I am on seretide once in the morning and night and sabutomol when needed. I wos put on singulair a couple of months ago and had side effects so came off it. I have had asthma for about 4 months now and i have put half a stone on and can not shift any weight at all since going on seretide. I know it is supposed to go into ur lungs but sum of it does distribute into ur body. Does any 1 else have a problem with their weight. x
Hi Jeanettylips,
I have never taken seretide, but my best friend was on it and she put on a considerable amount of weight. She did used to take a pretty high dose.
Tessa
Hi there...
Ive never had seretide...but recently (same as you) have been diagnosed with Asthma...Im on Clenil Modulite as a preventer and Ventolin as and when required...As for weight gain...join the club...!!!...Ive always been slim toned and pretty much in good shape...I work out daily and have never been overweight in my life...(apart from pregnancy)..Now ive developed this huge rounded belly that resembles a five month pregnancy and gained half a stone...!!!...So i can sympathise with you...Nothing i do has changed my shape or weight.. 
..Its a mystery to me and my Doc...She says its not possible to gain the weight as most of the drug is absorbed by your lungs...!!!..Well after reading your post i now know this isnt the case...and there must be more of us out there with the same probs..
Any others out there with similar experiences..??...Let us know...
Cheers
Titch
xxx
Yes I have put on a large amount of weight, and feel hungry all the time. I use Glenhil inhale night and morning. I am in my 70's,don\"t gulp! I know elderly people put on weight, but I was a a reasonable 10 stone, now I am 11 stone 6lbs. I was a steady 9,6 to 10 stone before using Glenil, and could lose weight easily just by walking or extra housework. I am told by the medical profession that Glenhil does not make one gain extra weight. This answer had me baffled, as I have never put on so much weight in so short a period in my life time, and I find it very had to lose it, even though I am very active. Also so my throat is so dry sometimes I can hardly speak, and is very tight and sore. Yes Glenhil does help my mild Asthma or mucous factory as I call it, but the other affects are
depressing. I have draws full of clothes I cannot now wear, and I am in
those blessed elasticated trousers. For one that has always been in first with fashion clothing, or style, I am now reduced to a fashion closer looking to a Gardner. Gutted!
I had the most dreadful experience with Seretide, which has left me with long term health problems. The asthma, though, was marvellous on it which was why it took me so long to realise what was going on. My doctor was largely unsympathetic and doesn't believe me anyway. In my experience, the steroid passes through the cell walls of the lungs into the bloodstream and once there it has a long \"half life\" so can build up over a period of time to a level which can interfere with the natural steroid production in the body. My adrenal glands stopped functioning properly over a period of two years. Don't let anyone tell you that this only happens with high dose inhalers - it depends how sensitive you are to the steriod. I was taking the lowest dose inhaler at half the recommended rate. My biggest problem was weight gain which I am having the devil's own job shifting. This makes the asthma worse so it's a vicious circle. I stopped the inhaler almost three years ago and changed to another one. I had so many symptoms of seemingly serious diseases all at once I thought I was going mad! Galloping weight gain/severe stomach pains, severe headaches, loss of use of my left arm, swollen feet, severe depression, extreme fatigue to name but a few. Eventually I had a stupid accident - tripped over my own feet rushing out of the house and fell flat on my face on the front lawn. I didn't even do myself any serious physical damage but I went into shock and passed out for about half an hour. It was at that point that I googled all the symptoms and discovered that I most probably had adrenal suppression.
My advice to anyone taking this is to monitor yourself very closely. If you notice anything like the above go back to your doctor as this is incredibly difficult to recover from once established.
I'm male, 38 years of age. Have always been slim, apart from a period in my mid 20's when my asthma was particularly bad and I was prescribed a steroid inhaler. Back then, my weight went up to over 14stone (I'm usually arounf the 12.5 mark). I stopped and I slimmed down, considerably.
I didn't put the weight gain down to the inhaler, I just thought it was lifestyle.
