Breo Ellipta for Asthma, Maintenance User Reviews

• Kar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 30, 2019

"I have had moderate asthma since age 13, now age 41. I have participated in multiple full marathons, cycling, swimming, rowing, yoga, walking ALL with only Singulair and a Ventolin inhaler before high-intensity exercise. I was prescribed Breo because taking Ventolin before exercise multiple times a week is considered 'uncontrollable asthma.' It has been roughly 20 days and my voice is always raspy, I have a tremor in my hands, always hungry, dry scalp, insomnia at night, pain in my chest, skipping heartbeats, and weight gain. I try going for just a brisk walk, and my lungs are immediately tight and irritated. I then try my rescue inhaler, which was my go-to and it is useless, like I never even took it. I am discontinuing my use of this inhaler and going back to the unacceptable method where I could breathe just fine normally and used only for exercise. It's much better than these side effects."

• CGH...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 17, 2019

"Started using Breo after a severe asthma exacerbation. At first, it controlled my asthma very well, I barely had to use my rescue inhaler. But over months, it stopped working and actually made it very hard for me to breathe. It made me extremely irritable, mood swings, aggressive, weight gain, heart palpitations, severe anxiety attacks, spasms of my intercostal muscles, and made my chest very tight. This medicine caused me to also develop depression and a lack of motivation. Two days off of it, and I can finally take a deep breath, and my brain finally has clarity. I finally feel like myself again."

• Lad...
• September 17, 2019

"After not having a flare-up all year and having my first one due to chemical exposure, I was in a full-blown flare-up and desperate to breathe well. Took the Breo as well as my nebulizer treatments for about 6 days, 5 of which I had more severe anxiety each day that I took it very quickly after I took it, so I know it was the inhaler. Before my flare-up, I needed nothing at all, was free and clear of all meds, which was amazing. I stopped the Breo due to the severity of the anxiety and decided to go to the hospital, where I received prednisone and a steroid pack to wean down from. Still taking my albuterol nebulizer every day, about 2-3 times until I clear up, but I was not a fan of the Breo at all. Coming from someone who had severe asthma to getting myself off of all meds for over a year, to trying Breo, that was terrible. The prednisone helped the first day. Hopefully, I can clear up and get back to no meds through diet and exercise, fingers crossed."

• Ros...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 31, 2020

"I have had adult-onset asthma for approx. 30 years. Many hospitalizations. After having pneumonia three times early last year, my pulmonologist asked if I had been using my Breo. No, I hadn’t because of excessive price. After using it religiously, I did not have an attack for seven months! After being diagnosed with an eye condition and severe pain in all four extremities, mainly at night, I have had to discontinue. My doctor did extensive blood work to make sure no red flags for cancer. Thank goodness no cancer. But now what do I do? I have other lesser side effects. Breo was good for asthma but terrible for my health! Will this excruciating pain eventually go away?"

• Jan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 13, 2019

"Breo 200/25 worked great for about 6 months. Never used my rescue inhaler. Now I have a chronic sore throat and raspy voice, chest pain, muscle spasms in both hands, fatigue, and insomnia. I can still breathe deeply, but the side effects are getting worse the longer I continue to use Breo. I plan to return to using Symbicort, the only side effect from that was a raspy voice. I was put on Spiriva Respimat also last month, but the combination of Spiriva and Breo caused me to totally lose my voice. I had to quit the Spiriva, voice loss and terrible heartburn/stomach pain."

• Som...
• July 26, 2019

"Was put on it after unknown lung disease (Hypersensitivity pneumonitis OR Bronchiolitis obliterans - yet to be determined). I think it does improve breathing, but I'm having a hard time concentrating, feeling emotional, bad sleep, and muscle and bone pain. With all these side effects, I'd rather have a harder time breathing than feel like I'm a different person... But as it seems, not everyone is affected the same."

• JFE...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 9, 2019

"PRO: Before I began taking this medication almost three years ago, I went through two rescue inhalers a month. Now I don't use them at all, and instead of struggling to find a way to get a refill, I have so many I'm afraid they will expire before I can use them. CON: I have to clear my throat a lot, and there is more drainage and sputum than before, but it's a very small price to pay for being able to breathe. Also, it is NOT covered by insurance, so I have to pray yearly I find the discount coupon online to cover the expense. It is about $450 without the coupon. Insurance needs to get on board."

