Christine,

> Subject: Thrush and Ventolin
>
> Has any of you have any information about Ventolin being responsible for
> causing thrush? I have a mother (2.5 months baby) who is using Ventolin
> 6 or more time a day. She has thrush. She is otherwise very healthy. We
> would like to pinpoint how she keeps getting thrush without getting ride
> of it once and for all. We would like to rule out Ventolin has being
> the culprit.

This is a subject I do know about (from personal experience). Ventolin
par se does not cause thrush as far as I know (I have never read of this
side-effect), but I know many asthmatics for whom thrush (particularly
oral thrush) is a major problem. This is probably because our immune systems
are shot :-( Becloforte and other inhaled steroids can cause oral thrush, and
systemic steroids (prednisone) can definitely cause thrush.

Btw, I am concerned about your description of this woman as "very healthy".
IMHO, she is not healthy and her asthma sounds dangerously unstable - if
you need Ventolin more than once or twice a day, everyday, you should be on
a preventer inhaler at the very least (according to the National Asthma Campaign
in Britain). I know this is not part of your remit, but I would strongly
encourage her to go to her doctor and *tell* him how much Ventolin she is
using and get preventative treatment (Becotide, Becloforte, or even oral
steroids). It is possible the thrush is a symptom of her body being genrally
run down - that kind of Ventolin use suggests she may be sleeping poorly, her
oxygenation to her body is possibly poor and she may not be in a good state.
Ventolin (inhaled) is one of the most innocuous drugs for asthma, IMHO - it is
not that taking so much Ventolin is in itself harmful, but the need for it
suggests an unstable condition. I am sorry this is off-topic, but I am concerned
as a fellow asthmatic :-(
--
Anna (mummy to Emma, born 17th Jan 1995 and Alice, born 11th Sept 1996)
Web Page: http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna