Question for Fellow Asthmatics -- Experience with Quick-Acting Inhaler Use with Daily Exercise?
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Zodikosis
Posts: 149 Member
Hey guys, I have mild intermittent exercise-induced asthma (and occasionally allergic asthma, but it's really rare I show symptoms from allergies alone, usually it's exercise that triggers it) and I only use a quick acting bronchodilator inhaler (Proair HFA) to manage my symptoms. So far this seems appropriate, as I've never had a severe asthma attack or any kind of attack where the inhaler couldn't make the symptoms go away 100%. Even if I didn't have my inhaler I'd still probably be okay, would just be a little unpleasant and I'd have to sit down for awhile.
I will always start getting asthma symptoms when I engage in any sort of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity, so I take 1 puff on my inhaler prior to starting my workout. However, lately since I've been trying to get in at least some cardio every day, this means I have to use my inhaler once a day, every day. My doctor once mentioned to me that if I'm using my inhaler more than a few times a week that I should look into longer acting asthma treatments, since it could mean my asthma was not well-controlled. This has me a bit worried since I don't feel my asthma is out of control, but because it's exercise-induced and I workout every day, by consequence I am using the inhaler every day. I don't want to accidentally make things worse for myself in the long run, and I don't really know enough about medicine to say.
I've already contacted my GP for answers and am well aware that I shouldn't take medical advice from strangers on the internet , but I was wondering if any of my fellow asthmatics have run into this problem as well and what they've done about it. Any techniques you use to use your inhaler less often without compromising your workout schedule?
I will always start getting asthma symptoms when I engage in any sort of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity, so I take 1 puff on my inhaler prior to starting my workout. However, lately since I've been trying to get in at least some cardio every day, this means I have to use my inhaler once a day, every day. My doctor once mentioned to me that if I'm using my inhaler more than a few times a week that I should look into longer acting asthma treatments, since it could mean my asthma was not well-controlled. This has me a bit worried since I don't feel my asthma is out of control, but because it's exercise-induced and I workout every day, by consequence I am using the inhaler every day. I don't want to accidentally make things worse for myself in the long run, and I don't really know enough about medicine to say.
I've already contacted my GP for answers and am well aware that I shouldn't take medical advice from strangers on the internet , but I was wondering if any of my fellow asthmatics have run into this problem as well and what they've done about it. Any techniques you use to use your inhaler less often without compromising your workout schedule?
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Replies
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I would definitely look into long acting asthma treatments, it made a huge difference for me.1
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Over the years, I have noticed two related things:
1) I only tend to get the asthma attacks if I push to where I am gasping for air for more than a couple of minutes (ie, as soon as I have challenged my lungs, I need to back off), aka vigorous activity.
2) As my fitness improves, I am less prone to even allergy induced attacks.
You will never be able to find your limit if you are hitting the inhaler before you even start. You may find it helpful to do more moderate activities and supplement with strength training for overall benefits, for example.
Our inhalers can have side effects when used frequently for the long term, so yes, you should do what you need to do to get away from such frequent use: that may mean other medications or learning what your limits are and how you can begin to stretch them.1 -
concordancia wrote: »Over the years, I have noticed two related things:
1) I only tend to get the asthma attacks if I push to where I am gasping for air for more than a couple of minutes (ie, as soon as I have challenged my lungs, I need to back off), aka vigorous activity.
2) As my fitness improves, I am less prone to even allergy induced attacks.
You will never be able to find your limit if you are hitting the inhaler before you even start. You may find it helpful to do more moderate activities and supplement with strength training for overall benefits, for example.
Our inhalers can have side effects when used frequently for the long term, so yes, you should do what you need to do to get away from such frequent use: that may mean other medications or learning what your limits are and how you can begin to stretch them.
@concordancia Hmm. My doctor told me to take the inhaler at the first signs of symptoms and not wait for them to get progressively worse. I question the wisdom of testing the limits of what is essentially a potentially dangerous inflammatory reaction in the lung tissue. If it affects it at all, knowingly inducing wheezing probably hurts lung capacity rather than helps it.
I do occasionally forget to take my inhaler before a workout, but I will almost invariably begin wheezing as soon as the workout hits a less active point or on the cooldown portion (for some reason, the wheezing doesn't start when the workout starts ramping up, only when it starts ramping down from a higher state of activity). That reaction hasn't changed in years, regardless of my fitness levels.
What kind of long-term side effects do they have? I tried googling this a bit but got a lot of conflicting answers. Can you become acclimated to them?0 -
Rescue inhalers are just that.... for rescue. They are not intended for long term control.
