Asthma/albuterol

(Tricia Roth) #1

Hello! I’ve been doing keto for a little over two weeks. It feels very sustainable for me. I’ve lost some weight, and this is good. Low Cal didn’t work for me on approximately 18 different attempts, so I was super excited to see the scale move right away.

Anyhow, I have asthma. It’s not terrible, but I need to carry albuterol with me just in case I get asthmatic. I’ve taken a little albuterol since I started keto, and the normal dose has made me very shaky, like 3 espresso shaky. It’s so weird! Two puffs of albuterol never made me shaky before keto, but now it makes me shaky every time.

Is this a thing? Is there science behind it?

Mostly I am curious. I’m not worried, I’m just wondering if there is a connection. Thanks so much!

(Jay AM) #2

First, welcome to keto. You will likely have questions on your journey and I hope you’ll ask here.

So, while researching your question, I came across mostly albuterol in steroid use. Like, for body builders. One of the noted side effects was tremors though, no one really talked about how to stop them. It also turns out that shaking can be an inhaled albuterol side effect. Some of the suggestions given to reduce the shaking is to lessen the dose to 1 puff, or use a metered inhaler, or use a spacer chamber. It is possible that keto has lessened the dose you need in some way.

Another thing talked about with albuterol is hypokalemia. Which could be another reason for the shaking. This is when your potassium levels are too low. If you aren’t currently doing electrolyte supplementation, consider starting. Do a search here for ketoaide for drink recipes.

Hopefully it resolves. In a documentary called The Magic Pill available on Netflix, a woman actually gets rid of her asthma which was cool to see.

(Liz ) #3

Albuterol has always done that to me, like to rattle the teeth right outta my head, ugh. I have only needed my inhaler once since I went Keto 13 months ago, hope you get relief too!

(Tricia Roth) #4

Thank you. I had seen some of the body building forums, but not the bit about potassium. I will try to remember to done one puff from now on. Those shakes really take me by surprise!

#5

I also take albuterol, but it’s known as salbutamol/Ventolin here. I only use it rarely as a booster to inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta agonists. I haven’t noticed any potentiation from being on Keto for albuterol. However, I had noticed that what was a tolerable level of caffeine was making me jittery, and a eugeroic drug called Modafinil I was taking, lasted much longer, and had a slightly more noticeable effect on focus and mental alertness.

For <$10 you can get a peak flow meter, that will tell you what the minimum amount of albuterol you can take is. For example, I know without treatment, I am around 550lpm. One puff will bring me to about 580-590, and two puffs will bring me to 610. Any more than that has no further effect.

Best practices for asthma management these days is to use short acting beta agonists only when specifically provoked. If you’re using it fairly regularly, it’s meant to indicate your treatment plan needs to be revised.

Maybe visit your doctor and bring up both concerns?

(Candy Lind) #6

Your inflammation has lessened and you don’t need as much. I don’t use my preventative any more at all, and I have taken maybe 3 hits on my albuterol in 6 months. :grin: Your doc won’t believe it when you tell him why it’s better, either.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #7

I’m asthmatic also, on day 16, and I have not experience this, though I take ventolin.

#8

I have chronic and severe asthma, and take a biological drug called Xolair by injection each month. I also have Ventolin and a preventer. Since starting keto six weeks ago I have had the same experience as @Tricia_Roth- serious shakes!

Because of this, and because I am symptom free, I have lowered my dose a LOT lately, like you @CandyLindTX - instead of two puffs of each twice a day I am taking maybe one puff of each once a day. I have skipped days. All good.

For someone who a year ago had 30% lung function to be able to leave the house without a Ventolin is almost an out of body experience.

(Bunny) #9

Ventolin Side Effects Generic Name: albuterol

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking albuterol:

More common:

  1. Shakiness in the legs, arms, hands, or feet
  1. trembling or shaking of the hands or feet

Link: https://www.drugs.com/sfx/ventolin-side-effects.html

(Sondra Rose) #10

So glad I no longer need any asthma meds! I used to get the shakes from using my albuterol inhaler too often — not fun.

By happy accident and experiment, I discovered that my lifelong asthma symptoms went away completely once I got my Vitamin D3 levels high enough.

For me, I need to keep a 25(OH)D level of at least 80 ng/ml to be symptom-free. I take 8000 IUs year round to maintain this. Seems to be a therapeutic level for autoimmune issues.

I have been med-free since 2010! Vitamin D supplements are soooo much cheaper than asthma meds.

If interested, check out www.vitamindcouncil.org for info and a link to test kits.

(Tricia Roth) #11

Thank you! My asthma is mild, but earlier in the year, it was poorly controlled. I went to the doc and got flovent. I was religious about taking w puffs twice a day for about a week. I’m so bad about taking anything regularly. The flovent got it under control, and I’m trying to remember to take two puffs a day at least now. Since keto, I’ve only taken the albuterol twice. And I’ve had a cold with my lungs full of junk. Some of my asthma is in my head and albuterol has been like a security blanket, so it’s good that I need it less. I’m not sure I needed it when I took it recently. I was really just trying to clear the junk and probably wasn’t having asthma.

Inflammation lessened sounds good! And I’ll look into vitamin D.

Thanks so much!

(Candy Lind) #12

Just to be safe, I wouldn’t do it for a while. You never know when you might be subjected to enough hidden carbs to set you off.

(Candy Lind) #13

WOW, great info! Thanks.