Over the las year I have been taking Pulmicort and then went on to Clenil... and sure enough, my weight this time has rocketed. Back to 14stone from 12 this time and I've just realised (by seeing this forum) that it is down to the inhaler. THere can be no other reason seeing as I eat very healthily, usually have a high motabolism and go to the gym three - four times a week.
My stonmach became bloated, so much so that I would joke about it to family and people would comment. I was at the point I had to wear the only two pairs of jeans that would fit.
So I am going to continue with my lifestyle but stop the Clenil (that replaced the pulmicort at Christmas). FWIW when I took the clenil, my weight increased further. I was incredibly unhappy, miserable even. I went down to a calorie intake fo 600 a day and have beeb going to the gym (burning on average 800cals) and I have since lost 7lbs. I'm going to stop the steroid inhalers and see how I go. I mean, I went from having a sick pack to literablly a bulging belly that I never noticed until it was just there.....
So regardless of what the medical profession say, steroid inhalers DO make you gain weight. In fact, I asked the pharmacist at the local boots when I collected the inhalers today and she said I would possibly see a slight increase... oh, and that I should rinse my mouth out with water immediately after as I could end up with a dry mough and or thrush.
Just thought I would share.
Dan.
Hi titch well im glad im not alone! your not the only one who has piled the weight on i go running 4 times a week and eat healthy, i also have asthma and take the clenil inhaler, i went to see my doctor as i wasnt happy with the weight gain and dnt know why im gaining instead of losing! she said the only other thing she could think of was the steroid inhaler so ive come off it to see if it makes any difference, i look 3 months pregnant!
i really hope it is that, ive also increased my calories as i was only having about 900 to 1000 a day
Ditto to al lthe above and doubly upset given I am a type II diabetic who uses diet control. This has caused 3-4kgs weight gain and my BG is now under pressure. None of tis is good and I am really upset about it.
hello,
i just want to share with you my experience with seretide! i am already taking 2 puffs of seretide discuss 500 in the morning and 2 before going to bed. i am really having a difficulty in controlling my weight even-though i eat very healthy lebanese food and i do not eat a lot! i do exercises also!
so welcome me to the club of seretide haters!!!
I've been taking Seretide for over a year at 2000/200 per day, so double the max licensed dose. I've had no problem with weight gain and it improved my asthma significantly. 
Hi, I'm so glad I'm not the only one with the weight gain issue on seretide. I take 500 dose in the morning and at night and I'm so depressed at the weight I have piled on since starting the medication. I'm also on singular and slo-phyllin. At first I wasn't sure if was the medication however decided to search online to see if other people had a similar problem with weight gain. I just cannot shift the weight no matter how I control my diet :-(
I feel like a pot bellied pig all the time, it's horrible so decided I would just stop the seretide. Aware this might be dangerous for me but I will take my reliever if need be, willing to try anything.
I would be very surprised if an inhaled steriod alone was the route of your weight gain. A lot of the time it is a mixture of lowered mobility, which can be brought on by feeling less able to exercise and knowing that steriod can cause weight gain which turns into a self fulfilling prophecy.
I am on symbicort 200/6, four puffs three times a day, as well as Beclomethasone two puffs twice a day and oral steriod tablets at 40mg once a day, and I have experienced some weight gain, but I am on a lot of inhaled and oral steriod.
I was so happy to have lost 30 pounds - at great effort - and maintained the loss for 2 years. BUT when I had to change doctors six months ago, the new one took me off of Serevent and put me on Symbicort, telling me that was the best medication for my mild-moderate COPD (which was called asthma until I turned 60). I have now gained most of the weight back. I changed doctors again a week ago and switched from Symbicort. to Spiriva which is non-steroid, but I expect to have to put forth that great effort again to get back to what is normal weight for me. I've had weight gain from medications in the past, gone off the drug and lost the weight but only with great effort. Doctors make light of it, deny it's due to the drug they prescribed, etc etc. It's tiresome.
I have spoken with my endocrinologist/diabetic specialist who agrees that inhaled steroids do build up in the cells in a similar fashion to oral administration over a period of time.
