I think I am having every side effect attributed to Albuterol. My hands shake, my throat is irritated and causing it to be hoarse. I'm jittery as all get out. The other thing is I'm so fatigued. I just can't go much longer than 3:30 before I'm just exhausted.
My CT scan is scheduled for the 6th along with the pulmonary function test. I'm hoping that we when see the doctor again he will adjust the Albuterol. I'm sure going to tell him how it is making me feel. I tried to explain it to Ron and said I just don't feel like myself. When I get too tired I just want to cry. Emotions right on the surface. That may also be due to the steroids I'm taking too.
Anyway, today was kind of rough. I met my daughters at a shopping mall and tried to keep up with all of them but it wore me out. I did go home with them so I could see Piper and she was like of shot of adrenaline. Oh my, I now know what I've been missing all these years. There is nothing like being greeted by the smile of a one year old! She just ran straight into my arms!
I know this is going to get better and I feel guilty for complaining but I'll admit, I am struggling.
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1 month ago
2 comments:
Dani,
Albuterol and steroids both cause a drop in your serum potassium levels. Your symptoms, the trembling hands, nervousness, fatigue, and being tearful and emotionally labile are all commonly experienced by people during periods of hypokalemia or low serum potassium.
You might ask your doctor about taking a supplement, say 10 mEq of potassium bicarbonate as an effervescent tablet you drop into water, each time you take your Albuterol. This is about the same amount of potassium found in an orange, but it reaches the blood much more quickly than it does when you eat the same amount in food, because it is assimilated almost immediately.
I have clients who have chronically high potassium, for whom Albuterol is prescribed to bring down their potassium, so it is really quite effective at tanking potassium in the rest of us. Potassium supplementation is not dangerous, used judiciously. If a person has healthy kidneys it's almost impossible to overdose on oral potassium, unless one takes an entire bottle of timed release of prescription potassium supplements at once.
Hugs from Canada,
Wow, thanks for the information Deb. I will definitely discuss this with my doctor.
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