Running with asthma?

c20560

I used to run every night (not far or fast, granted) but I enjoyed it and got better and better. When I was running in the winter last year, I had to stop as I almost passed out with chest pains and not being able to breath. Doctor said I had exercised induced asthma, which has since developed into full asthma (lots more sets me off). Since then Id been terrified to go out in fear of having an asthma attack and being in pain. I've recently decided to go out again each night, very slowly and doing running, walking, running etc. But I'm just in so much discomfort and am verging on an attack when out and I'm worried that I'll never be able to run properly again.. Anyone got tips to help?

CMNVA

My son has regular old asthma but of course it is exacerbated by exercise. He joined the cross-country team in high school and recommendation from his doctor was to always take a puff of the albuterol inhaler about 30 minutes before a run, carry it with you, and then take a puff when done. This seemed to work for him and many times he didn't need it at all. Many of the kids he ran with had asthma and did the same thing.

My son is in college now and he no longer runs regularly. He is going to do a 5K though and has recently started. He called me the other day because he couldn't breathe. It's ragweed season here too so his asthma is just in a flare anyway. But he's had to go back to hitting the inhaler before runs and that seems to stave off the bronchospasm.

c20560

Hi CMNVA,

Thanks for commenting think I should have mentioned in the original post that I take a puff or two before I go out, but only seems to help for the first few minutes unfortunately

Sounds quite similar to me, feels like you've taken 2 steps back when trying to get back into running with asthma, having to start from scratch! X

CMNVA

Besides the inhaler, is your asthma generally well-controlled with a daily medication. I know for my son that if he is well controlled and it's NOT allergy season, he is fine when he runs but once he slacks off on his daily meds or allergy season is in swing, then it gets triggered by anything.

Elise4270

My husband has asthma and manages some running. He sees a specialist and has daily inhalers, rescue inhaler, and shots every two weeks. So there are options. Good luck!

megan_elizabeth8

I use a preventative twice a day which controls my asthma for the most part, but intensive exercise can still trigger my asthma. As this is the case, I always take my inhaler with me on runs, and if my asthma starts to flare up I'll take a walking break and use my puffer, and run again when I feel I have recovered sufficiently.
Also, I find that cold air is a trigger for me, so during the colder months if I want to go for a run I'll do it in the gym!
Asthma does make it harder, but don't give up! There are definitely options