Symbicort and Thrush: What Users Say

• Lil...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 23, 2020

For Asthma, Maintenance "I’ve had asthma since I was a little kid. I’ve been on Symbicort for at least 20 years. I’m 35 now. It has been a godsend. As long as you remember to take it every morning and night, it works. I hardly ever need my rescue inhaler. To be honest, as long as I remember to take it, I forget I even have asthma sometimes. But if I forget, the symptoms come back pretty quick. The only side effects I notice are I have to clear my throat a lot, and you need to remember to wash your mouth out every time or you’ll get thrush. But that only happens once or twice, and you’ll never forget again! Definitely worth a try, it’s a lifesaver for me."

• 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."

• Hat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 29, 2022

For Asthma, Maintenance "My doctor started to refuse my Ventolin, only wanted me to take Symbicort. Have had headaches, and the worst thrush in my throat, which doesn't go away. Tightness also. It's the worst drug I've ever used for my asthma, and my asthma has never been worse while on it."

• 1ha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 8, 2018

For COPD, Maintenance "Before starting Symbicort, my lung function was 43%. Two weeks into using Symbicort, my lung function went up to 74%, a true blessing. The only side effect I had was thrush. I found that eating kefir yogurt with probiotics did the trick, my throat is fine. Symbicort is amazing."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 30, 2019

For Asthma, Maintenance "I have been on Symbicort 160/4.5, 2 doses twice a day for ten days now. I am actually breathing worse than before I got the Symbicort. I have never heard myself wheeze so badly until the past few days. The thrush is awful. I actually had pieces of my throat come up when I cough. And they were falling off the roof of my mouth. After two days of gargling with salt water, that cleared up and I gargle every time I use the inhaler now. Sinuses only getting mucus-ier. Short of breath and coughing. Headaches are not welcome, and my last complaint is a deal breaker. I just cannot continue this drug because it is causing me to have vaginal bleeding. I NEVER have spotting or breakthrough bleeding, and to have that suddenly occur and see it has happened to other ladies, I will discontinue this drug. Unacceptable."

• jeb...
• April 29, 2009

For COPD "The first couple of weeks, it seemed to help, but then I developed a bad case of thrush, even though I rinsed and gargled after each use. I did not swallow it. I have had the 5 pills to suck on every day for 14 days and now the Nystatin to swish, gargle, and swallow. I am much better now, but I took myself off the Symbicort. I am also on a lot of other medicines, but the one I absolutely need is phenytoin, due to a brain aneurysm. My mother had esophageal candida and was on Diflucan all the time, and I have had my share of yeast infections also."

• 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."

• dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2016

For COPD "Worked really well, but the side effects were unmanageable. Rinsed, gargled as instructed, but developed thrush, and swallowing was very painful. Discontinued use, but it took over six months to get over the side effects. Now on Advair and am so scared of this happening again that I take it right before a meal so that food will clean the esophagus of the medication. Hope new drugs being tested will result in a drug as good as Symbicort, but without the side effects! Are there any patches or injections available as I have severe GERD, and pills and inhalers cause me extreme pain."

• Ang...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 22, 2023

For Asthma, Maintenance "I have had mild asthma in damp, cold weather most of my life. I was prescribed Symbicort after a bout of pneumonia caused my asthma to spiral out of control. I have used this for over four years now. It worked to clear the inflammation, so I stopped wheezing. However, I began to experience a few silent attacks of asthma when stressed out. These caused lung pain on one side and tightening of bronchial tubes. I developed a moon face and water weight gain. I had thoughts of dying every day, fatigue, dry skin, yeast infection, thrush of the mouth, and cataracts at 54 (removed at 59). I asked for a lower dose, but the doctor would not do that. This past year, I started having ankle swelling at joints and pain in my big toe. It increased so I could not walk at times. It was diagnosed as high uric acid, which leads to several health conditions. These are all side effects of using this drug. Yes, it stopped the night dry coughing and wheezing, but the side effects became too much to bear. I tapered off the inhaler three times until I am off this drug."

• Anonymous
• May 24, 2010

For Asthma, Maintenance "My breathing improved after a few days, but after being on the inhaler for one week, I began developing oral thrush. My doctor put me on the lower dosage (after a week on Diflucan for the thrush) and had me use a spacer, but after one week, I had the thrush again, and he had to take me off the medication. I don't know if that is more of a rare reaction to the medication. I always rinsed out my mouth after using the inhaler, but it didn't seem to help."