caffiene is a methylxanthine like theophylline, and acts like a bronchodilator, so can help ease asthma in an emergency.
Smoking any type of substance is highly inadvisable for any asthmatic (and anyone else too, but moreso for an asthmatic).
In the US, the rule of thumb is that anyone with mild persistant asthma or worse needs anti-inflammatory maintenance medication and an asthma control plan. Mild intermittent asthma may be managed just with a rescue inhaler like albuterol, and education. Asthma that is solely exercise-induced may be managed somewhat differently.
Primatene mist is available over the counter, for treating bronchospasm, but since it’s aerosolized adrenaline, it has more side-effects, like heart racing and anxiety, than the more lung specific prescription albuterol.
Primatene tablets are ephedrine, and really should be avoided.
Don’t mess around with OTC and home remedies if you’re having trouble breathing and you have no plan to deal with your attack. Call the emergency medical team. They’ll have what you need to help you.
Broomstick, I would not place a person with the asthma symptoms you describe on maintenance medication. Rescue treatment only would be my starting point, along with education.
My daughter was totally asthma-free for 7 years until the bushfires here last year. It has taken almost 8 months to get her asthma under control again, and assuming nothing continues to provoke it, she will probably go off medication at the end of this summer.
It is SOP here to try to prevent asthma attacks. The rule of thumb used by doctors here is that if you’re using your reliever more than 3 times per week then you should be on a preventative medication.
I don’t know about in the US, but steroid preventatives here are pretty strictly controlled. The maximum period of time you can be on them without having to revisit your doctor is 6 months. Each time you return for a new prescription, a full assessment is done.
Prednisone is even MORE strictly controlled here.
To me, it’s a trade off. Just as some people with diabetes can get away with not taking their insulin or watching their diet, some asthmatics can get away with not taking preventatives. Some can’t.
And when the life of a 10 year old girl can quite literally hinge on whether or not I give her preventative medication, I’m not going to take the risk of not giving it to her unless the medical circumstances have changed sufficiently that she no longer needs it.
There’s been some good advice here, dude. I’m a mild intermittent asthmatic (sometimes an allergic asthmatic, and occasionally an exercise-induced asthmatic, too, but my worst trigger has ALWAYS been cigarette smoke, even just a whiff secondhand, although I’ve never smoked myself, not even once). I’ve probably been asthmatic my whole life; had occasional symptoms from early childhood on, and family history on both sides (Dad has it way worse than I do). Until my early 20’s, doctors always dismissed it, though, saying I was just out of shape and that’s why I was wheezing.
So I found ways to relieve my own symptoms. Caffeine was a big help; other hot liquids just didn’t do the same thing. But the one thing nobody has mentioned is extremely cold, dry air; on many a hot, ragweed-filled evening, Mom would come down to the kitchen to find me sticking my head into the freezer for relief. She thought I was a weirdo, but it worked. I know they say cold air can be irritating for some asthmatics, but sometimes it worked for me.
I strongly agree with the other stuff about keeping prescription meds on hand at all times. Proventil inhalers are very cheap, even if you don’t have prescription coverage; the last time I bought one, it was cheaper than my $10 co-pay. Singulair can also be wonderful (it works great for my little brother); it’s still patented and therefore expensive, but I understand that so far it beats the hell out of steroids in the side effects department if you need a maintenance medication. My doctor gave me 30 days’ worth for free during a flare-up 10 months ago. And even if you have no insurance, how much can one doctor visit possibly cost? Beats the hell out of ending up in the emergency room, or worse. Just do it; the peace of mind alone is more than worth it.
P.S. Anyone know a place in the Chicago area that is willing to teach the Buteyko method? He might have been a crackpot, but then again it might work, and I’m all for trying anything that might work and doesn’t involve drugs. (Sometimes even the darn Proventil doesn’t work really well. The last time I had a bad attack, my doctor ran a bunch of lung-function tests, and couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t breathe, as apparently the lung function was supposed to be normal according to the tests. When is it time to see a specialist?)
You’ve got some excellent advice here. I can only echo what has already been said. Keep your albuterol (Proventil) inhaler with you all the time. And don’t use the prednisone and other steroids unless you absolutely have to. I have to use them daily, and while they help breathing, the side effects are something you want to avoid if at all possible.
BTW, see a pulmonary specialist. I spent three years seeing all sorts of doctors trying to find out what was wrong with my breathing until one finally sent me to a specialist.
Any competent Family Physician or Internist should be able to manage your asthma with you, unless you have severe persistant asthma, in which case input from an allergist or pulmonologist is generally desirable. And don’t stop using your maintenance medications, be they steroids or other types, without letting your doctor know what you’re doing.
Are you in Madison per se, or in Waupun? I once had a lovely trip to the prison at Waupun…before you get any ideas, it was as an interpreter/court clerk in immigration proceedings. Never a dull moment up there, that’s for sure.
If any of the rest of you ever have occasion to visit the lovely correctional facility there, remember Eva Luna’s words of wisdom: when going to a prison, bring your own lunch.
Ive heard that aerobic excersise helps alot AS A PREVENTATIVE. I am not a doc, although I used to be an undertaker (transportation only).
All the things mentioned before sound good, but alotta coffee and beer or valerian root always helped me alot. Sitting down and relaxing helps alot too.
And for some insane reason smoking a cig. Going off cigs always made my asthma get really, really bad, but this prolly an addiction thing.
Oh yah and thanks for reminding me, Im almost out of Proventil…Im going to get 2 b/c im going on extended camping vacation (I hope).
