Community Views: Breo Ellipta Experiences

Breo Ellipta is a combination inhaler of 2 drugs used as an asthma treatment for those whose asthma is not well controlled by an inhaled corticosteroid alone. Breo comes in 2 different strengths and dosage is decided by your doctor. Our community members taking Breo use 1 inhalation per day as a maintenance dose to improve their breathing for 24 hours. When there is a sudden onset of asthma symptoms, a rescue inhaler is used right away.¹

We asked our Facebook community: If you’ve taken Breo Ellipta, what has your experience been like? Here are the most common responses.

Positive experiences with Breo Ellipta

The majority of our community members had nothing but great things to say about Breo. Many called it a "miracle" drug and boasted about how it greatly improved their asthma symptoms. Those who had positive experiences also mentioned that if they did have side effects, they were minimal and barely noticeable.

• "A couple of months ago, my doc gave me Breo samples, and I am rarely needing my albuterol or my nebulizer. This is THE BEST asthma inhaler I've been on. It really works."
• "Being able to take this once a day has given me back as close to a normal life as I will ever have."
• "It's been a lifesaver for me. Once a day and minimal side effects."

However, it can be costly

Although Breo Ellipta has helped many people living with asthma, several face a financial battle to afford it. Within the last few years, many insurance companies have stopped covering Breo, which forced our members to switch to another drug. Others decided to pay for Breo out-of-pocket but say the cost adds up.

• "Breo worked for me when I used it. Sadly, insurance stopped covering."
• "Great, but I couldn't afford it."
• "Asthma was doing pretty good. Sadly, insurance quit covering it after only almost 2 years of being on it."
• "It would have cost me more than my car payment per month to stay on it."

Negative experiences with Breo Ellipta

Despite most of our members sharing their positive experiences with Breo Ellipta, a few found the side effects too harsh. Some of these side effects included oral thrush, anxiety, and vocal changes. There are a few rare side effects to be aware of, which can be found here.

• "I had terrible side effects and had to stop taking it. Thrush, major chest pains, very hoarse voice."
• "My asthma grew worse over the course of taking this."

Mood changes and anxiety

One of Breo's rare and more serious side effects is on the heart and nervous system. It can increase blood pressure, cause heart palpitations, chest pain, tremors, and heightened anxiety.¹

• "The vilanterol part of it gave me severe shakes and heart palpitations. I can no longer drink caffeine while I’m on it. It caused a nasty anxiety attack. Other than that, it helped my breathing a lot."
• "I can’t take it at all because it revs up my anxiety."
• "Within a few days of starting it, I fell into an emotional funk."
• "I am in the small percentage where it made me overly anxious and depressed."

Throat irritation and vocal changes

Inhaled corticosteroids in maintenance inhalers may damage the vocal cords over time. The inhalers leave medicine on the vocal cords, which can ultimately change the sound of the voice due to irritation, swelling, and dryness. A few of our community members shared how Breo has affected their voice and throat.²

• "I took Breo for a while, and it did help with my breathing at the time. But it affected my voice too much."
• "Lost my voice."
• "Great for a few years always control asthma but then made my vocal cords sore constantly with mucus in throat all throughout the day till it was just too much."

Thank you for sharing your experiences

We appreciate all of our community members who took the time to share their experiences with Breo Ellipta. As you can see, the experiences range and the drug can affect everyone very differently. If you are experiencing these more negative side effects, we highly advise you to speak with your doctor right away. Read more about Breo Ellipta here.