Symbicort and Cramps: What Users Say

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 15, 2025

For COPD, Maintenance "I’ve had a few of the complaints others have mentioned, but I can’t blame everything on one medicine. I’ve had trouble clearing my throat and found gargling with diluted vinegar clears it up. Remember to rinse after using Symbicort to avoid that issue. I bruise terribly and easily tear my skin if I bump into something. It’s a side effect of any drug with steroids. Steroids control inflammation, helping, so it’s a necessary evil. Leg cramps. Have had those too, but I added more potassium, adding bananas to breakfast. I also added a protein shake at least once a day. Cramps are gone. Not sure what caused cramps. I wasn’t eating a good diet, so there’s that. My ears do ring, but I developed that from years of Zithromax. I only notice it when it’s very quiet. I usually listen to the Calm app at bedtime and no longer notice the slight high-pitched hum. I can tell within an hour or two if I miss a dose. Becomes harder to do anything. I’m stage 4 COPD, and this drug helps."

• Gob...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 9, 2020

For Asthma, Maintenance "After reading all of your blogs, I thought that I should give you all of the symptoms that I had. First: intestinal bleeding, vaginal bleeding (with no uterus), sinus bleeding, skin bruising, skin peeling off causing extensive bleeding, torn Achilles, screaming leg cramps, loss of muscle tone, osteoporosis (loss of 3” in height). Bloating, diarrhea, constipation, eye issues, depression, anxiety, heart palpitations...I’m sure there are others that I have overlooked. Wouldn’t be my first choice or my last choice...stay away from this drug!"

• Gol...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 27, 2013

For COPD, Maintenance "I have been using Symbicort for 8 months now. It has been a life changer for me. I was using my rescue inhaler at least 4 times a day previous to being put on Symbicort. I have only had to use it twice since starting on it. The only side effect I have had is that the past few months I have been woken up every night by very bad cramps in my feet and my calves."

• and...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 25, 2014

For Asthma, Maintenance "I'm a 59-year-old male with asthma who has been on this medicine for 12 years. I've tried them all, and this seems to work the best for me. A few concerns I have since starting this are cramps in my calves and hands. You need to take vitamin supplements, i.e., calcium and magnesium. I've developed tinnitus or ringing in the ear, which is now constant. I'm not sure if this is related. I also have sinusitis so bad that I will be having a turbinate reduction soon. You may develop thrush or a hoarse throat if you don't gargle or rinse after use. I take 2 puffs in the morning, and that usually does the trick."

• and...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 25, 2014

For Asthma, Maintenance "I'm a 59-year-old male with asthma who has been on this medicine for 12 years. I've tried them all, and this seems to work the best for me. A few concerns I have since starting this are cramps in my calves and hands. You need to take vitamin supplements, i.e., calcium and magnesium. I've developed tinnitus or ringing in the ear, which is now constant. I'm not sure if this is related. I also have sinusitis so bad that I will be having a turbinate reduction soon. You may develop thrush or a hoarse throat if you don't gargle or rinse after use. I take 2 puffs in the morning, and that usually does the trick."

• Sta...
• August 31, 2017

For COPD, Maintenance "I was diagnosed with asthma and COPD and was given Symbicort. First, I lost my voice, then I would get constant leg cramps at night, then I started to lose weight. I went to see my new doctor, by the way, my previous doctor sent me to have my throat examined for any problems, and all came out OK. My new doctor asked me, 'Who told you you got COPD?' My previous doctor. She asked did I have a lung test, and I said no. Then, she told me to quit Symbicort, get a chest X-ray, a full lung test, and a complete blood scan, which came back normal. Now it's been over a week since I stopped Symbicort, and I am breathing normal, don't cough, got my appetite back, and don't use my rescue inhaler, which I seldom used. Get a complete lung test before taking Symbicort."

• Anonymous
• September 8, 2011

For Asthma, Maintenance "I have had asthma for some 20 years. Tried everything on the market. Was using a rescue inhaler 10 times a day. Finally was put on Symbicort, and after one day was breathing easier. No coughing, wheezing, or tightness. The only side effect that has bothered me is severe muscle cramps in my sides. I'll take cramps over not breathing any day."

• Ade...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 13, 2017

For Asthma, Maintenance "Worked fine for a while, been having horrible calf and foot cramps that wake me up out of a dead sleep screaming! I have had thrush about 10 times in the past 2 years. Can't handle hot conditions for any length of time, and I'm an optician, and it causes me blurred vision at times, so I have taken myself off this medication. The side effects are not worth the benefits of this medication."

• woo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2018

For Asthma, Maintenance "I have poor lung function, asthma, and COPD (though I've never smoked). I started Symbicort a few months ago, and it was great for the first few weeks - I could breathe well and sleep through the night without a 'reliever.' After that, I started experiencing side effects - calf cramps and a croaky voice. But my resting pulse rate was worrying - normally at around 82, it moved up to be over 100 all the time. After around 3 weeks on Symbicort (one puff a day as prescribed), my breathing was starting to go downhill, and I woke one night with a resting pulse of 120. My heartbeat was heavy, I felt really dreadful, and it was obvious to me that the bronchodilator part of the Symbicort was now dangerous for me. I stopped taking Symbicort the next day. Within a day or so, my heart rate was normal, and I felt so much better. I switched to Pulmicort Turbohaler and started taking Intal (inhaler), a combo that seems to work pretty well with my tired old allergic lungs."

• Dee...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 10, 2020

For Asthma, Maintenance "I am experiencing some side effects from Symbicort: this is my first time reading my asthma medicine packet, and it says to call your doctor if I experience any side effects, and it's bone pain, trouble sleeping, feeling weak, dizzy, nausea, back pain, weak bones, muscle spasms, and cramps."