having hallucinatory feelings before bed and right upon waking. Voices stating some ridiculous things. Since I quit taking them, within a day the voices went away. I had never experienced anything like this before. I was taking one or two sniffs in my nose a day.
| 2007-07-02 | |
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| Nasonex | I don't know if anyone else had this experience, but I actually lost the central vision in my left eye after taking Nasonex for 1 month.I had day surgery to remove my adnoids after experiencing 2 years of ear touble in my left ear. The ENT doctor put me on Nasonex to help keep my ear canal passages free . And then one day I noticed I couldn't really see well out of my left eye, I have a good friend that is an optometrist and he saw me right away. He sent me to a retinal specialist, who diagnosed me with central vision loss due to taking Nasonex, I was told to immediatly stop taking Nasonex. My ENT doctor had never heard of such a thing and had the specialist send him info on this. He thought the fluid that built up behind my left eye would probably absorb back into the body and go away on its own. But, I have had 3 appointments so far with the retinal specialist and it has not gotten any better, no worse, no better. I go again in 5 weeks and if it is not better he will do laser surgery.
| 2007-09-25 | |
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| Nasonex | I simply can't find an answer to this question: "How long do side effects (in general) last once I STOP using Nasonex?" ONCE A DAY IN THE MORNING I have been using 2 sprays of NASONEX in EACH nostril for congestion for the last 2 years. Now I am stopping cold turkey in hope of feeling better. I can't sleep and I am extremely irritable ALL THE TIME and I never used to have those problems until I took NASONEX. Can you please answer this question? (I have heard that the side effects last a VERY long time, but I'm determined to wait it out and be done with it.) Thank you.
| 2007-12-11 | Email |
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| Nasonex | I literally thought I was going crazy, I had no idea that one couldnt stop taking this all of the sudden because my very very smart doctor did not mention nasonex was a steroid. After I stopped taking nasonex about 2 or 3 days later i went through anxiety attacks, nausea, headaches, I got so depressed for no apparent reason, everything just seemed depressing and i felt physically ill. Now, its been 3 weeks that I’ve been off the med and still feeling a little weird, going to see the doctor today. Be careful with the medicine the scary part isnt taking it, but getting off it.
| 2007-02-15 | |
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| Nasonex | I am wondering if I have been using this medication for 2 1/2 months how long will it take to rid myself of the side affects which are upset stomach, numbness in the left hand, also in the feet, severe heart racing,twitching in the left eye and sometimes blurry. If anyone has had these symptoms and believe they are caused by Nasonex what are the thoughts on this. | 2008-03-05 | |
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| Nasonex | Nasonex kept me awake the whole night!!! Never taking that again!!! | 2008-04-24 | Email |
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| Nasonex | Nasonex does not list psychological side effects in their literature. I know because I read it before taking my first dose.
Anyway, I guess I am one of the unlucky few that developed "steroid psychosis". It may be because I'm already biochemically sensitive due to being 4 weeks postpartum when I started taking the medication.
I was experiencing anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, and hallucinations/visual disturbances (seeing people/things that were not there) as well as auditory delusions. It was terrifying! I started to question my sanity, started questioning whether what I was seeing & hearing was real or not and I worried that I would become a danger to myself or others.
