Question to asthmatics - reliever during workout

yirara
yirara Posts: 10,021 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
It remains uncertain whether I have asthma or not. The challenge test I had was right on the boundary between light asthma and no asthma. My doctor said I might try the reliever spray for a workout session to see if it does anything (not that I think I currently have any breathing problems). Well, I did that before a run yesterday, and that was interesting: it felt like I could not inhale as much and not exhale as much as I was used to. I still managed to finish my run, but it was strange. My torso felt much more tense than on any other run before and I got a lot of side stitches. Did anyone ever experience something similar? Will discuss with my doctor during the next appointment of course.

Replies

  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Sounds like an unusual reaction to me, no clue, sorry! What kind of inhaler?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,021 Member
    Ventolin. Never had any problems with it, though I didn't work out when I had breathing problems and never used the reliever when working out. Hmpf. But anyway, I still managed to finish the run, with a new distance record.
  • cokefloat1
    cokefloat1 Posts: 86 Member
    A reliever is precisely that, relief if you're suffering wheezing after exercise (or any other trigger item). If you're looking to take prior to exercise then you need the preventor inhaler (brown one normally) which is a steroid and should be taken everyday to prevent - it's in the name! - wheezing due to triggers.

    I have mild asthma that got worse when I wasn't doing any physical activity. When I started cycling in January I was taking my brown pump everyday and having to take the reliever after my cycle, sometimes two puffs. Continued exercise at high intensity will increase your lung strength and I now no longer need to take either of my pumps even when pushing as hard as I can.

    Also, are you taking the pump correctly? It's amazing how many asthma sufferers don't inhale properly. The motion should be a steady breath in and whilst breathing in the pump should be sprayed continuing the inhale to just prior to uncomfortable. So many people spray then inhale meaning half of the spray just hits the mouth and goes nowhere!
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    I'm exercise induced and take one before my mma class and keep it on me just in case as I can still have attacks during grappling. This is how my doc prescribed it for me to use.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Yes, as said above, Ventolin can absolutely be prescribed to use before exercise as a preventative for exercise induced asthma.

    If you are not having any asthma symptoms though (wheezing, coughing, congested / closing throat), you shouldn't be using an inhaler as, as aes said, it does raise your heart rate.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,021 Member
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    Yes, as said above, Ventolin can absolutely be prescribed to use before exercise as a preventative for exercise induced asthma.

    If you are not having any asthma symptoms though (wheezing, coughing, congested / closing throat), you shouldn't be using an inhaler as, as aes said, it does raise your heart rate.

    Thanks all. Yes, I have very mild asthma, if at all. A challenge test was inconclusive, though I did have two attacks since I live here and might have had sport induced asthma as a child. My doctor thought I might try ventolin to prevent further attacks. I live in an extremely dusty country and a massive attack was probably caused by working out during a dust storm - inside with windows closed, mind you!

    Faster heart beat might be the culprit here. I did have serious problems with that at first, but I thought I was fine now. Though taking my pulse is rather useless in itself: if I feel my pulse it always slows down (though I can also speed it up), if I do a few fast steps it skyrockets. My HR max is at around 205, my resting pulse around 60 and pretty much everthing inbetween is normal, depending on what I do.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    My ENT has me trying Singulair for 3 weeks and then we're going to discuss how it went and next steps. I do feel like I'm breathing better all the time and when I train, but I still cough like crazy the moment I turn up the intensity. We'll see what happens...
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