Anyone here take Asthma drugs?

[bleedingheart]

I am taking Singulair.. to prevent an attack. Now the funny thing is that I got a cold and it was mainly in my sinuses but I have been having some problems taking comfortable deep breaths. I can breath and I am not wheezing...but I would have thought the singulair would have been of help to prevent this.

I also find that I am more sleepy while taking it....to be honest I would love to stop it but given the fact that I was in the hospital over a year ago with an asthma attack..I really don't want to risk it.

[RevCheesehead]

1. I love Singulair.

My doctor put me on it last year, and it completely cleared up the chronic cold/bronchitis I had. I also use Advair (the disc-thingy), and those two together have made me a happy camper.

[bleedingheart]

2. I had been using Advair a while ago but the Doc didn't

put me back on it, perhaps I should be back on it again?

I am going to get an appt with my pulmonologist and bypass my GP cuz I think I need another lung check...

[flamingyouth]

3. I take Advair too

I haven't tried Singulair, but I have gone off Advair a few times and then, months later, needed to be put back on it again. It's the one asthma drug that keeps me being able to be active and around my cats, etc. :hi:

[RevCheesehead]

7. Might be worth looking into.

My doc is really a PA, but highly informed.

She explained to me that the combination of the two would reduce the inflammation of the bronchial tubes. What happened for me, was that it almost completely reduced the swelling in my sinuses. I've been able to breathe through my nose again - and, if you've ever NOT been able to, you'll know how remarkably wonderful it feels.

Have you thought of seeing an allergist? Or is your asthma associated with something else?

[bleedingheart]

8. no allergies that I know of...

in fact my kids have asthma so my house is one of those non-pet, hardwood floor places where i wash linens faithfully and I used to freeze their teddy bears to kill dust mites....

I am currently using flonase for my sinuses...

[RevCheesehead]

12. Another thing I did was get a couple of Ionic Breeze air cleaners.

They're pricey, but if you go to their website (sharperimage.com), you can get a refurbished one for 50% off or more. I just bought one for my parents (my mom has major lung disease of unknown origin), and it's really helping them, too.

[aQuArius]

4. Asthmatic and FINALLY drug free....

I used to use albuterol 2-3 times/week when I was growing up. Then as an adult I was put on Flovent everyday. However, not sure why, but after having my kids and losing a bunch of weight I seem to only need albuterol when I have bronchitis (and then I am usually put on prednisone too). The bronchitis has been diagnosed as "chronic" and flares up about every 18 months. But I consider myself (now) a drug free asthmatic. BTW: Flovent made me very tired!

[RevCheesehead]

9. Ugh - I hated Flovent.

It completely messed up my voice, and did very little for me.

Since switching to the Singulair/Advair combo, I hardly ever use my rescue inhaler (which was the goal).

[aQuArius]

13. Very true... As a singer, I HATED it.

So I gave up singing and dancing, which I NEVER should've done. Thank god I don't have to use anything. I would definitely use something else if I had to go back to a daily medication.

[jandrok]

5. Mrs. jandrok replies......she is an asthmatic who takes Singulair

Are you taking the Singulair at night? That is one way to combat the sleepiness, since, presumably, you would be asleep at night anyway. The other thing is, if you have a cold, well, it's going to affect your asthma, even if it doesn't go down in your chest, or doesn't feel like it is. You may have a slight case of Costochondritis, which is an inflammation of the small ligaments in your ribs (and sometimes the ones that are in your back) that can hurt, and make it hard to take deep breaths. If you can take ibuprofen, that helps too. Mostly, though if you're having trouble with deep breaths, use your bronchodilator/rescue inhalor and CALL YOUR DOCTOR!!!

[bleedingheart]

11. yep taking it at night

the deep breathing thing could be an inflammation...

I have also had pleursy in the past and it was a real nightmare of pain. Every breath in made me grit my teeth in pain. I am sensitive to pain killers and had to take ibuprofen for pain since it is the only thing that doesn't make me sick...aside from morphine but that is reserved for hospital visits....

[fleabert]

6. the occasional hit of albuterol, both an inhaler and a nebulizer...

I perfer the nebulizer, btw. but I hate the accelerate heartbeat that albuterol gives me, along with the shakes. I like to breathe easier though.

[tridim]

10. I took weekly shots as a kid..

I guess they worked because I don't have asthma any more. I used to have 3 or 4 attacks per year.

[bigwillq]

14. I think I need to

My breathing has been awful lately.
I need to stop smoking.
I was sick last week though.

I also went to the doctor's about two weeks ago and he said my lungs sounded fine.:shrug:

[meow2u3]

15. I take good old-fashioned albuterol

I have such a bad case of asthma that my doctor put me on a nebulizer to take the albuterol. I have to use that noisy machine four times a day.