I took the medicine for one month before putting two and two together. The scary thing is that I didn't always take the medicine every day... and sometimes just took a half-dose. What if I had??! | 2008-05-08 | |
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| Nasonex | I have been hyped and had serious mood swings. Get extra upset and totally argumentive, feel as though everybody against me. Finding and seeing my attitude totally changed | 2008-07-30 | Email |
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| Other | I can't believe the stories I have read on your site. I have been struggling with this problem for so long and have been made to feel like I am the crazy one. I have a 5 yr old with asthma that has been on every inhaled streiod out there, along with singular, zyrtek and orapred to name a few other drugs. I have tried countless times to explain my daughters psychotic behavior to the dr's as a side effect of the steriods, only to be told that inhaled steriods do not "get into her system" and can't cause these problems. I'm am here to tell you YES THEY CAN!!!!" I took her off all meds and took her to a naturopathic doctor. Everyone in her life, including teachers, neighbors and family has seen a HUGE difference in behavior...and here's a BONUS,her health has improved tremendously.I wish this website could be sent to every parent that feels hopeless and crazy. DON'T GIVE UP ON OUR CHIDREN! | 2008-11-02 | Email |
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| Pulmicort | My son (now 4 yo) has been on nebulized pulmicort. He is too young to use the pulmicort inhaler. He has tried to kill himself and to severely harm each of his sisters. He also regresses developmentally when on pulmicort. MD insists that he be on inhaled steriods to control asthma. The pulmonologists believe that the pulmicort causes the behavior because we have had multiple trials of the drug--each worse than the last time. They still insist we need to have him on the drug, regardless of the results. He has had 3 trials of pulmicort, each lasting 3-6 months. There was no aggressive behavior before the pulmicort. As soon as pulmicort was removed, the behavior ceased (within a week). When he is off the steriods, his behavior is normal. He has been evaluated by a psychiatrist when not on the drug--he is normal in every way.
My interest is less in recovering any damages from the manufacturer, but more in getting doctors to realize that for some kids, the results of being on steriods is worse than having asthma. My 4 yo "baby" has tried to kill himself and his two sisters when on pulimort. I would rather treat the wheezing only when needed. I want doctors to remember "do no harm."
| 2005-11-01 | |
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| Pulmicort | Taking Pulmicort was the worst experience of my life. After taking it, I was awake one week, day and night, could not sleep. I could not eat anything, and my heart was pounding all the time. My blood pressure shot through the roof. Then I started to get hallucinations, seeing faces, etc. in everyday things. Finally, I started to get full blown delusions, and was admitted to the mental hospital for 5 weeks. I have been unable to work since, because of the headaches and sleep problems. These steroid drugs need to have a huge warning on them. | 2005-04-05 | |
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| Pulmicort | I can't believe that I haven't found this until now. I was searching for growth information on my five year old, who weighs 32lbs and is 40.5in tall. I was worried that the steriods may have caused his slow growth. I had no idea that the behavior that tears apart my heart daily was related as well! He was just eight months old when he was put on pulmicort for asthma--before that he was the happiest (albiet sickly) baby that I have ever seen. Now he is agressive, has constant mood swings, and almost unmanageable at times. With some hard work and consistent behavior techniques, he's improved a little, but I am definitely going to fight to be able to take him off of the pulmicort, like I've wanted to for a while. The doctor always says it's beginning to be cold season, but he's healthier than all of us--excepting his weight and behavior. I can't wait to have my sweet boy back again.
| 2007-04-25 | |
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| Pulmicort | My daughter was given a Pulmicort inhaler at the allergists office. The medicine completely and totally altered her behavior. My daughter, whom is usually sweet and mild mannered became mean, wild, aggressive and totally out of control. She had trouble sitting still and was very talkative in school the other day and she is a child who has never been a discipline problem or had a behavior warning from any of her teachers. She also complained of headache. I believe this medicine is toxic and dangerous and do not recommend anyone to take it. Luckily, I discovered this only after a few days. I hate to think what would have happened if she kept taking the medicine.
| 2007-03-05 | Email |
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| Pulmicort | My 3 year old son has had asthma since he was 18 months old. He was on Pulmicort as a preventative for the winter months & just recently started a Flovent inhaler. Well, he is a different kid on Flovent. It is scarey. He is aggressive, doesn't listen, can't control himself. Allergist prescribed 4 puffs daily for 15 days & then 2 puff daily. Well, my pediatrician said to try him on 1 puff daily unless he gets bad. He seems a little better laready, but please...there has to be a better way. If anyone has any other suggestions, please advise! Help I think the FDA needs to address this as a serious issue with children.