• Aub...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2018

"I took BREO Ellipta for about 8 months and trailed off, which my doctor actually said was probably a good decision on my part. I just didn’t feel like I needed it as much. I was struggling with breathing paired with another health issue, so I went to see my pulmonologist. He put me back on BREO for a 1-month trial... and 4 days later I’d broken out in itchy hives. I assumed this was from something else, so my doctor gave me steroids to take. I finished my steroids 3 days ago, and my rash is worse than ever and still worsening. I don’t know what else it could be.... Has anybody ever had this issue?!!"

• Blu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 1, 2019

"Sad and relieved to see others here like me. The first week was great, and then tremors, headaches, dry hair, skin, eyes, sinuses, and mouth joint pain, and finally super high blood pressure and high cortisol in my body. Foggy head and fatigue. Chest tightness, rash, and moody. I took it for asthma, but the side effects are crazy. I took it for less than 2 months and quit."

• Pea...
• December 8, 2016

"This medicine worked well in the beginning, but I quickly built up a tolerance to it. It is now not working so well after a month. Now I am getting severe tightness in the chest a few times a day while still using it. Not only that, I am cramped up now all the time with severe thigh and lower leg cramps, shoulder spasms, and neck terrible pain. The fatigue is crippling and intolerable. My life has become a misery. I will go back to the Dr. and ask to be put on something else. This is the cure? Ha!"

• Blu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 26, 2018

"I started taking Breo Ellipta in November after my respirologist prescribed it after exposure to mold left me wheezing and coughing. I had a mild wheeze and often had to clear my throat. Within a month of taking this medicine, I had full-on asthma: coughing, wheezing, gasping for air. I realized I often got worse after taking my dose. After spending a good part of my day in emergency, I was switched to Flovent and am finally able to fully catch a breath. Not only did it not help me, it made me much, much worse."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 20, 2016

"Improved my asthma symptoms quickly, but the side effects made it unusable. Improved lung function within a day or two but had severe muscle spasms first in my right trapezius. Didn't relate it to the drug at first, so went to the doctor and started muscle relaxers and inflammation reduction meds. Unable to turn my head at all by day 3 and not able to sleep because of pain. Discontinued Breo and symptoms were better within a few days. Restarted Breo a week later and had muscle spasms in upper thighs and neck by day two. I really liked the effect for my lungs, but the pain and lack of function are not bearable."

• Tex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 19, 2017

"I was put on two meds at the same time, so I had a difficult time deciding which drug was messing with me. i.e., inflammation so bad that it created facial hot breakouts on my face and lips. I experienced an increase in heart rate and shakes. I went off Breo on the 5th of June and stayed on my other drug for diabetes. Everything settled down, and my normal self returned. This morning, I decided to reintroduce my Breo to find it definitely is the culprit. Immediate hot flashes, shakes, and increased heart rate. I love how it works, but hate what it does for me. Please take time to truly decipher which drug it is if you're on multiples."

• Rom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 3, 2020

"I have been using Breo Ellipta for 2 years now, first 200 mg, now 100 mg. I live on a tropical island, so the fungus in the environment is very high. From 65% use of pulmonary capacity, I have improved to 95%. Now I can’t afford it anymore. Therefore, I am going to stop using it. Let's see what happens."

• Fis...
• January 25, 2017

"I've had asthma since I was about four (now forty), and it's been terrible. Mostly triggered by allergies. Been on every cortico you can think of. I'd go through three rescue inhalers a month. I've been on Breo for about four months and have had two rescue inhalers filled. I can exercise without using it, I can sleep at night, and I have gone days completely forgetting I had a rescue inhaler. It has been a miracle drug. It is expensive, though, but my doctor gave me a discount card, and it's free now. My only issue is when it's very cold and you work your bronchi hard outside, it hurts, but it's worth it. Also, you can build an immunity to it, and it starts to not work as well after four or five months. BUT it still works well."

• Win...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2016

"I am not sure if this product is the cause. However, my mood has gone slowly down since using it. I am so fearful of falling into a depression, having gone through a very difficult time with depression during the late 90s and early 2000s. So I will consult my pulmonary doctor before continuing."

• JKa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 18, 2020

"Not sure why the doctor gave me this inhaler as my asthma had been pretty good. So day 1 and 2, I was feeling great, breathing was really good, lungs were clear of mucus. All downhill from there on day 3, headache started and coughing. Day 4, headache persistent, coughing all day, so had to use Ventolin. Day 5, constant headache, coughing still, lungs full of muck, and feeling really sick, body aches and pains. Day 6 same as day 5. Nope, this drug (or drugs) are not for me. Day 7, went back to my Seretide and took probably 4 days to be feeling better."

