Seretide - inhaler type?

[hazeyjane]

Ds (6) has been prescribed Seretide, but I don't think he is getting any of the medicine when he tries to use the inhaler.

Is it a med that is available in an inhaler that could be used with a spacer?

[TropicPlunder]

It definitely is, it's the seretide evohaler. Spacers are usually prescribed for kids to go with inhalers, ask your gp or asthma nurse to prescribe one and pick up from a pharmacy

[MumiTravels]

Yes you can get both types of seretide. You can get the traditional type that goes in a spacer. I'm confused to why someone would prescribe a pump that couldn't be used with a spacer for a child.

[hazeyjane]

Thankyou

I am confused too.

His paed sent a letter to his gp requesting her to prescribe seretide, which she did after consulting the asthma nurse wrt dosage. And we got the disc style inhaler.

We have persevered with it in the hope that ds might 'get it' and thinking it was the only form it came in.

Now we are sat here with ds on prednisolone, having to use his salbutamol every hour, and possibly having to go back to hospital.

[hazeyjane]

In hospital, after an awful night in a&e, on oxygen and hourly nebulizers.

[TropicPlunder]

Sorry to hear that. When he's stable you could ask an asthma nurse to watch him take his seretide inhaler and advise. Does he take salbutamol with a spacer? Or dischaler?

[Sirzy]

Hope he is better now.

I am amazed they prescribed that type as he is only quite young isn't he? They once prescibed that one for ds by mistake and the pharmacist pulled up on it straight away.

[hazeyjane]

It is odd, his gp and the pharmacist are usually great, but I know the asthma nurse wasn't keen on him having Seretide. (despite his paediatrician recommending it) She said he should have Montelukast, which we had tried, but ds would not take (tried hiding it in everything).

It is difficult because ds is 6, lots of autistic traits, largely non verbal, complex health needs and physical difficulties. If you don't know him then prescribing the disc inhaler or montelukast,might seem like a good idea - if you know him you know they won't work!

A&E was a nightmare, 10 on a Saturday night, pissed people everywhere, paediatric a&e was worse than the pissed people. Nurse was brutal with ds, didn't listen to us, then suddenly it was panic stations as we bypassed everyone else and a Dr put a nebuliser mask on ds which made him FREAK OUT. We had our dds with us too and they were hysterical at seeing their brother like this. Then they said there was no bed for him, and we would have to go to another hospital. Eventually we got onto the ward at 3.30am, after 3 traumatic nebulisers' and it was so much better.

I have always had a bag packed (ds has had a couple of hospital dashes - seizure, pneumonia) but think I will have to print up a sheet with information from his paed and write in big letters across the top AUTISTIC (even though he is only being assessed) - do you think this would help? They didn't listen to me at all until we got onto the ward and then the nurse was so lovely.

The rest of the night was nebuliser (no mask this time), alternating with oxygen as his sats were low, and a heart monitor (heart rate of 199!)

Fortunately atrovent, nebulisers and oxygen sorted it, and the consultant (who was someone who has seen ds since he was on SCBU) said we could manage at home with 10 puffs of salbutamol hourly. She has also sent us home with a seretide inhaler to use with a spacer.

[hazeyjane]

Bloody hell I've written an essay!

[Runningtokeepstill]

Sounds like a nightmare experience. It's a shame about the montelukast, as this made such a difference to my ds1 when his asthma got difficult to control (he had the dreaded disc inhaler too).

I'd definitely go for a sheet with short points about ds that you can keep in his overnight bag. Having had 3 dc needing healthcare from different departments and often seeing different staff, I usually had a short summary typed up that I could hand over. Saves a lot of explaining.