| 2007-08-28 | Email |
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| Pulmicort | It is a relief and a shock to read some of the other experiences associated with Pulmicort. My 4 1/2 year old has been on it most of his life due to reactive airways disease. His behavior has been beyond irritable, aggressive, and oppositional. We have been to approximatley three doctors regarding his wheezing and they all have prescribed pulmacort. None, do I believe were hiding the knowledge of side effects because when asked they all have stated there were no known issues. We do beleive that it works but after reading about the side effects it is completely obvious that there is a nexis to his behavior. Only when we brought him to his second behavioralist did she question if he was on a medication such as pulmacort. I then started researching. I am very concerned as to any developmental and long-term effects. It is wrong we were not warned of this by the manufacturer.
| 2007-06-15 | |
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| Pulmicort | My son was born with Severe Respiratory Distress Syndrome of the Newborn and required Pulmicort on and off for his first 3 years of life. It wasn't until he continued to have flare-ups of his "Reactive Airway Disease" that his pediatrician decided to put him on Pulmicort every day all year round. We went on like this for a good 2 - 2 1/2 years. In the meantime, his behavior was degrading into something of a huge problem for us -- NO ONE ever told us that these changes could be attributed to the drug Pulmicort.
Here is a brief description of what we were battling: He had extreme emotional changeability, crying one moment and tantrums the next, he had a terrible self esteem, he chewed his nails beginning at the age of three and developed tics (ie, eye rolling, throat clearing, unusual repeated noises, jaw thrusting, crotch grabbing, stomping, shoulder shrugging, sucking in his stomach repeatedly). He had major scenes of panic every time I went out of his sight like dropping him off at daycare and turnign the corner in the grocery store. His emotional reaction to everyday things presented a crisis to him and his response was very exaggerated. He mumbled often to himself, repeating everything he heard and memorized during the day. He was so easily distracted that just getting dressed took almost an hour.
We took him to a psychiartist and a therapist. They thought it was us, I think. We ended up taking him to see a child psychologist with an organized autism screening project and he was diagnosed with Tourette's Disorder and Separation Anxiety Disorder although the diagnosis wasn't entirely straightforward. It wasn't until we decided to discontinue use of the Pulmicort -- because he had not had any asthma symptoms for a year and a half -- that we noticed something amazing. His personality was astoundingly "ordinary" (or I should say 'extraordinary'). He went from a child who was Mr. Panic Attack at swimming lessons to Mr. Self Confidence. He swam without his usual 2 teachers AND without his flotation device! He wanted to take the school bus on his first day of school. He easily tolerated his younger brother's foul moods with stride and ease where before he would tantrum and hit and cry. His tics are all but gone. He is the laid back kid I remember him as a toddler.
As an aside, I feel his growth has been terribly stunted and hope he will now shoot up like a weed. He is 5 1/2 and weighs only 36 lbs. His 2-year-old brother weighs 28 lbs. and is wearing his clothes from last year. There is no reason he should be "so petite", as his pediatrician puts it. He didn't start to lag in growth (well below the 10th percentile) until he went on Pulmicort daily. Before that he was average to above average. Nothing else changed in his care or development that would account for this.
| 2006-09-18 | Email |
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| Pulmicort | My now 7 yr. old son was put on Pulmicort (as well as xopenex) at age 3 due to reactive airway disease. Since my son was also going through many medical procedures to diagnose the underlying condition causing a constant nighttime cough/chronic sinus infection/resulting pneumonia (had CAT scans/sinus scan with a tube put down his nose/biopsy of esophogus to rule out GERD, etc.), we did not associate a very marked change of mood and behavior with the pulmicort. Our boy went from a very bright and active HAPPY baby to a boy who was having tantrums, aggression and was upset much of the time. We have gone through SO MUCH worry due to his behavior since that time. With the removal of his adenoids at age 4, the infections ceased and we were able to stop the use of the bronchiodialator (xopenex) for the most part. The Pulmicort dosage was cut in half and, gradually, we saw an improvement in behavior and mood. Of course, we attributed that to the fact that he felt better. The doctor advised us to keep him on the .25 dose of pulmicort and, when he was sick, to double it.
