Azmacort (triamcinolone Acetonide)

[Thaiquila]

I am looking for Azmacort or any equivalent and no luck. (Asmtha preventing attack inhaler med with some steroid.)

The active ingredient is Triamcinolone acetonide and other brand names are Nasacort and Nasacort AQ.

Anyone here able to find any of these names meds in Thailand, and if so, under what name (and better yet where did you buy it in Bangkok or Pattaya), because if I know that I can search better.

Thanks and a happy and healthy new year.

Edited January 3, 2006 by Thaiquila

[cathyy]

I have found that Pulmicort is much more effective for me than Azmacort. It is easily available in Thailand. It is not triamcinolone, but is budesonide. My doctor switched me from Pulmicort to Azmacort when I had less good insurance and the Pulmicort wasn't covered; he switched me back to Pulmicort immediately when I went back to my better insurance. I know how important it is to have a steroid-based inhaler that works! I use 1 puff every morning; 3 puffs of Azmacort didn't work.

If Pulmicort doesn't work for you, post again or PM me and I'll check my drug guide and see what other steroid inhalers I can find.

[expatinasia]

I used Azmacort for several years, in conjunction with a rescue inhaler (albuterol). In theory, the rescue inhaler should have only been necessary a couple times a month, but I was going through a couple of them a month. My US doctor recommended Advair Discus, and it worked like a miracle. I used it for five years, without having to use a rescue inhaler. When I moved to BKK, I found out that Advair was not available, but "Serevant" was. The same packaging, the same drug, just a different name. Too, it is widely available for about 900B in mid-Suk, for the "250/100" formulation.

[cathyy]

Serevent contains no steroids. Azmacort and Pulmicort do. It is very unwise to suddenly discontinue the use of even an inhaled steroid without a doctor's supervision. This is not to say that Serevent wouldn't work. But a doctor should be the one to decide on a change to different type of therapy, as opposed to changing to a different medication of the same type.

[Thaiquila]

Yes, I agree, asthma can be tricky.

I have been using "rescue" meds daily for years mixed with a small amount of azmacort, and this therapy endorsed by multiple docs. Rescue meds first to

"open" the airways, then the azmacort. Works very well.

So I am still looking for azmacort.

If I really can't ever find it here, I guess I need to find out if switching to pulmicort is right for me.

[expatinasia]

cathyy,

You wrote "Serevent contains no steroids". That's incorrect. Serevant and Adaviar are manufactured by and formulated identically. Check out: www.advair.com.

[cathyy]

You wrote "Serevent contains no steroids". That's incorrect. Serevant and Adaviar are manufactured by and formulated identically. Check out: www.advair.com.

I checked out http://www.serevent.com. I quote from there:

Important Information About SEREVENT

SEREVENT does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be taken more than twice a day. Rare but serious asthma episodes and asthma-related fatalities occurred in a study with SEREVENT. SEREVENT is not a substitute for anti-inflammatory medications (inhaled or oral corticosteroids), and should not be started during rapidly deteriorating or potentially life-threatening episodes of asthma.

Serevent is a long-lasting bronchodilator. That's good for people who do not need the anti-inflammatory effect of inhaled steroids. As far as using the rescue inhaler before it: great idea. As a nurse, I always gave inhalers in that sequence, for the same reason. Open up those airways first, to let the longer-acting medication really get in there to have good effects when I gave it a few minutes later.

Okay, got it now.

Advair is salmeterol and fluticasone, Serevent is only salmeterol. The steroid is the fluticasone. Advair does contain a steroid, but Serevent doesn't. Perhaps you need an inhaled steroid? Maybe you wouldn't need to use the emergency inhaler first if your airways were less inflamed? I dunno. I'd check with my doc if I were you. Still, a program that works is a rare and wonderful thing, and who wants to mess with success?

[bina]

my boy is using symbicort (a ventolin/steroid combi) to keep him stable (he's a sport freak also) and on bad days he uses the bronchodilator (ventolin) before the 'symbi'; also the ventolin before going for a goal!! or on long hikes;

my daughter uses the turbo bricalin since the regular type of inhalor is really inaffective with her (as it is with 50% of adults and even more with children ) to to not using it really lproperly ... using a spacer also helps give the dose a better chance to really work... maybe u also need to check out the effectiveness of how u are using your meds?

we've used everyhting: i keep records of what works, what doesnt, weather, activity etc to see what best managment is (both kids are very active, very allergic, one is chronic asthma, one is 'sport' asthma acutely)

sometimes other things also influence the effectiveness: airconditioning (need to drink more liquids); mental stress, pollution, physical activity, etc etc...

in 11 years, have done regular followups and change accordingly for both : its very very very important to do followups since asthma changes with age, lifestyle etc...

there is now also singulair pill (a daily dose) to help reduce need for inhalor (but not a steroid, its something else forgot what )... its the 'new' thing apparently

[expatinasia]

"Advair is salmeterol and fluticasone, Serevent is only salmeterol"

According to the packaging and the label on the discus, Serevent includes fluticasone. As I mentioned in my first post, the use of Advair or Serevent precluded the necessity of using a rescue inhaler. Got it now?

[bina]

expat, you are correct that it can for the most part come in place of using a brochodilator, UNLESS u are currently having and attack or the start of one in which case u stillhave to use the bronchodilator (just like when using symbicort)... its just that the symbicorts etc are for people like my son who are chronic (and maybe a bit lazy to remember which med to use when, etc) but not acute....

[cathyy]

"Advair is salmeterol and fluticasone, Serevent is only salmeterol"

According to the packaging and the label on the discus, Serevent includes fluticasone.

According to the Serevent website, it's only salmeterol. http://www.serevent.com/ Please check the link and see.

Perhaps they market it with fluticasone in Asia and not in the US? And I wasn't even discussing the need for a rescue inhaler, you need that no matter what else you take. I was pointing out that it said it wasn't a replacement for a steroid.

[Ijustwannateach]

Strangely, I was just a bit sick recently with a sinus infection and your post rang a bell- I looked at the nasal spray that my doc gave me and sure enough it's NasaCortAQ. PM me for hospital details if you need them.

"Steven"