Inhalers for Allergies?

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dreams in neon

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according to my pharmacist, the abuterol i take is only designed to be used as a rescue inhaler and not for daily use. as a result, i need to speak to my gp about being put on a daily steroid inhaler that i can take every day. i expect my gp to call me sometim tomorrow and will discuss it with her then.
 
Allergies can trigger asthma. Coughing when you take deep breaths, laugh or breath in cold or allergens are classic signs of asthma. Your doctor may believe you have some mild asthma. You can have asthma with a cough as your only symptom. Not everyone with asthma wheezes.

Also, the following symptoms can be indicative of possible asthma problems as well:

A few Asthma Early Warning Signs:
stuffy, runny or congested nose
tiredness
itchy, glassy or watery eyes
sneezing
headache
throat clearing
 
Thank you.

It has been a few days and I've found that taking my nasal spray when I'm symptomatic and my Albuterol twice/day (upon awakening and bedtime since this is when I tend to have coughing spells) helps me breathe better.

I feel better than I have in several days and have been able to sleep for the first time in weeks.

If taking 1-2 inhalations of Albuterol every day (morning and bedtime only) seems too frequent, I will discuss being put on a preventative med such as the ones you mentioned.

Thanks again. I really do appreciate it! :)
 
Hi everyone,

I spoke to my GP this morning about the fact that my allergy med alone was not helping my symptoms during the afternoon, evening and nighttime hours. She decided to prescribe a nasal spray and an inhaler (Albuterol) in addition to my allergy med.

Do any of you take an inhaler for your allergies? My GP believes an inhaler will help my dry cough due to allergies as well as coughing fits I have whenever I take a deep breath, laugh, am around dust or out in the cold.
 
Well, albuterol is actually an asthma inhaler that is a bronchial dialator. It opens the airways when they constrict. Rhinocort was a nasal inhaler for allergies that was on the market a while back but it was discontinued. It's available only as a spray now.

Are you only going to a GP for your allergies? SounRAB like you may need an allergist and a pulmonologist.
 
Hi everyone,

Just an update as to how things have been going.

I spoke to my GP who said I have a mild case of allergy-induced asthma.

She prescribed Flovent which I am to take twice/day (upon awakening and before bedtime - when I have the most difficulty breathing).

If I need more medication, she recommended I take Albuterol for use as a rescue inhaler.

I asked for her opinion as to whether or not I should see an allergist, but she does not think I need to given the fact that my asthma is mild.

Given how well the Albuterol has worked for me up to this point, she feels that the steroid inhaler will do a good job of keeping my symptoms under control.

She does not think I have asthma in general, but the symptoms I do have are strictly because of allergies.

I feel better knowing exactly what I am dealing with. I think this treatment plan will work well for me.

Thanks to MountainReader and others for your helpful advice. I appreciate it!
 
Hi Dreams in Neon,
I'm glad to hear you did follow-up with your doctor on this. Flovent is a good first medication to try for mild asthma. It is very common. The Fluticasone is one of the medications in the Advair that I use.

Keep us posted on how you are doing as you progress in its use.

When the allergies and asthma are mild, a good PCP can be helpful. You now also know what to do if you start having more problems. I know this has been a real learning experience for you, but you've done quite a bit of research and asked tons of questions.

By the way, allergy-induced asthma is a form of asthma. People have many different asthma triggers, whether they be allergies, environmental, reflux, etc... Regardless of the triggers, the result is the same, airway constriction that is the asthma. Treating the asthma and allergy symptoms should keep you from having symptoms, but that just means that things are under control. Please be careful with this. Just because you don't have symptoms, doesn't mean you don't have asthma, just that you don't have symptoms. Asthma, mild or otherwise, is a lifelong condition. Some people can go years without an attack, but it is always a possibility. My best advice there is to try to avoid triggers and to watch your body for any signs of asthma and treat as quickly as you notice in order to keep it under control. Hopefully yours won't get any worse and you get it under control quickly. I don't want to scare you here, just make you more aware and cautious in dealing with your asthma.
 
I wanted to add that when I took Albuterol for the first time, I had a feeling of being "high" which lasted for a minute or two. Is this a common side effect and will it eventually go away?
 
I am not seeing an allergist because during the past 2 years I've been taking Fexofenadine (my allergy med), it has worked well in controlling my symptoms.

It is only recently that I started having problems with congestion, sneezing, dry cough, dry throat and headache for the majority of the day.

Should I ask my GP about changing the Albuterol to Rhinocort? If she tells me to take Albuterol instead, will it help my dry cough and coughing spells? From what I was told, it would, but as far as I know, I do not have asthma.
 
If you are having to use your albuterol more than once or twice a week, your asthma is not under control and you should head back to the pulmonologist. Just because the label says you "can" use it that many times doies not mean you "should." That is a max if oyu are having issues.

And yes, albuterol is an "upper" and you will have these side effects. Over time, they will lessen.
 
