Have you ever been on Singulair? It's an asthma/allergy med that you take daily to keep asthma under control. I take it daily and keep my inhaler for attacks. With the singulair i've cut the use of my emergency inhaler quite a bit.

Bottom line is what you are on now isn't working, so keep asking for options or go see another MD that specializes in respiratory issues.

Cold air and certain green things cause mine to flare up, but I've gone off of everything (including Singulair) since all of them would have required me to get a TUE to race at nationals and after visiting the pulmonologist (who cycles), we decided to try going off everything. So far, so good. I do keep a rescue inhaler in my track bag at all times, but it's been over 6 months and I haven't had any issues.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I've never been on Singulair - I was just looking it up. Interesting.

I looked up the interactions to it with the other meds I'm on, and there aren't any, but I did notice that one of my meds (Lamictal) has breathing issues as a side effect, and it and another med (Abilify) can cause respiratory depression when they interact together. So hmmm. But again, why only on trail?

I know it has mood/psychotic side effects as a possibility which may be an issue prescribing it to me, but hopefully not.

I'm thinking the sleeping/dream/waking up thing was hyperventilation????

But I don't know what to think about the attacks while on trail. I don't think it's exertion-caused, or I wouldn't have had it on the beginner's hike I took out. I don't think it's allergies, because who has allergies in -10C December in Ontario?

Do you flare up year-round at green things? It just seems unseasonable for me to be having allergies. Hmmph. :)

Sometimes it's trial and error until you get to the right prescriptions/combinations of prescriptions.

I don't know for sure, but most the steriod inhaler meds are meant to be taken year round. They take 1-2 weeks to really start working, so just taking them when you get sick is not a good idea, and a lot of them can help you not get sick if the sickness is something that was 'caused' by asthma... if you have recurring colds etc, and asthma, getting the asthma under control will help get the colds etc under control.

I am so glad that you posted about asthma and sorry I haven't seen your other posts (will look).

I had posted about my own health frustrations a little while ago and did follow up with my doctor. It seems that my asthma is now much worse. I have had pneumonia twice, chronic sinus infections and seem to end up with every ailment ending up in my lungs. I never seem to be well for longer than a month or two. It has greatly affected my ability to get really fit again- I get back at things, get sick and am off for a few weeks and then..... My doctor just feels the asthma has moved from being exercise induced to illness induced. Every time I get sick my asthma returns. So the aim then is not to get sick- so back to fitness, managing allergies, taking the asthma seriously and doing what I need to do daily to keep this under control.

I am now on both puffers again (Advair -day and night, and ventolin-as needed) and Singulair for the first time. Also a nasal spray for my allergies. My lungs have cleared for the most part in less than a week. It feels so much better! However I am up at 4am consistently and am wondering if taking the singulair at night is messing with my sleep. Others had suggested that perhaps food or weight might play into things. Possibly food might make it worse so I am trying to attend better to that but I am pretty average in build so can't see weight being a cause. For sure the cold is a factor. I am just outside of Toronto and so it's getting cold and even putting the garbage out right now causes me to wheeze. This area is known for it's environmental probs and high incidence of asthma.

Alison

Thanks guys.

GhiaGirl, I haven't tried that many meds yet, it's almost though I don't know what to try. Someone mentioned Zyrtec which is an allergy med - and I guess if it's allergies causing the asthma, that makes sense? Singulair seems to be both which is attractive.

Alison, I'm in Toronto - and it hasn't been really cold here yet. I guess I'll see how things do once it does get cold - it seems to have switched into winter overnight!

I had the wheezing on the easy hike (remedied by the ventolin) in mid-November and that was near Gravenhurst, at Hardy Lake Provincial Park, but it was a nice day and not particularly cold. This past weekend I took a group out on the Western Uplands Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park and it was around -6C during the days and -10C at night (both temps without windchill).

I can have asthma attacks at night if I've had one during the day which is why I am worried about the dream and waking up like I did, though realistically it was probably balaclava-induced hyperventilation, though I've never had that before. Dunno.

I am overweight though am being switched off the medication (Seroquel) my doctor says is the culprit (I have very successfully lost weight off of it, quickly and easily, and very successfully gained weight when put back on it) so that might help too though to be honest while I'm big I'm strong and have decent cardio for my big-girl pacing - none of this output on trail has been red-zone material - even doing the trail in Killarney in 2 days was more a matter of being out for a long time, we weren't entering the red-zone pace-wise.

Sorry to hear you've been having issues, though I'm glad the new meds seem to be helping.

asthma/illness is a cycle, one causes the other, and that one causes the first. I used to get awful respiratory infections, and once I got my asthma under control I stopped getting chest colds, walking pneumonia etc...

