Bit of a scientific pondering

[cnc]

I've been having all sorts of fun with my breathing and today they've changed my inhaler to one as I feared correctly has lactose in it.

I've been doing some thinking about this, and I'm going to take it with lactase for the time being, but if in the long term it does help my breathing, and I stick with it, then I'm debating trying it without the lactase.

This isn't just because I'm being lazy, but I'm wondering if the reaction would be the same (Rebecca have you tried this out) as to when I have tablets with it in?

Part of me thinks no because the drug is pretty much all only going into my lungs and won't be reaching my blood stream, but then I wonder where the lactose is going to go because it can't just sit in my lungs, and if it's just being absorbed into the cells in my lungs then I should be fine because it's an intolerance to the lactose so then it shouldn't affect my breathing, unlike if it had milk protein in it.

If, however, a significant proportion is going to reach my blood stream then am I going to have the same problem as to when I have tablets, especially given my reaction is more of a toxicity at low doses as opposed to the gastro problems I get with a large dose of the stuff....Or do you think the toxicity is only triggered because of my stomachs inability to produce lactase?

I guess the only real way to know would be to to test it, which is something I will do eventually, but wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this? Or alternatively have I just rambled on completely and made no sense?!

[cnc]

No one else got any thoughts?! Not sure it's going to be a long term solution anyway as two days after I started it I lost my voice, and haven't seen any improvement in it yet, but I am having less asthma attacks....

[Copper]

Sorry Claire that question was too hard for me :lol2:

Like you I think the lactose must go somewhere otherwise your lungs would fill up, not very helpful. I know the lactose molecules are too big to be absorbed in the large intestine. They must be absorbed somehow in the lungs. I will ask a biologist but he might not know the answer.

Lactase is produced in the small intestine.

[Copper]

Claire, I have the answer.

The lactose will be absorbed by diffusion. The lactose will end up in the liver which will then deal with it. It will end up stored as fat or used for energy as normal sugars are.

In other words the lactose should not affect you as it never reaches the large intestine. Oh but you are different so it might affect you. Why are things so complicated! The lactose will be in your blood stream as that it is how it gets to the liver.

[rebecca c]

SORRY CLAIRE missed your post

BE CAREFUL

I dont use the ones with lactose BECAUSE when I used seretide (which has soya) this gave me pulminary eosinophilia (borderline eosinophilic leukemia) this built up slowly over about six months and then took a long time to diagnose. It was completely dibilitating and made me breathless with a bad cough as well as generally exhausted and rubbish. It showed up in my eosinophil count and raised vitamin b12 and eventually on x ray but as I say took ages to get diagnosis.

now of course it may not have been the soya but it got better when I stopped taking in after just a couple of weeks. so that is the only answer I can give try it but be aware the reaction may be a slow and debilitating one over time that is very difficult to spot (especially on top of other things)

of course the doctors then lost my results so their is now no record of it on file - typical

[rebecca c]

Claire

have sent you a couple of PMs by the way

[cnc]

Thanks for the PM's Rebecca I'll respond to them as soon as I can. I've not been around for a few days. Thanks for that Copper, I'll ask the Respiratory doctor when I see him as well, and see what he thinks about it. I'm doing better on this inhaler in that I'm only having a flare up about once or twice a week now :) I'm still taking the lactase as I'm not sure I want to risk it yet, but it doesn't seem to have made anything else worse yet.

That's really interesting Rebecca, I will keep an eye on it, and see how it goes. I know that they say asthma can cause the pulmonary eosinophilia, so it's difficult, who knows!! Not long until I see the specialist and I shall write down all the concerns and see where I go from there.