hey all :)

i read somewhere on this forum -- can't remember where though -- :rolleyes: that asthma sufferers shouldn't take dex. maybe it was all stimulants?

anyway, anyone have any info for me on this subject? i talked my psych. and he didn't seem concerned about trying me on dex. i'll talk to the asthma doctor about this next week. i'd like to read up on it prior to my appt. next tuesday.

thanks!

It might be the increased heart rate thing, I know mine can go up pretty easily since I've been taking Dex. When I work out it doesn't take much more than a couple minutes for my heart rate to reach 180 and I'm a fairly fit person. Also, just 10 minutes ago I was in the shower washing my hair and I started feeling dizzy, I hadn't had much to eat and it was hot in there, but my heart was pounding and I was breathing really heavily, so maybe that could explain why asthma sufferers aren't supposed to take the Dex.

oops,

i should have updated this awhile ago. the asthma doc said no problem with being on dexedrine. there are just two meds i should *not* take because of the asthma. hmmm, maybe i should have written those names down.... :rolleyes:

for me, the side effects at first were a bit like an asthma attack, so, i was abit freaked. but, after 1-2 weeks those syptoms subsided.

Dexedrine was originally tested as a decongestant and it's chemically related to other decongestants, so I would think it might make it easier to breath - but a stuffy nose is not the same as asthma!

this is why i should have updated sooner. i tend to lose the details unless i note them right away.

i think that the jitteriness was the most unpleasant side effect. my asthma meds cause my hands to shake too. so, i'm glad i'm not a surgeon. :)

my hands don't shake as much as they used to. so, either i've gotten used to it, or, that side effect has subsided.

i have a cold right now and i wish that the dexedrine was working as a decongestant! although, it may not be a cold, it's possibly something much more severe, like malaria, or beri beri, or scurvy, or something *really* bad. it can't possibly *just* be a cold.... ;)

Sometimes a beta-blocker will help with the jitteriness and hand shaking, depending on the cause. Beta blockers are typically used for blood pressure but I've heard of people taking them to ease the kind of jittery hand shaking you get when you are nervous - like at a job interview, etc. I don't know if it would help you, but it might be worth asking your doctor about if the shakiness is a problem?

Ive been taking Dexamphetamines for 3 years now, been smoking for 4, and have had asthma since birth. I definately haven't noticed any affect on my asthma from dex, it would be the smoking (obviously :/) that affects it most.
I guess dex makes smoking (ciggies) more enjoyable, so that would be the only (and very indirect) way I have ever had it affect my asthma :D.

Hi dextux,
I have asthma, smoke and have taken dex for about 3-4 months, but found the dex stopped me wanting to smoke and gave me the discipline to run, which helped my asthma.
I've posted pretty much the same question all over this site, but can't seem to get an answer.
Might I ask you if you have many friends, acquaintances or colleagues that have been taking Dex for 5, 10, 15 years (and longer) and that haven't hit a tolerance barrier?
I'm just worried after reading a whole bunch of posts on this subject on dexedrine and adderall, that the very positive effects are short-lived (weeks..a couple of years)? and then that that's it.......end of therapeutic benefit.

oops,

i should have updated this awhile ago. the asthma doc said no problem with being on dexedrine. there are just two meds i should *not* take because of the asthma. hmmm, maybe i should have written those names down.... :rolleyes:

for me, the side effects at first were a bit like an asthma attack, so, i was abit freaked. but, after 1-2 weeks those syptoms subsided.

Hi Wheezie,

I was intrigued by you saying that you had a side effect to dex that was similar to an asthma attack. Could you explain that a little more?

I have had breating issues since being on Dex and my doctor says he has never heard of that and thinks that I should just live with it. At times it can feel VERY uncomfortable and I'm not so sure I want to live with it. It has been months so I don't think it will be going away.

Oh, I love you icon. I feel like that just about every day.

S

Sometimes a beta-blocker will help with the jitteriness and hand shaking, depending on the cause. Beta blockers are typically used for blood pressure but I've heard of people taking them to ease the kind of jittery hand shaking you get when you are nervous - like at a job interview, etc. I don't know if it would help you, but it might be worth asking your doctor about if the shakiness is a problem?
Actually, beta blockers are one of the things that people with asthma should not take. Everything I've ever read on beta blockers says that people who have asthma respondant to beta-agonist therapy (epinephrine and albuterol among others) should not take beta blockers.

Szordan,

This was such a long time ago. I have a feeling though that what I was associating with an asthma attack was more likely anxiety-related. Maybe even because I was a bit dehydrated? I'm not sure though if dehydration would cause shortness of breath/tightness.

I take a pretty low dose of Dexedrine and some days take none at all. I haven't had any problems in the past 4 months. I am very thirsty on the days I take a regular dose of Dexedrine, but, now I know that I need to keep my water bottle filled!

I was on time to meet my husband today and he joked, "You must have taken your meds today."

He was right. :D

Good luck,

W.

Actually, I was about to say...hmm...you know, it's actually helped my asthma (?) Haven't taken Singulair since the first week I got on these meds, which is amazing... Doc said that was not unexpected--can't remember if he gave a reason, though Gregster's comment is correct.

I'd been given the impression by one (non-medical professional) person (who'd used meth or something in the past--it's Iowa, go figure*cynicism*) that they were all amphetamines, though the word on that (from that source, aside from the lack of clinical licensure) wouldn't necessarily be taken as gold.

Do you think, Gregster? I need to go to bed...otherwise I'd go ahead and look it up on PubMed. Epinephrine, yes, knew that (wacky allergy girl, here--EpiPens here and there and everywhere) but not definite on general amphetamines as a whole.

Chrys

Dexedrine was originally tested as a decongestant and it's chemically related to other decongestants, so I would think it might make it easier to breath - but a stuffy nose is not the same as asthma!