There are a lot of options available for you.
Keep in mind, I'm not a physician ( I just play one on television ).
A physician specializing in Allergy & Asthma is your best bet.
Best of Luck.0 -
Motorsheen wrote: »Rescue inhalers are just that.... for rescue. They are not intended for long term control.
There are a lot of options available for you.
Keep in mind, I'm not a physician ( I just play one on television ).
A physician specializing in Allergy & Asthma is your best bet.
Best of Luck.
Okay, thanks. I wonder if my GP will also be able to help me. I visited an asthma/allergy doc once and I felt like he was trying to take me for a ride. Told me I need to spend a lot of money on tests that told me things I already knew, tried to sell me on allergy shots he admitted probably wouldn't work for me, and then told me I didn't need long-term treatment.
I'm dreading shopping around again because my insurance doesn't have great coverage. 0 -
@concordancia Hmm. My doctor told me to take the inhaler at the first signs of symptoms and not wait for them to get progressively worse. I question the wisdom of testing the limits of what is essentially a potentially dangerous inflammatory reaction in the lung tissue. If it affects it at all, knowingly inducing wheezing probably hurts lung capacity rather than helps it.
I do occasionally forget to take my inhaler before a workout, but I will almost invariably begin wheezing as soon as the workout hits a less active point or on the cooldown portion (for some reason, the wheezing doesn't start when the workout starts ramping up, only when it starts ramping down from a higher state of activity). That reaction hasn't changed in years, regardless of my fitness levels.
The point is that you use the inhaler when the symptoms start, not before they start. There are other medications for preventative care.
Not only can you become accustomed to the the albuterol, it can affect your lung function if used excessively for too long.
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concordancia wrote: »
@concordancia Hmm. My doctor told me to take the inhaler at the first signs of symptoms and not wait for them to get progressively worse. I question the wisdom of testing the limits of what is essentially a potentially dangerous inflammatory reaction in the lung tissue. If it affects it at all, knowingly inducing wheezing probably hurts lung capacity rather than helps it.
I do occasionally forget to take my inhaler before a workout, but I will almost invariably begin wheezing as soon as the workout hits a less active point or on the cooldown portion (for some reason, the wheezing doesn't start when the workout starts ramping up, only when it starts ramping down from a higher state of activity). That reaction hasn't changed in years, regardless of my fitness levels.
The point is that you use the inhaler when the symptoms start, not before they start. There are other medications for preventative care.
Not only can you become accustomed to the the albuterol, it can affect your lung function if used excessively for too long.
Okay. And are there no acclimatization effects with the preventative/long-term treatments? I guess I'm worried about jumping the gun to a stronger treatment before I really need it and running out of rope eventually. I don't want to unintentionally make it worse.0 -
concordancia wrote: »
@concordancia Hmm. My doctor told me to take the inhaler at the first signs of symptoms and not wait for them to get progressively worse. I question the wisdom of testing the limits of what is essentially a potentially dangerous inflammatory reaction in the lung tissue. If it affects it at all, knowingly inducing wheezing probably hurts lung capacity rather than helps it.
I do occasionally forget to take my inhaler before a workout, but I will almost invariably begin wheezing as soon as the workout hits a less active point or on the cooldown portion (for some reason, the wheezing doesn't start when the workout starts ramping up, only when it starts ramping down from a higher state of activity). That reaction hasn't changed in years, regardless of my fitness levels.
The point is that you use the inhaler when the symptoms start, not before they start. There are other medications for preventative care.
Not only can you become accustomed to the the albuterol, it can affect your lung function if used excessively for too long.
Okay. And are there no acclimatization effects with the preventative/long-term treatments? I guess I'm worried about jumping the gun to a stronger treatment before I really need it and running out of rope eventually. I don't want to unintentionally make it worse.
Which is why you should not be using the albuterol daily, as your doctor has already told you.
Rescue inhalers vs daily meds isn't necessarily a question of stronger: they act differently, have different side effects and different benefits.
What if your doctor tells you that your ideal is to work out every other day, rather than every day. Is that an option you would be willing to follow through with?1 -
I'm an asthmatic too but I rarely get symptoms and it's much improved after I quit smoking. I know how you must be feeling. I think you should definitely take this up with your GP and get a second opinion if you need to. You'll just have to tell your GP you'd like to try each option so that only you decide what works for you. Hope it works out.