I just did some reading on the Internet about allergy-induced asthma and this describes me perfectly. I have a nuraber of triggers that were listed and all of the symptoms. I will definitely speak to my GP about this further and ask for a referral to an allergist to have a PFT done.
 
I've only been on Albuterol for a few days, but I notice that I need to take it upon awakening and at night before bed.

I don't see a pulmonologist or allergist because my allergies have been under control over the past 2 years. It is only recently that I started having problems with dry cough, congestion and sneezing.

The coughing spells I have are something I've experienced for a long time, but I never thought to do anything about it since I didn't know what kind of treatment (if any) was available.
 
I get a head rush every time I use a new albuterol inhaler. I always shake it well, but without fail, a new inhaler always goes straight to my head.

During a bad attack, I did take more albuterol than I should have, I knew it, but I was trying to avoid an ER visit. I thought my heart was going to burst through my chest, not to mention feeling jittery in every cell of my body.
 
Rhinocort and Albuterol are two entirely different medications. Albuterol is a bronchial dialator normally prescribed for asthma attacks. Rhinocort is a nasal spray used to control nasal allergies. SounRAB to me like you need a full allergy workup and a pulmonry function test.
 
I really appreciate your post. Thank you.

Based on what you've written, I have all of the symptoms you described.

I was not aware of the fact that a person could have asthma without wheezing.

Now that I know what I do, I will definitely talk to my GP about the possibility of having asthma.

And you're right. My GP probably does suspect a mild case of asthma or else she wouldn't have prescribed the Albuterol.

I don't know alot about asthma, so your post was a great help. Thank you again!
 
If you start coughing during PFT's, they will stop, have you regroup and try again.

I've had a chronic cough for years. When it is "flaring" it does make things more difficult, but they need to get a good picture of how your lungs are functioning.

They may give you a Peak Flow Meter to have with you to monitor hour personal lung functioning. Some people swear by them. I've found that it does ok, but I just know my body and know when things are worse. It is a good learning tool though.

There is also another cause of chronic coughing. Reflux can have coughing as a symptom without any "typical" heartburn symptoms. If the allergy testing doesn't give you the answers you want, you might look at the reflux angle.

A Pulmonologist specializes in lungs. Some allergists also treat asthma, but not all do. If that is your case, you may want to see a Pulmonologist. If you are fairly mild, your PCP may do OK for you in the meantime if they are knowledgeable. If not, I'd definitely recommend seeing a Pulmonologist as well.

Getting your allergies under control is important. Seeing an allergies is important. Immunotherapy has done wonders for me. There are a lot of things you can do at home to help with your allergies. I'm sure you have found stuff on your internet searches though. Try mattress and pillow casings, cleaning/dusting (watch the chemicals), air purifiers, showering before bed to get pollens off, leaving shoes at the door, avoiding triggers, etc...

SounRAB like you are on the right track. Good luck.
 
I'm sorry that happened to you, but am glad I'm not alone in my experience.

When I took Albuterol twice today (once upon awakening and during the mid afternoon), I noticed the "high" feeling again.

However, it was only temporary and disappeared as quickly as it came.
 
Thank you MountainReader.

I think part of me is trying to protect myself from using the word "asthma" to describe my condition. The reason I say that is because my nephew had asthma while growing up and I'll never forget how frightening it was listening to him wheeze and cough. I felt so sorry for him because he was just a young child.

Thank you as well for reminding me that just because I don't have symptoms does not mean I'm asthma-free.

My GP thinks that the Flovent in corabination with Flonase, Allegra and Albuterol should be a good treatment plan for keeping me as comfortable as possible.

I'm just relieved that I was able to be placed on a steroid inhaler than I know I can safely use twice/day.

Like I said, I only have dry coughing spells in the morning when I wake up and right before bed when I lay down.

I also have difficulty if I leave the windows open at night during the spring, summer and fall, so I try to keep the A/C on as much as possible.

My GP laughed at me today when she asked how I felt over the past several days since starting my new meRAB. "Better than I have in years." She chuckled because she was shocked that I had suffered for so long.

She asked "Why didn't you seek treatment sooner?" I told her I had always grown up with constant ear infections, so I attributed my breathing problems to that. I also thought my dry coughing fits were due to a cold or a simple dry cough. Now I know better.

My psychiatrist even told me yesterday that my affect (facial expression) is brighter and that I smiled for the first time in months.

I think that says alot about how much successful treatment can do to improve one's overall quality of life, so thank you again!

I will be sure to keep you updated on how I'm doing.

I'll write again in a week or so to let you know how well the Flovent, etc. are working. :)
 
Well, obviously if you are having problems to the degree that you are using albuterol at least twice per day, you need to see an allergist and perhaps a pulmonologist.
 
What does a pulmonary function test determine and what does it involve?

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who can answer this for me. Thanks.
 
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