As he grew, the dose stayed the same and, understandable now in retrospect, his behavior slowly continue to improve. At age 6, when everyone in our family came down with a bad virus that caused breathing problems in all of us, he had significant wheezing and the Dr. put him on FOUR times his matience dose of pulmicort. When he went back to school, his teacher asked what med was he on since he was LIKE A DIFFERENT kid. Believe it or not, that is the FIRST time we wondered whether the pulmicort might be doing something to his behavior. We asked the DR. and were told NO. He got better, the dosage dropped back down and we forgot our theory. During the following summer, since he was doing very well with no more Reactive Airway incidents, the Dr. suggested we try weaning off the pulmicort. So, after going every other and then every third day, we stopped it completely!
For FIVE months, our boy was wonderfully off those meds and we saw such a calm and reasonable boy. When he started first grade at age 6 3/4, he was again the happy and easy to handle boy we knew during his infancy and toddler years. When we mentioned this to the Dr. he discounted it...and we figured maybe it was just maturity. THEN, during a routine check up with the asthma Dr. he did a computer breathing test that showed the small airways were not doing well despite a total absence of symptoms...not even a cough. So the Dr. insisted we put our son back on the Pulmicort...we refused...but, then he got a URI and the doctor insisted. We gave in...and, what do you think??? The behavior problems again returned. NOW, we are SO angry that this pattern is as clear as could be...we tried to tell Drs. about it continually but, were told that we were WRONG. Now, we know we were right all along!!!! I can not believe that, FOUR years later, I am reading all of this here.
We definately want to be part of any action considered by this group...not for any money but, to help protect other children from having their development interupted by these issues. Thank God that our child was resilent and that we as parents could deal with the struggles that our boy expereinced with his behavior and school. This might not have had such a happy ending.
| 2006-10-19 | |
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| Pulmicort | My son's behavior, when on Pulmicort and for approximately a week after stopping it, can be described as psychotic. He was originally prescribed Pulmicort, for the first time, when he was "officially" diagnosed with asthma as a 2.5 year old. Due to the horror of just trying to get a handle on his asthma (he screamed during every administering episode), I only gave it to him once a day during, and two weeks prior, to spring and fall allergy seasons. He would scream, hit, cry incessantly, and act aggressively during this time. When he is "off" of the medication (this will be the third year of his being on Pulmicort), he listens much better, does not act aggressively, and listens quite well. Clearly, he is an "emotional wreck" when he is on Pulmicort. I am ready to take him off, as his defiance is intolerable. The medication does manage is asthma, so I am at a loss about what to do.
| 2006-05-01 | |
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| Pulmicort | I was unable to attend school and function normally after taking Pulmicort for a total of 4 days. I experienced constant mood swings (alternations of mania and depression), inability to consume meat (I had to change my diet to accomodate this), weight loss, and strained my relationships. All of my side effects lasted for a month even though I'd taken it for only four days. The hardest thing to deal with after I'd stopped taking it was wanting to dig my Pulmicort out of the trash and use it. That way, I could at least help my asthma rather than just suffer through the side effects.
| 2007-06-06 | |
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| Pulmicort | Hello. My son was just put on Pulmicort. He was 8 months old the time. I found this site by google because after reading the drug facts they give you it said you need to be 12 months old to take so that sent me a big red flag. I am going to the dr tomorrow to talk about other options for our son but, I wanted to ask after taking your children off these meds what did you do to help prevent attacks? I am just reading what everyone has to say and about how many doctors said no it isnt this drug and it is so scary! If we cant trust our doctors what are we suppose to do?
| 2007-07-06 | Email |
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| Pulmicort | My 6 year old son has been on pulmicort for one year. He has not slept through the night no more than two hours at a time.He has headaches all the time. He was not responding to the medication and was having bad asthma attacks,so they put him on Symbicort. While on this medication he had hallucinations ,muscle cramping ,and chest pain where my six year old is crying scared to death saying he is having a heart attack. When doctor was reached ,his comment was it is a night terror. I put my faith in the hands of a doctor and I'm killing my son,because of this medicine.I took him off everything and I am having him treated by a Naturopathic Physician.