Is this exercise that you've only recently started? Do you think it is something you're body will get used to and therefore not react with an attack?0 -
concordancia wrote: »concordancia wrote: »
@concordancia Hmm. My doctor told me to take the inhaler at the first signs of symptoms and not wait for them to get progressively worse. I question the wisdom of testing the limits of what is essentially a potentially dangerous inflammatory reaction in the lung tissue. If it affects it at all, knowingly inducing wheezing probably hurts lung capacity rather than helps it.
I do occasionally forget to take my inhaler before a workout, but I will almost invariably begin wheezing as soon as the workout hits a less active point or on the cooldown portion (for some reason, the wheezing doesn't start when the workout starts ramping up, only when it starts ramping down from a higher state of activity). That reaction hasn't changed in years, regardless of my fitness levels.
The point is that you use the inhaler when the symptoms start, not before they start. There are other medications for preventative care.
Not only can you become accustomed to the the albuterol, it can affect your lung function if used excessively for too long.
Okay. And are there no acclimatization effects with the preventative/long-term treatments? I guess I'm worried about jumping the gun to a stronger treatment before I really need it and running out of rope eventually. I don't want to unintentionally make it worse.
Which is why you should not be using the albuterol daily, as your doctor has already told you.
Rescue inhalers vs daily meds isn't necessarily a question of stronger: they act differently, have different side effects and different benefits.
What if your doctor tells you that your ideal is to work out every other day, rather than every day. Is that an option you would be willing to follow through with?
Well I've contacted him about this, hopefully he is able to help me acquire a longer term treatment.
Okay. Are there long term effects with the long-term treatments too? I mean, I'm sure there are, but are any of them serious?
That would be fine with me.
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I'm an asthmatic too but I rarely get symptoms and it's much improved after I quit smoking. I know how you must be feeling. I think you should definitely take this up with your GP and get a second opinion if you need to. You'll just have to tell your GP you'd like to try each option so that only you decide what works for you. Hope it works out.
Is this exercise that you've only recently started? Do you think it is something you're body will get used to and therefore not react with an attack?
This isn't a new thing, I've been dealing with exercise-induced asthma for the last 3 years so it's more of the same. It was only 6 months ago that my doctor mentioned the usage being an issue though, and at the time I was having a flare-up so I guess both him and the asthma doctor I was seeing weren't convinced it was an issue of long-term treatment. I also had such a god-awful experience with the asthma doctor that I didn't want to touch the issue again for awhile because I didn't know how to or have the time/money to shop around for another asthma doctor. It's been sitting in the back of my mind since then and now I'm hoping to work on it again.
To be frank, they've both been pretty terrible helping to educate me on the issue and trying to look up stuff on the web leaves me with more questions than answers. I was originally perscribed the inhaler to be used 4x a day for 2 weeks because I had bronchitis (the origin of this asthma) and the GP just told me I have asthma now and keep using the inhaler when I need it...I had no idea I was even having a flare-up at the time until I visited for a totally different reason and he asked me about my usage, just thought that's what happens when you have asthma...0 -
I'm an asthmatic too but I rarely get symptoms and it's much improved after I quit smoking. I know how you must be feeling. I think you should definitely take this up with your GP and get a second opinion if you need to. You'll just have to tell your GP you'd like to try each option so that only you decide what works for you. Hope it works out.
Is this exercise that you've only recently started? Do you think it is something you're body will get used to and therefore not react with an attack?
This isn't a new thing, I've been dealing with exercise-induced asthma for the last 3 years so it's more of the same. It was only 6 months ago that my doctor mentioned the usage being an issue though, and at the time I was having a flare-up so I guess both him and the asthma doctor I was seeing weren't convinced it was an issue of long-term treatment. I also had such a god-awful experience with the asthma doctor that I didn't want to touch the issue again for awhile because I didn't know how to or have the time/money to shop around for another asthma doctor. It's been sitting in the back of my mind since then and now I'm hoping to work on it again.
It is definitely worth the time to find a doctor you are comfortable with.0 -
concordancia wrote: »I'm an asthmatic too but I rarely get symptoms and it's much improved after I quit smoking. I know how you must be feeling. I think you should definitely take this up with your GP and get a second opinion if you need to. You'll just have to tell your GP you'd like to try each option so that only you decide what works for you. Hope it works out.
Is this exercise that you've only recently started? Do you think it is something you're body will get used to and therefore not react with an attack?
This isn't a new thing, I've been dealing with exercise-induced asthma for the last 3 years so it's more of the same. It was only 6 months ago that my doctor mentioned the usage being an issue though, and at the time I was having a flare-up so I guess both him and the asthma doctor I was seeing weren't convinced it was an issue of long-term treatment. I also had such a god-awful experience with the asthma doctor that I didn't want to touch the issue again for awhile because I didn't know how to or have the time/money to shop around for another asthma doctor. It's been sitting in the back of my mind since then and now I'm hoping to work on it again.
