Asthma and Pregnancy

I'm not sure my experience will be helpful to you at all. I have asthema and refused for years to take anything because the side effects of proventil and ventalin were worse than the asthema. After my second miscarriage, though, I finally started getting treatment. I take Pulmicort once daily and have responded beautifully to it. (And I now have two kids.) It's supposed to be very safe during pregnancy. Of course, if that's the inhaler you're already on and not responding to...I don't have any useful advice.

Hi C., omega 3 fatty acids are good for asthma. Get your vitamin D levels checked and if you are low, I highly recommend supplementing with cod liver oil, which is a good source of vitamin D and omega three fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are great with reducing inflamation of the lungs and bronchial tubes.

I have really bad asthma as well. Before I started seeing my Asthma Specialist (Dr. Perlman out of St. Barnanbas in Livingston), I was taking 120mg of Prednisone a day. If you've ever taken Prednisone, you know I was miserable. He controlled my asthma with Singulair, Advair, Flovent, and Zyrtec (lots of meds!) He also diagnosed me with Gastro-Esophegeal Reflux Disease (GERD) and put me on Nexium. Turns out the acid from the GERD was making my asthma worst. He's controlled my asthma so well, that I have not taken Prednisone in over 3 years.

During my pregnancy he swithched me to Zantac (for GERD), Pulmacort, and Rhinocort. I did have some tightness here and there and had to use my rescue inhaler (Proventil). I tell you all of this because it was my GERD that was causing my asthma to act up. GERD gets worst in pregnancy. Are you seeing a specialist or your PCP? Most women get GERD during pregnancy and some do not get diagnosed correctly. If you don't see an asthma specialist now, please consider Dr. Perlman. He's wonderful, and has been named Doctor of the Year in the past. Also, make sure they rule-out GERD and treat you properly. Good luck.

Have you tried taking singulair 10mg at night? It does not take effect immediately, but it is safe for pregos and babies 6mos older so you might be able to get some relief in combo with ur inhaler. I was on singulair, advair and albuterol when prego with my 1st and my PCP was concerned abt Advair and suggested Pulmacort, but my ob felt that with my asthma well controlled that it was better to have O2 to me and the baby and benefits outweighed risks. I weaned off Advair and only used albuterol for emergencies during the pregnancy and singulair kept things in check most of the time. With my last pregnancy I was only on singulair but ended up in the hospital 2x on the neb for attacks caused by friends pets, but for most of the pregnancy the singulair along with other things(Fish Oil & Dr. Hoffman's seasonal suppport) kept me symptom free

I don't have asthma but I do have bipolar disorder which needs to be treated w/daily medication. Upon speaking w/several medical professionals, it was quite clear that there were some risks, but the risks to myself and the unborn baby were greater if I didn't take my medication.

It is your own choice as to what you do, but make sure you get the answers you are requesting from all involved. Sometimes a concern of our's may not seem as great to the person we are presenting it to, but it is any concerns you have in this area should be handled in that manner. good luck!

I typically take Advair (a mix of Flovent and Serevent effectively) for my asthma but have been put on Pulmicort during pregnancy. My pulmonologist explained that the reason he switched me was because Pulmicort has been around longer so it has a longer history of being safe but he said if my asthma was not well managed with it he would switch me back to Advair. The most important thing is to take care of you. Inhaled steroids are absorbed mostly by the lungs and not so much in the blood. The risk is so much less than if we had to take Prednisone so try to think of that to help you feel better about Flovent.

Hope this helps.

I had developed asthma after our basement flooded a few years ago and started seeing a chiropractor (for alignmnet issues). It has taken some time, but getting regularly adjusted has REALLY helped my asthma. Some other natural supports that she has suggested include Vitamin B, C, D and primrose or flaxseed oil, all of which support the immune system and reduce inflamation. I have also found that Quercitin C with Bromelain works really well. Quercitin is a natural antihistimine and works better when supported by bromelain. You can get it at a health food store. While you are there, see if they have a copy of Prescription for Nutritional healing. There is a lot of great info in there. Good luck with everything!

I don't know about the drug. I have asthma and just used my albuterol inhaler when needed and I use Advair when its really bad. I didn't need it much during pregnancy however, the general consensu between me and my doctor was you have to take care of your breathing. The pros outweigh the cons. My biggest concern was that even if I wasn't breathing properly, sometimes I can just live with it, but I was concerned that would mean my baby wasn't getting enough oxygen then. The dr's said - its possible depending on the severity so just keep talking to your doctor and be sure to take care of yourself - hopefully if you can get it under control now you won't need to worry about it - I have seasonal allergies that cause it (and exercise induced asthma, but the better shape I'm in the less the asthma bothers me) so since this is an allergy time of year, hopefully you can get through and be ok.

Severe asthmatic here with 4 kids. Pregnancy was the worst for me. Flovent hadn't been marketed yet so I used inhaled steroids and a rescue inhaler as needed. There are pros and cons to any treatment when pregnant however not treating asthma leads to low O2 levels in your blood which means less O2 for the baby. I'd say to run everything past your ob to make sure he/she is in on your care.

Hi C.,
I would discuss the drug options with your pharmacist. Their job is drugs and they know everything about them. He or she can probably tell you the various side effects and recommendations of the drugs that are available or being suggested by your doctor.
Good luck

I sincerely sympathize - my sister and my son have severe asthma. Isagenix makes a product called IsaMune that is made from cow's colostrum and it helps with allergies and definitely helps boost immunity. Not sure if it can help with asthma, but asthma is related to the immune system. It is really the best if you feel a cold coming on and kids can use it as well.

My sister found that drinking coffee really helped reduce the severity of her asthma - not that that is the best solution, but it's better than meds.

Good luck
A.

PS: Here is a link to IsaMune:
http://revive.isagenix.com/us/en/isamune.dhtml

This company makes a really superior Omega formula as well.

just a thought, have your doc check for HyperThyroidism (overactive thyroid). it kind of feels the same.