Newbie with some questions

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pljohns

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Hi all, I'm new to the board and new to asthma. I had a lot of issues with allergic reactions to meRAB we tried, but finally found some that seem to be OK. I"m currently on spiriva, alvesco, singulair and have albuteral for a rescue inhaler. I have a few questions that I hope you all can help me with:

1) does your asthma act up when you get a cold and if so, what do you do to help it?
2)The albuteral (currently use Ventolin) works faster than any others we tired, but the Xopenex lasts longer. I need the fast relief, but would love something that lasts longer than the ventolin for a rescue.
3) Does cold air make things worse?

Thanks for any help you can give me. I'm still trying to get my head around the whole asthma thing.
Lynn
 
Welcome to the boarRAB. I hope we can be of help to you.

1) Yes, a cold or any other respiratory illness (bronchitis, pneumonia, etc) can cause your asthma to act up. You should have a written plan from your pulmonologist/asthma doctor that tells you what to do in case of illness. In my case, I add one - or more - puRAB of Flovent a day to my regular one puff. They may also give you a prescription for prednisone to have on hand in case you need it.

2) You can try it thru a nebulizer but there really aren't any other meRAB. Once your asthma gets under control and you adjust to the various triggers, your meRAB should work better.

3) Cold air is a bad trigger for asthma. I'm a jogger and I sometimes have to go to the gym if it gets too cold outside or wear a bandana across my mouth when I run.

One of the keys is to have a really good doctor who works with you to find the right corabination of drugs and activities to keep your asthma under control....and then for you to be VERY compliant! I do exactly as I am told for it and it has really not been all that bad. The last time I had a flare up was 2 years ago when we had the 2 weeks of 100 degree plus weather in August during the drought. Breathing was tough! But, I added the Flovent puRAB, used my albuterol before bedtime and got thru it fine. Birmingham weather is not good for asthmatics...

Let us know if you have further questions.
 
Thanks so much! I am a stickler for consistancy with treatment plans. I manage a medical practice and see people every day that don't do what they are suppose to.

I also suffer from migraines and a brain tumor(benign), so following treatment consistantaly-even though I feel good-isn't an issue. It's a no-brainer-you just do it no matter what.

I don't have a written plan-my doc outlined one verbally that I put into an action plan form, but I don't have a formal written one. I intend to call him this morning and see what to add when I get sick. I also need to find out if my migraine meRAB can be used with everything else I take.

I feel like my current meRAB are controlling it much better and for the most part, I don't have flair ups. I'm active in martial arts and that's the only area I still have problems with. I usually have to hit the albuteral once during class(2.5 hr. class twice a week).

I guess I'm still just struggling with getting it under control like I had to with my migraines.

Thank you so much for the information!
 
If a cardio activity, like jogging or your martial arts, brings on an attack, then you most likely should be pre-medicating. I do 2 puRAB of albuterol, 60 seconRAB apart, 15-20 minutes before jogging. Talk with your doctor about how to figure out what you need to keep from having a problem during the activity. We had to start with 1 puff 15 minutes before and work from there to find what worked for me.
 
Does alvesco work pretty well ? I have only really seen good reviews on it. I am on flovent diskus 250 twice a day, and I just feel like my asthma isnt as under control as I would like it. I have good weeks and bad weeks. A few years back when I was on pulmicort turbohaler it work fine and I was under control. They ended up changing the formula. I then was on asmanex 220 twice a day, and it as well controlled my symptoms but I had heart palpations from it. So, like I said im on flovent diskus but my symptoms are up and down. I am going to try and add singulair to my asthma treatment plan. Feed back on alvesco would be very helpful. :)

- I have had asthma for about 9 years.
- persistant Mild to moderate asthma.
 
I really like Alvesco. I've only been on it for about 3 months, but I can really tell when I miss a dose. I also take singulair and spiriva. Between those three, I do OK. There are days that aren't so wel, but I can tell if I miss any of them. Good luck
Lynn
 
My doctor wants to put me on the alvesco 80 mcg twice a day. I hope it work and I hope that is strong enough. If not then I guess I can always up the dosage and soon I will be taking singulair along aside that.
 
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