It is definitely worth the time to find a doctor you are comfortable with.
Well, as much as it's worth the money too, I just don't have thousands of dollars to throw around like that. I've only just gotten back to this issue because I have the financial freedom to, but I can't afford to go through that experience again. 0 -
Doctor prescribed Symbicort.
Hope it works. 0 -
I’m an ex Asthma Nurse, you need an apt with an asthma nurse or Doctor. Your GP is right, if your using your rescue inhaler more than 3 Times a week your asthma is not controlled. For young people who exercise a lot there is a way you can use symbicort that’s very effective. Don’t be scared of inhaled steroids, you are playing with fire in not controlling your asthma. You need to take it seriously1
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I’ve had the same type of asthma for 35 years, I’m now on Fostair (uk prescription) a maintenance and reliever therapy one puff twice a day and I’ve never been better. Much more effective than salbutamol and a seperate preventer.0
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I do take it seriously. I feel very lost on what to do with it because my doctors don’t offer any information and trusting medical advice you find only can be risky. My GP never really explained my diagnosis to me or what to do about it three years ago when it started, he just stuck me with an inhaler and told me to use it whenever I had symptoms. He kept renewing the prescriptions and didn’t ask questions about it. It wasn’t until 6 months ago that he told me not to use it every day, and when I tried to seek out an asthma doctor, I mostly just got taken for a ride. And even though I explicitly asked for it, they still didn’t give me any long term treatment even though I had even worse symptoms then than I did now. They didn’t even do an APT. They felt it wasn’t serious enough and I wasn’t exactly willing to shell out a couple thousand bucks more to argue with them about it.lepkebrown wrote: »I’m an ex Asthma Nurse, you need an apt with an asthma nurse or Doctor. Your GP is right, if your using your rescue inhaler more than 3 Times a week your asthma is not controlled. For young people who exercise a lot there is a way you can use symbicort that’s very effective. Don’t be scared of inhaled steroids, you are playing with fire in not controlling your asthma. You need to take it seriously
It’s frustrating when you really do actually want to be proactive about your health and learn more and your doctors are unconcerned and not forthcoming about information you’ve requested because it’s not an emergency, but are very okay with taking up your time and lots of your money. I don’t know what I don’t know, I’m not the one who went to medical school, and it’s BS to expect me to when the people who are supposed to be helping me learn about this don’t give enough of a damn to tell me anything even though I asked. It shouldn’t be this difficult to find decent medical care in this country, but there it is.
Anyway, that’s my daily dose of ranting. I know it’s not your fault in particular, but please don’t assume that people who aren’t doing the exact right thing right this moment are just being stubborn with their head in the sand about their health, it’s extemely insulting to the people who want help and aren’t finding it easy to get it. A lot of patients fall through the cracks in this system and it’s not just because they don’t care.
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The thing about medication side effects is that you don't know what will happen until you actually use them. The potential side effects are listed on the insert, but that's just what COULD happen. What ACTUALLY happens varies from person to person. Getting input from others isn't going to be as helpful as you think.
My issue is asthmatic bronchitis, which can be triggered by damn near anything, and it's a slow burn. Starts with a sniffle or a head cold or a new exercise routine, ends with weeks of uncontrolled coughing and inflammation. For the longest time I'd start taking Qvar at the onset of any potential triggers, until a couple of weeks after symptoms stopped. The problem is it only worked part of the time, and I'd wind up on prednisone and antibiotics for the resulting infections. Since I started using the Qvar continuously, I've been able to catch a cold, and then heal like a normal person. I don't have to be quite so obsessive about humidifier use. I haven't had to miss work due to sickness. It's been a complete game changer. There are lots of scary side effects listed in the insert, but the only one I get is occasional hoarsness.
It may take some trial and error to find the right medication for you, but anecdotes (like mine
) really won't be helpful at all.
I never saw a specialist, either. I've just gone through my gp who treated symptomatically. You may not necessarily need a specialist.0 -
Thanks for making this post. I’m in almost the exact same spot as you. Although, it’s only started to get worse since we adopted our cats. It’s more allergy induced at this point but I only have symptoms when I work out. I’ve been doing what you do, just taking a puff right before I exercise so I don’t have to worry about it. I’ve been hesitant to go to the doctor because I will need to find a new one now due to the doctor group leaving my insurance.
I have had it in my mind that one puff of the inhaler when needed is probably better than taking a daily medication, but I’m not a doctor.
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