| 2008-03-13 | |
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| Pulmicort | My son has been on Pulmicort daily since he was 18 mos. and he is now 7. The only side effect he's had is that he can't sit still - he is in constant motion. After reading many of these stories I feel very blessed that there haven't been more side effects. My question is for the people that simply refused to give their child the medicine because of the awful side effects, what did you do to control their asthma or medical condition? For years I have wanted to take my son off of his daily Pulmicort treatment but every time I tried, he would have a breathing flare up. Just wanted to hear others' experiences. Thanks.
| 2008-03-13 | |
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| Pulmicort | My son who is a little over two was on this last week for 5 days twice a day. Normally he's super happy smiling all the time, likes to cuddle but only for a second. Now he's like a zombie and has what my husband and i call roid fits. He's totally out of control with his mood swings. He cries, throws fits or screams over and over. It's super hard to get him to calm down. It looks like he's gone crazy. He looks so sad. Needless to say we took him off of this but were home because of his crazyness. If I would have known it would have made him like this I would never have put them on this! I hope someone has to put big bright stickers of these side effects on the boxes! Thanks! | 2008-03-14 | |
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| Pulmicort | I am hoping to help another parent if they experience what we did with our beautiful boy.Pulmicort did really helped stabilize his asthma and he began daily doses at age 2 he's 9 now.As he grew we were able to begin using the turboinhaler, going to two doses when ill. In the fall of 2007 he became ill,we doubled the dose as recommended and he began having some really strange behavior at night. He was certain that something was in in room, he heard it and saw it while awake, he ran from his room screaming that someone was at his window (his room is on the second floor). He reported to his teacher that he had distracting thoughts that he couldn't get out of his head. We have an awesome doc. I brought him in to see him described what was happening and he changed treatment. He thought the link was unlikely, but listened. We have never seen this psychiatric trouble while off the pulmicort. | 2008-06-07 | |
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| Pulmicort | My daughter has been on asthma medication for 16 years (she is now 18) Her behaviour has always been oddly emotional - agressive or hyper but although we knew her behaviour was different we had never known her any other way. We are now going to risk stopping the medication to see if this can reduce her anxiety and give her better and more positive outlook on life. I will continue to monitor this forum and would welcome advise from anyone who has come off the medication after a long time of taking it. | 2008-10-20 | |
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| Pulmicort | please help. my son has been on pulmicort for about 3-4 years. He is a different person now. he has the above mentioned symptoms. These symptoms are so rare in his age group (under 10). | 2008-10-17 | |
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| Pulmicort | I live in Israel where the Budesonide inhallation is called Budicort, but i believe it's our version of Pulmicort. My 3 year old has been taking it for 5 day periods off and on since he was one and a half. Recently he was on for one month straight. During this month, I noticed a huge change in his behavior - aggression (especially aimed towards his 1 yr old brother, which has presented really dangerous situations), emotional and weepy, depression and hyperactive. I started asking about if other people experienced aggressive behavior with their asthma medication and a friend of mine said she had so i started researching and found this site. Now I don't know what to do - I wonder if there will be any long term behavioral effects of this medication, but on the other hand, it might be dangerous to stop. I'm at a loss what to do. | 2008-08-18 | |
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| Qvar | My 4 year old son has been on Pulmicort and QVAR for 2 years on a daily basis to treat his asthma. He was experiencing many behavior issues including aggression, crying fits, irritability that was first just attributed to toddlerhood. Then I started to research the side effects of this drug and other corticosteroids and was told by docs and pharmacists that it didn't effect my son's behavior. I then found this website and was shocked at similar stories to the one we were experiencing. Working with his doctor we took him off his daily dosage of QVAR and only give it to him when he is having an asthma exacerbation. Now, after we start the QVAR, all of the behavioral issues emerge again and decrease a few days after he stops the QVAR. | 2008-07-17 | |
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| Rhinocort | Recently I bought a product called 'Rhinocort' (a nasal spray for hayfever available in Australia). It contains the corticosteroid Budesonide as its main ingredient, and you don't need a prescription to get it. Within twenty-four hours of using Rhinocort I was experiencing anxiety, paranoia, extreme agitation and insomnia. It felt like I'd had lots of lots of strong coffee, or like I'd just had a tremendous shock. I discontinued using the spray after a couple of days, but now it's three days later and I still feel terrible, still jumping out of my skin. THANK YOU so much for your website and the links you've provided, at least I know now I'm not crazy and that it probably is the budesonide. Best of luck with the class action... go get 'em.
