My medicine history

Sometimes I wonder how many asthma medicines I've downed since January of 1070.  I was diagnosed with asthma in 1972, but I'm sure I had trouble even before that.  I remember mom pouring this nasty tasting medicine from a pink or purple bottle in the medicine cabinet onto a spoon and making me down it.  It tasted nasty.  Was that Sustair? or was it some form of Alupent solution?  I may never know.

The following are all the medicines I recollect taking for my asthma over the years:

1. Susphrine:  I wrote my experience with this medicine here.  
2. Terbutaline:  This was a rescue medicine.  My only memory with this was at the asthma hospital in 1985.  It made my blood pressure spike, so my experience was only temporary.  
3. Alupent inhaler:  My old buddy.  I wrote about my experience with this medicine here.
4. Alupent solution:  I was introduced to this in 1985 at the asthma hospital and used it until 1991 when I was introduced to Ventolin solution.  It made my heart pound, but boy was it a lifesaver in its day
5. Cromolyn:  This was the famous spinhaler dry powder inhaler.  The powder sometimes made me cough, and this made my asthma worse.  I used it from sometime around 1983 until around 1990 when I just quit taking it.  I don't know if it ever did any good.
6. Theodur:  I was chronically dependent on this for over 30 years, although it was an awesome bronchodilator I think doctors are now afraid of but shouldn't.  I wrote about it here.  
7. Sustair:  It's the syrup version of theophylline.  It tasted like yuck. 
8. Aminophylline:  IV version of theophylline they give you when you're admitted to the hospital.  I don't think it's used anymore, though.  
9. Atropine solution:  It's a mild bronchodilator, although it's used more as a preventative medicine because it has a slow onset of action.  It's the same medicine that used to be available in asthma powder and asthma cigarettes.  I generally mixed it into my Alupent solution and inhaled the treatment for 10-15 minutes about four times a day.  
10. Atrovent:  It's the factory made Atropine-like product that's available as an inhaler.  I took this from the late 1980s until the early 1990s when I simply quit taking it.  It was also available as a solution for my nebulizer.
11. Vanceril:  The infamous beclomethasone inhaler.  There were various brands and generic names, although Vanceril was the one I usually found in my bedroom.  
12. Azmacort:  I started taking this when I was admitted to the asthma hospital in 1985 and I took it until 1998 when I was switched to Flovent. It was a good inhaler, although 4-6 puffs 4 times a day made it so compliance was a major issue. 
13. Broncosol:  Actually the predecessor of terbutaline. Thankfully I only had to take it a few times 'cause boy did it make my heart pound.
14. Prednisone or Medrol:  Good old systemic steroids.  I have been on these so many times I cannot count the days.  I was on them most often in 1984 and 1985, so much that there were concerns of side effects.  I was on them in 1998 and 2012 for short term.
15. Solumedrol:  The IV version of systemic roids you get in the hospital.  The last time I needed it was in 1998.
16. Flovent:  This is the best steroid I started taking in 1998.  I switched to Advair in 2005, although Flovent is one of the contents.  
17. Serevent:  I also started taking this in 1998 when I started taking Flovent.  I didn't like the side effects so I was on and off it for the next seven years until I started taking Advair
18. Drixoral:  I started taking this in 1985, and my doctor wanted me to take it daily to control my 200 allergies.  When I got home from the asthma hospital my mom wouldn't let me use it because it was too expensive. 
19. Xanax:  The old mind relaxer.  It's an anxiolytic. I was first on it for about six months in 1985, and then again for a while in 1998.  These were when my asthma was the worse.  I just started on it again as needed in April of 2012.
20. Antibiotics: Many different kinds and many different times.
21. Nasal irrigation:  In 1985 I was supposed to take this salt water and drain out my nasal passages with it.  I hated it, and it was discontinued to be replaced with Ocean Spray.
22. Ocean spray:  (I was on this for a while in 1985 and 1986.  It was another medicine used to clean out my sinuses.  It was another medicine my mom didn't want to pay for.
23. Nasalide:  It was another allergy medicine I was on in 1985. 
24. Dulera:  It has Azmanex and Formoterol in it.  It's a long acting beta adrenergic I trialed in 2011.  I determined the Formoterol was was nice in that it was fast acting like Albuterol, but too strong.  It made me too jittery, so I stopped the trial
25. Symbicort:  It has Pulmicort and Formoterol in it.  I trialed it in April October of 2012.  I liked it for the same reason I like Dulera, and stopped taking it for the same reason too. 
26. Albuterol tablets:  Sometimes around 1987 or 88 I took these pills.  I never found them to be effective.  Apparently neither did anyone else, as the product was soon thereafter removed from the market

The following are asthma medicines I'm currently on:

• Advair 50/250: The combination inhaler with Serevent and Flovent.  It's been a lifesaver.  
• Advair 50/500:  I take this when my asthma is acting up, and more often I've been taking it regularly.  I usually alternate it with the other Advair
• Ventolin inhaler: The best asthma medicine ever in a handy pocket-size version
• Ventolin Solution:  Used mainly for exacerbations and when the inhaler can't be found
• Prilosec:  It's not uncommon for asthmatics to have stomach problems
• Singulair:  Liekotriene Antagonist basically used to control allergy symptoms.  Take it daily
• Claritin:  Antihistamine used to control allergy symptoms.  I now take it daily
• Ultram:  Allergies, sinusitis and asthma anxiety cause headaches, and this works