Steroid Hypersensitivity

[Guest guest]

Hey guys. I guess I'm back again (I always leave with such good

intentions to feel better and never return.) Hope all of you are

well or as well as you can be.

I'm at my wit's end with doctors again and I thought maybe someone

had some advice or had some fully-disclaimered idea what might be

wrong.

I ended up at the allergist/asthma-ist last month after he refused to

fill my inhaler or my Singulair again. He thought I was misusing the

medication and that I might not be asthmatic at all. He did a

methacholine challenge, I reacted on the second (first non-dummy)

dose and that was that. Suddenly, he was panicked that I wasn't on a

steroid inhaler. I was reticent after previous bad experiences with 2

years of prednisone (which I decided to quit two years ago and did -

cold turkey, which is apparently dangerous... go figure) and Advair.

I agreed to try Asmanex, figuring there were no common side effects

listed and he said it would completely clear this up. I was

optimistic. Cue problems. Although it cleared up the asthma, my body

immediately decided to fall apart. Daily migraines, extreme fatigue,

screwed up female issues, acne, GI unhappiness, dizziness, blurry

eyes, and recreational fainting. And, my very favorite, unexplained

weight gain and inability to lose that weight. All things that

weren't supposed to even be *possible.* So, I called. They told me it

wasn't the Asmanex. I went off it anyway, because, dammit, I am not

making this up.

It's been a little over a week. I evidently haven't processed the

medication, since the asthma isn't back. I saw my regular doctor

about the fainting and he said it was no big deal, that it happened

to women my age all the time, and all I needed was " a healthy dose of

reassurance. "

I feel freakin' horrible in ways I don't even understand - much worse

than I did before I started the stupid drug.

I feel like something is seriously wrong. I know that sounds

melodramatic, but I really have this feeling like something bad is

going to happen. I'm completely out of people to go to. Has anyone

experienced anything like this? I'd really appreciate any advice you

might have.