| 2005-12-10 | |
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| Rhinocort | Upon first dose of rhinocort, and continuing: mild headache, very dry throat. Day 3 (last day): extreme panic attack, out of the blue. I had generalized anxiety disorder and was on Zoloft for 3 years in my teens, and know what a panic attack feels like. This one was the worst I can remember having. Strongly do not reccomend. None of the medical literature notes this potential side effect, but this was my only medication. I would rather have a stuffy nose, congested ears, and tinnitus than feel crazy! | 2007-07-31 | |
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| Rhinocort | I used this product for 7 days and immediately had problems I had never had before. I was waking after only a few hours sleep, pounding heart and feeling depressed. Anxious during the day yet with fatigue, my legs felt heavy.The most distressing thing for me was acid reflux, never have I had any stomach problems before and this was cronic. I actually was dizzy and vomited after using Rhinocort. A loud drumming noise is still in my left ear. Now I have stopped using this drug but I can still feel my body struggling to get back to normal. Seriously, none of these side effects are listed on the product before use. I would NEVER have used this product if I knew it would be possible for it to effect my personality and physical well being in such a way. I dont use any other drugs. This product needs to be by perscription only.Children should not use this drug.
| 2007-09-04 | |
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| Rhinocort | As asthma worsened,for the past 18 months I have been on Advair and Nasonex, Nasacort, Rhinocort and Flonase [the theory is that asthma improves with clear sinuses]. Simultanously, now I realize, I waking up at night with pounding and racing heart, chest tightness and anguish that ended me in emergency rooms more than 8 times only to be told by experts that numerous EKG's, ECG's stress and blood tests show a healthy heart. Also, since early 2006, I, a lean-lowcholesterol-healthy eating-almost vegetarian started having bouts of high blood pressure. Doctors diagnosed me with anxiety and almost depression. So in addition of the aflictions above i had to withstand the ones of antidepresants. I also realize that everytime I take antibiotics, I get very strong candidiasis in tongue and thorat, and breathing troubles because of it. Lost many work family days of healthy life.
| 2007-01-16 | Email |
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| Rhinocort | According to my opthamologist, I have developed Central Serous Retinopathy due to the use of Rhinocort. I have lost central vision in my left eye and therefore stereo vision. Since I drive a school bus, this is a big problem. Current estimate is that my full sight MAY return after six months and they expect that this will reoccur from time to time due to the damage caused to my eye. Both my retina specialist and my opthamologist confirmed Rhinocort was to blame. Apparently, in the vision field this is fairly well known, but has not been communicated to the general physician community, NOR is it listed on the side effects of the drug itself. I had used Rhinocort for 2 weeks before this occured. It is a pretty frightening experience and the thought of this happening in the other eye, thus completely blinding me, is driving me crazy. I would hope that this problem could be highlighted so that more people do not suffer from loss of sight unexpectedly, as I have.
| 2007-04-25 | |
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| Symbicort | Symbicort and others. Elevated heart rate, 80 ppm on normal rest rate. Difficulty breathing; normally perform 120 'deep step lunges' as part of my normal daily 'wake up'. I was unable to do 20 when I was on medication. Elevated blood pressure. The heart rate dropped within 24 hours of coming off. Breath took 2 weeks. Blood pressure still high after 2 months.
| 2008-01-03 | |
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