Did This Drug Cause Your Asthma?
Did you know the number of people using inhalers for asthma has gone up significantly in the last 35 years? Between 1970 and 2000, the number of people suffering from asthma has nearly doubled!
Doctors have been baffled by the dramatic increase. But now, it appears researchers have figured out what is causing all the new cases of asthma.
Before 1970, parents typically gave their children aspirin when they had a fever. However, the aspirin was causing the children to come down with an even worse disease … the sometimes fatal Reyes Syndrome.
Around 1970, doctors began telling the parents to switch to acetaminophen, the common ingredient in Tylenol. That solved the Reyes Syndrome problem, but now researchers have discovered that the acetaminophen is causing asthma.
A huge study, called the Nurses Health Study, followed 122,000 women for several decades. Each woman was to keep a record of all the drugs she used, as well as the development of any new health problems. The study showed that those women who used acetaminophen regularly have a significantly higher risk of developing asthma than those who never used it.
In fact, those who used the painkiller more than two weeks out of the month were 63% more likely to acquire the respiratory disease.
Acetaminophen is causing a dramatically increasing number of asthma cases. The good news, though, is that there’s an easy way to prevent and reverse the damage done by acetaminophen.
Acetaminophen’s toxicity occurs because the drug lowers blood levels of a natural compound called glutathione. Glutathione has an antioxidant effect in the body, particularly in the lungs. When your glutathione levels plummet, your risk of developing a chronic lung disease, such as asthma, goes up significantly.
Unfortunately, you can’t just go out and buy an effective glutathione supplement. You see, glutathione is destroyed by stomach acid, so your body won’t absorb any of it. So what’s the best way to increase your body’s levels of glutathione and beat asthma?
The antidote for acetaminophen poisoning is NAC (N-acetyl cysteine), a supplement that raises glutathione levels. For those who have asthma, NAC is a good choice because in addition to protecting the lungs by raising glutathione, it also thins the mucous in the bronchial passages.
I would suggest 400-1,200 mg daily of NAC for anyone who has a long history of using Tylenol or other painkillers with acetaminophen. I also recommend it for anyone who has breathing difficulties. You can find NAC in most health food stores.
By the way, when it comes to painkillers and asthma, there really are no good drug choices. Other pain relievers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Celebrex and Vioxx), increase asthmatic symptoms, too.
The bottom line is simple. Don’t make a habit of using painkillers or any other drug. All drugs have toxic effects on the body when used regularly. If you’re in pain, you must work on finding the cause and treating that cause rather than covering up the symptom with drugs.
Steve Kroening
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/did-this-drug-cause-your-asthma-192700.html
5 Responses to “Did This Drug Cause Your Asthma?”
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Can drugs CAUSE asthma? Like can using them make you get asthma?
What is a cause of asthma? Can drugs be the cause of it? If so, which drugs? Or is it not related to drug use?
Just a note: I’m NOT the one taking drugs. I’m just trying to see if there are signs that a family member is because they’re acting loopy and now apparently have asthma.
Most cases of asthma is because of genetic or atopic. If someone in family have eczema or rhinitis, there is higher tendency of another family member to get asthma compared to normal population. Asthma can also be cause by occupation, mostly due to dusty work. But, there are many factors that can exacerbate asthma attack such as pets, carpets, exercise, work, stress, dusty environment, cold or foods. It’s depend on individuals. Each individuals get asthma attacks because of different causes but drugs can and will cause asthma attack in all asthma sufferer. If you don’t have asthma before, you don’t have to worry about getting it but for asthmatic person, they better avoid it. The drug is beta blocker such as propanolol, atenolol and so on. Because, this drug will stimulates constriction of bronchus in person with asthma. But, to normal person with no asthma previously, it won’t cause anything to bronchus.
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The most common form of asthma is the allergic type. Inhaled substances can trigger an asthma attack. Or you can get an asthmatic attack from eating strawberries, or tomatoes or medication, anything you’re allergic to.
I believe the gist of your question is about illegal drugs though.It can certainly be related to them. That’s one reason they’re illegal. Inhaled drugs have chemicals in them that if you knew what they were you’d never go near them. Like crack or weed, amphetamines, these are incredibly dangerous drugs. Not only can they make your lungs shut down they can make your heart stop too.Are you really so naive to think it won’t happen to you? The cemetery’s full of kids who didn’t think it could happen to them. My point being that you don’t have to be allergic to the stuff to have an asthma attack from it. And that crap about," I’ll just try it once". Do you have any idea how many ruined lives and deaths are because of that statement?
God bless.
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Only a trained Physcian can diagnose your problem,so go and find your answers! No one on answers is qualified to give you the correct information! Go soon! God Bless!
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CNA.Retired.
Drugs can’t cause asthma, but they certainly can aggrevate existing asthma or cause temporary asthma-like symptoms. Some drugs can damage the respiratory system (like crushed Ritalin used intravenously) and I suppose that could be mistaken for asthma.
Of course, environmental factors can do the same thing and adult-onset asthma isn’t unheard of. Drugs wouldn’t be my first guess.
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