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Inhaled Steriod Fail (Qvar)

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EveHarrington

MyPTSD Pro
I posted awhile ago about my hesitation about taking an inhaler steroid for my asthma (Qvar). I was on the fence as steroids can cause mood problems. Most professionals said I’d be fine, inhaled steroids don’t cause mood issues, one said oh no stay far away, it’s too much of a risk.

I gave it a try.

And I can now say that I will never be taking another steroid of any kind unless it is a life/death situation and I have no other alternative.

My mood has been off the charts crazy. My self harm has kicked up a notch or three (hitting). I’ve thrown a few things, and hid my phone before it flew out of my hand (thank god). Don’t even ask about what my room looks like right now or what my neighbors may or may not have heard (and what they think of me).

Part of what minimized the damage was that I was already semi isolating because I was physically exhausted. Thank god. I know I’ve caused much damage to the relationship with my boyfriend. Everyone else was spared because I was being a hermit.

Yes, I’ve been doing my research. Mood issues on Qvar are found more often in kids (but I am SUPER med sensitive anyway). I found a whole forum page of parents saying their little angel started being violent in school, kicking the teacher, etc. Other sites say that the mood issue is much more prevalent in the real world than in pre-FDA approval trials (as happens much of the time, with any drug).

For anyone that reads this in the future, know that mood issues CAN happen with inhaled steroids, but if you need the medicine, try for yourself and see how well you tolerate it.

Things came to a head around day 20.

I know this is a drug issue because I’ve had my mood go wonky as a side effect of other meds, and the uncontrollable feeling is very much the same.

I’m not telling anyone what they should/should not do in terms of medication. What I am saying is that this medication had a negative effect on me, so be aware if you need to be on a steroid inhaler.

I have decided to go back to albuterol (inhaler & nebulizer) as they were working for me. I am also looking into supplements as I’ve read that an imbalance of calcium and magnesium can cause broncho restriction issues. This whole issue started as a med side effect (sigh), so I’d love it if it was just a mineral imbalance!
 
So just to update...

The steroid effects were so bad that I ended up going inpatient for a week in order to stabilize.

Every inpatient doctor/nurse/therapist I saw gave me that “of course...!” look when I told them what happened. Apparently the (non-psych) med world hasn’t yet gotten the memo that inhaled steroids can indeed cause mood issues......sigh.

My psychiatrist is now insisting that all med changes are approved by him, and that I wear a medical alert bracelet saying “no steroids”.
 
How are you feeling now?

I’m feeling much better, but still not completely out of the woods yet. My meds have been increased, so that’s helped. I’m just glad that I was on a low level. I’d hate to see how bad it would be if my dose was higher.
 
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