My asthma is getting worse.?

Question

I am taking advair 250/50, singulair 10, albuterol and Ipatropium Bromide breathing treatments 4 times a day and an albuterol inhaler as needed.....however, I woke up 4 times last night with an asthma attack....and it was real panicky...I have to sleep with my inhaler under my pillow to get to it in time. Anyway... what else can I do to help with my asthma...this happens to me regularly--and during the day I have to use my inhaler about once an hour!

I would like to be informed when I go to the doc. I am on medicaid and my doctor isnt very nice---last time I went in because my asthma was getting worse, they gave me amitryptiline and lexapro....that did not help, and it makes me think they dont believe me. I am scared. I am 26 yrs old.

Answer 1

I totally understand how you feel. I have had asthma my whole life I am 33. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't know how you feel. First off, it is very panicky to wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to breath, I know from experience. This does not mean you need to relax, it means you need help getting your asthma under control. The first thing I would do is go to a different doctor I don't know how Medicaid works, but if you can make sure you go to a Pulmonary Specialist. Then take a look at where you sleep, are your pillows old and dirty, what about your mattress? Buy some Hypo- allergenic pillows and a plastic cover for your mattress, keep your sleeping area as clean as possible. Try sleeping in a upright position rather than laying flat, sometimes this will help, also try using Vicks Vapor rub. Others things to consider are, Do you think you might have a cold or a virus of some kind. Everything I catch goes straight to my lungs. Some options to talk to your new doctor about would be taking a round of prednisone to get you back on track with your breathing, upping your Advair to 500/50. You might also want to talk about going to an allergist, your asthma may be triggered by allergies. I hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 2

Well, to be honest, where you said that you're panicky, it COULD be some sort of anxiety -- maybe that's what they were thinking. I've been through similar situations though, where I have some symptoms and they tell me "Oh it's just anxiety," and I know how frustrating that is, so trust me I'm not saying that that's definitely what's going on. And then it turns out that I DO have something legitimately wrong. Just be adamant about getting to the bottom of what's going on. Let's go over the two scenarios:

Asthma: You're on a pretty high dose of all of those medications, which is a little concerning considering that you're still having moderate to severe asthma symtoms. They may suggest an inhailed steroid (such as Flovent). Are you wheezing, or do you just feel short of breath? If you're wheezing, that definitely means that it's an asthma attack that you're experiencing. If this is the case, they may put you on an oral steroid, such as Prednisone. That's a very powerful anti-inflamatory which works especially well for opening up the airways within a day or so. However, the side effects are often severe and it's undesireable to take it for more than a few days. (It can cause hormone problems [i.e. deepening of the voice, hair loss on your head, excessive hair growth on your face, stomach, back, etc., in addition to esophagus erosion]). Lastly, there are nebulizer treatments which deliver medication directly to the lungs via an air compressor. The medication in one nebulizer treatment is the equivalent to 25-35 puffs of an inhailer.

Anxiety: Sometimes people don't know that they're having anxiety at all, even in the midst of a panic attack. Do you notice that when you feel short of breath that you're sweaty, have chest pains, numb/tingling hands, mouth, lips, or toes? If so, that all points towards anxiety. Instead of the Lexapro, which is an antidepressant, your doctor might try giving you Valium, Xanax, or Ativan, as they are fast-acting anti-anxieties. If your doctor DOES think it's anxiety and he or she prescribes one of these things, it'd be worth a shot to try it at least once or twice. You see, unlike the Lexapro, these medications don't have to build up in your system (in order to take effect) at all. It works within 20-40 minutes the first time you take it.

In any case, I hope everything works out and you feel better soon! I know how having asthma can be really scary sometimes, and especially when you can't get it under control. Good luck and have a happy (and healthy!) holiday!!! :)

Answer 3

Asthma is an allergy and is triggered by something. The best non medication treatment for asthma is learning your triggers and avoiding them. Common triggers are smoke, dust, mold, mildew, plants, dust mites, pets and grass/weeds.

If you can not figure our your triggers, you may need to see an allergist and have allergy screening done. This may point out your triggers.

The National Asthma Prevention Program and the Expert Panel of Diagnosis and Management of Asthma both agree if you have to use a prescription inhaler such as albuterol more then two time per week, your asthma is NOT in control and you will need a prescription controller medication.

Controller medications are steroids (Asthmacort Asthmanex, Flovent, Pulmocort), Leukotriene modifier (Singulair, Aculade, Zyflo) or mast cell stabilizers (Cromolyn sodium, Intal, Tilade).

You may want to talk to your doctor about several strong controller medications and maybe Xolair shots.

If you want a proven, all-natural way to cure your asthma, without having to pay for useless medications with harmful side-effects, then this is the most important page you'll ever read.

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

Alright, first of all, calm down. You will be just fine.

Your medications are somewhat similar to mine, though not all the same. I am on a higher dose of advair, which they do not like to prescriber unless absolutely necessary. Inquire as to ADVAIR 500 when you talk to your doctor. This is a higher dose controller medication.

Your singulair dose is just fine.

Albuterol may need to be replaced with XOPENX. This is also an inhaler, or in liquid form for a nebulizer.

Panic makes your asthma much worse, there are some great suggestions above me as to how to control that.

My final suggestion is to get a nebulizer and peak flow meter. You can ask your doctor about these. A nebulizer is a machine for attacks, and a peak flow meter is like an asthma thermometer. It can tell you how you are breathing. It can be helpful to stop attacks before they happen.

Answer 6

An albuterol inhaler should last one year, if it doesn't you are on the wrong medication. There is a rule of twos,if you wake up in an attack more than twice,if you use your inhaler more than twice a week your on the wrong medication.You need an allergist,they will be able to help. If your doctor is no help change,but change to an allergist or a pulmonoligist. You can ask your Doctor for spirvia,combivent,flovent,or even ask about prednasone.You could also ask him to increase the advair to 500/250.But i still think you need a specialist,an allergist or a pulmonolagist.

Answer 7

I am 25. I was diagnosed with asthma in August after I suffered an asthma attack. I later went to an Allergist and was tested for allergies. I found that I am allergic to cats and dogs. I have a cat that sleeps in my bed. My allergy to her brought on my asthma. I now use Advair twice daily and Zyrtec as an antihistamine nightly. I was prescribed Xopenex as my rescue inhaler but have not had to use it once since I have been on Advair.

Get allergy tested. They will test you on everything from mold to cat & dog dander to trees and cockroaches. If the results show you are allergic to something you come in contact with on a regular basis, there are Immunotherapy (shots) available to help reduce the allergy.

Good luck!

Answer 8

I am on singular and taking albuterol 4 puffs a day. It sounds as if you are doing quite a bit for your asthma. The Lexapro makes it seem as if your doctor is suspecting panic attacks. If you are having so many attacks in one day, your doctor may be right. Read the article.

Answer 9

If this is really your asthma causing the problem you have to see another doctor! Your story doesn't sound good.
I don't know what that medicine is you're taking, but actually symptons are supposed to improve and not the opposite.
Find a better doctor, please. Make he thinks you're just making stuff up and have an anxiety disorder. Think it over.
Is it getting worse when you're stressed or exercising? You should start a diary.
Best of luck and Merry X-Mas

Answer 10

I'm so sorry, I know how you feel. I've had a very hard time getting my asthma under some kind of control.
You may need to be on another blocker like Clarinex. Also it sounds like a Medrol Dose Pak is in order. Ask your doc what he thinks of that idea.
Please get to your doc ASAP, before you have an attack that kills you.