I have input my experience with spiriva inhaler this morning but wondered if anyone also experienced heartburn whilst taking spiriva daily
I know this was posted a year ago but what reliefe for me to stumble accross it. I have had ashthma from childhood and always relied on ventolin as didn't like the idea of inhaled steroids. Following a heart attack aged 48 (4 years ago) years ago I was advised to use seretide which would have less interaction with with other meds/would be better for heart. Year on year I proceeded to then put on a stone, until about a year ago when I really made an effort to reverse that process through diet and exercise. But I couldn't shift more than about a stone. I too had a stomach like I was pregnant as well as a rash which developed on my neck. I knew it had to do with the steroid but every time I tried to come off it my lungs felt like I was an old woman - worse than they had ever been. Recently by accident I ran out of seretide and the health centre accidentally issued ventolin, coincidentally I had also just started using a herbal tablet called tylophora asmatica folium. Using 4 tabs of these spread daily and around 4 x ventolin within a week my stomach as reduced to almost normal proportions and I feel more "normal" within myself. Professionals and asthma support websites appear to be wrong on this one. Don't let anyone tell you you are imagining symptoms from any prescribed medication. I'm not sure how this will pan out for me in the long term, but as a normally slim person I am thrilled that my body appears to be returning to it's normal state.
i have been put back on seretide twice a day after a few months well 6 months of being on a nebulizer 4 times a day and im putting on loads of weight even after justa month and a half!!
Agree this has happened to me had to reduce food intake and especially so on carbs ended up on metformin.
My diabetic specialist accepts there may be some uptake via the cells in the bronchial system and thus seretide which contains a steroid can have an effect. My gp disagreed but I go with his judgement of specialist on this occasion.
Point is asthma is dangerous do you want to take risk that could be worse than having to be tighter on bg control?
Hi,
I read this thread and i was so relieved that all the symtoms i had had (past tense - i'm now off the drug) were not imagined, as implied by my GP.
I was prescribed Seretide 2 years ago following a particularly bad chast infection. After the antibiotics and course of prednisolone, my peak flow was still low, so it was suggested i try this.
Initially it was great - i was on Seretide 125 and my lungs felt great. Slowly over the 2 years i was on it, certain things changed with the rest of my health (even though my asthma was still good) and eventually i linked it to the drug.
The first odd symtom i developed was snoring. the only time i snored was when i had a cold and yet suddenly every night, my husband was digging me in the ribs and telling me to turn over.
Then the weight gaid started, but i still didn't twig at this point that it was anythign to do with my inhaler.
Finally, i started having the symtoms of anxiety attacks without actually being anxious about anything - when i say anxiety attacks, i means i'd get hot and then i'd get shortness of breath and my heart rate would increase, all whilst i was sat happily at my desk or when watching TV.
The anxiety attacks were initially why i went to the GP - I thought i was on early manopause at the age of 40! the GP sent me away and told me to monitor my symptoms and come back in a couplf of weeks. Which i did and went back and asked to try the lowest dose as my asthma was still under control. Also, when i'd run out of seretide around this time, i saw a difference in some of my symptoms. Going on the lower dose lessened my anxiety (although it didn't dissapear completely) and i started looking into my symptoms.
Anyway, 3 trips to the doctor to be fobbed off and advised my weight gain was due to the slowing down of my motabolism as it does when you get older (!), and other bits of verbal clap-trap (in my opinion) i strongly requested that i be put on my old inhaler. I was given it reluctantly and the difference was phenominal - i lost 7 lbs in the first week. I haven't changed my diet at all, but i don't geel hungry all the time like i used to.
Also the snoring has stopped, as have the anxiery attacks and generally i just feel more energetic.
I came off the seretide just over a month ago and the first couple of weeks my Asthma got worse and i was a bit worried i'd made the wrong choice to change inhalers, but after that i started feeling better.
My Asthma isn't as good as it was on the Seretide, but it's under control and the general feeling of well being i have now makes it worthwhile.
All of the symptoms or side effects of seretide are now given in the patient sheet with the inhaler including weight gain hyper glycemia boned think g etc etc