• Bal...
• January 29, 2018

"This medicine has worked wonders for me, completely eliminating the need to take the other 3 asthma medications I take (including my fast-acting inhaler). I didn’t have trouble sleeping at night due to breathing issues, and I didn’t have sudden attacks at work or while doing physical activities. I cannot give this medication all stars because of the ridiculous price of the medicine. I am a single mother and cannot afford health insurance for myself, and I somehow don’t qualify for any assistance. I am shocked that this one life-changing medication is almost half of what my monthly rent is. Simply put, I cannot afford this medicine and therefore continue to take breathing treatments 3 times a day and burn through my albuterol inhalers at work and exercising. I find it absurd that you can get prescriptions that people abuse and/or sell illegally for nothing, and I can’t afford an inhaler so I can live a normal life. I will also note I don’t smoke, and I eat healthy and exercise."

• Win...
• May 13, 2017

"My allergist put me on Aerospan for a month, it wasn't working, I was still tight. The same day I started Breo, I felt relief. It will be 2 months on April 10th. Have not used my rescue inhaler more than twice in 2 months (used to use it 6 times a day). The only side effects I have are severe all-day chest pain and back pain. Fatigue. I feel super tired and unable to walk too much, but no exacerbation from my lungs. I feel shortness, but my lungs are clear. My pulse is over 120 resting and as high as 165 at times, had to take Ativan to relax the palpitations. I'm 29 years old. My dosage is 200/25 mg, along with montelukast 10 mg."

• PKa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2018

"I just started on this 3 days ago. My pulmonary doctor gave me 3 months' worth of samples. Within the first 5 minutes of taking it, I could take a full deep breath without it hurting to breathe in. I have more energy during the day and feel like I have gotten my life back. I did notice some minor back pain, but nothing I cannot deal with."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2018

"I was prescribed this to help control my asthma symptoms. My condition has complications, so the steroid component was supposed to really help. I give this a 5/10 because it really seemed to help with the asthma: I never reached a point where I was short of breath, but it almost made my lungs a little wetter. I found I was continually coughing up small amounts of phlegm with an annoying cough, even after months of taking this medication. The only other side effect I experienced was a bit of the jitters (like drinking too much coffee) for about 10-15 minutes after taking a dose. I should point out that this medication comes in a very practical package and is very easy to dose. It is, however, very expensive if you do not have insurance."

• Eri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2018

"After disproving 2 similar medications and having 2 asthma attacks while on CPAP at night, my Dr prescribed Breo Ellipta. Almost immediately, a heaviness in my chest disappeared. One thing I did notice is, for me, it dries my mouth out terribly, even after rinsing, but I am so happy to find something that I can have confidence in!"

• Lam...
• May 17, 2018

"I started using Breo about 6 weeks ago. It really opens me, but I cough so much junk up all the time. It dries my mouth up, I get thrush. It affects my voice. I have so many other health issues that it is hard for me to tell about any other side effects. Will be talking to my doc when I go back in 2 weeks."

• Bud...
• January 21, 2020

"After years of trying to use non-prescription and prescription drugs to control asthma, my doctor put me on Breo Ellipta (100). That was about 3 years ago. For me, it works well. I rarely use my rescue inhaler. It does tend to make my mouth slightly drier, but it does not cause any other reactions. To avoid thrush, I take an inhalation once a night and follow up with a small amount of mouthwash, a thorough teeth brushing, and a water rinse. The device has 30 inhalations, not quite a full month. It is an expensive drug. The list price is variable and seems to run $350 to $450 per each 30-shot dispenser. With insurance, buying mail order, or from Canada, you should be able to get it at about $110 to $150 per each 30-inhalation device. There is no generic. So far, I have not had any luck with coupons."

• Eln...
• January 24, 2018

"Updating after one year. It's still cut my rescue inhaler usage by less than half. One month supply of the rescue will last three. HOWEVER, your immune system will be completely shot. It is worth it if you have asthma like mine. I suggest keeping up with your allergy medicine to keep sinus infections away, and I'm looking into an immunity booster. Vitamin C doesn't cut it. My only other complaint is it will mess with your vocal cords. The best part about this is when I did get sick with bronchitis, I could still breathe even with all the coughing and wheezing. It will definitely keep those airways open."