"once I got my asthma under control I stopped getting chest colds, walking pneumonia etc... "

This is what I am finally wrapping my head around and perhaps what my family doc has been trying to tell me. For some (stupid) reason I always thought i was too fit, too active blah blah blah to take it seriously- that someone as active as me (back then) couldn't possibly have asthma- that was for people who didn't take care of themselves! Ha! This thinking has likely cost me about 4 solid years of better health.

What meds are you taking to keep it under control? Just curious.

Alison

I used to have it worse in the winter (mold/closed up house), but last year was pretty mild and this year, knock wood, has been fine. The test will be in a few months when it starts greening up and I start riding hard.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I have horrific trouble with asthma as well, but I am more allergen and virally triggered. Ventolin is purely a short term bronchodialator. It sounds from your symtoms that your asthma is not being managed well. You need to find a good allergy and asthma specialist in your area and discuss meds like singulair or a steroid inhaler that acts as a long term bronchodialator to keep your asthma under control so that flare ups do not happen. Good luck.

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Twitter: @jayasports
Web: http://www.jayasports.com

my asthma was helped a lot when I started using Asthmanex. But I'm pretty sure it's a trial/error thing for most people and their doctor. Lots of different med work a little different to different people.

Though it may not seem like it, you're asthma does in fact seem like it may (also) be allergy-induced.

Allergies, just as with many other conditions, can be affecting you without you being necessarily aware. You may think, "I don't feel like I'm experiencing allergy symptoms," if you've had them for a long time because your body has acquired a certain level of tolerance and/or accommodation to the perpetually present symptoms. In the case of chronic allergies, you may be experiencing low level symptoms that you are completely unaware of because you have grown used to their presence. You would only realize the presence of these symptoms if they were to be completely lifted.

You say you experience some difficulty breathing when you work out in the city but it is exacerbated by cold weather and being on the trail. This is a tell-tale sign of potential allergy-induced asthma. The cold-air issue is fairly universal among asthma patients as cold weather causes a constriction of the airways (particularly the bronchioles) and an increase in mucous production (further occluding the airways). Your heightened experience on the trail may be a further exacerbation of this phenomenon as you are probably outside much longer (and thereby exposed to the cold much longer) than you are when you are in the city (where you have more ready access to warm buildings, cars, etc.). However, it's not entirely impossible for you to also be experiencing allergy-induced asthma, regardless of the weather, particularly if you have as large a sensitivity to trees as your test indicated.

Why is this all occurring now rather than in the past? Asthma is not (necessarily) a static condition. Minimal chronic agitation of the lungs (such as having asthma for years potentially combined with low-level allergies) can both induce a worsened response as well as attenuate the lungs (the result simply depends on the individual). It is also distinctly possible that your bout with walking pneumonia last year was the straw that broke the camel's back and weakened your lungs enough to increase your propensity for an asthma attack. Further, it is not uncommon for patients to simply grow into and out of asthma.

There are a variety of medications on the market designed to relieve asthma of all kinds. If your current regiment is not working, it is important for you to tell your doctor so your medication can be appropriately adjusted. It's true that steroid medications, such as flovent, require time to have their FULL effect (steroids require a build-up period); they are also sensitive to timing of administration. This is why it is important to follow their prescribed dosing regiment carefully. If you have fullfilled the prescribed dosing regiment and still have the same issues, it's important to make your physician aware of this. The rescue inhaler (Ventolin) is a bronchiodilator and is (usually) meant to be taken on an as-needed basis. This is the inhaler you take at lunch when your symptoms flare up. You may also find you can avoid complications by taking this inhaler immediately before an anticipated workout. If the rescue inhaler cannot successfully prevent your issues and/or subdue a flare up, it's usually time to add an alternate / longer-term inhaler. Strangely enough, asthma can also be induced by mere anticipation (place conditioning... "I usually have an asthma attack when I am ____" = asthma attack). This is something to keep in mind when you find yourself repeatedly going to a certain location, hanging out with a certain person, or even just eating a certain thing you may associate with asthma attacks because of previous incidents. They can also be complicated by stress (ex: any significant life changes including changes in a workout regiment), diet, sleep habits, and weight.

As for your sleeping complications, this very could have just been a freak occurrence, especially if you do not experience this repeatedly. If you have any further symptoms (restlessness, headaches, excess fatigue during the day, randomly waking up in the night, inability to fall back asleep, etc.) you may benefit from a sleep study, as these could be an indication for some form of sleep apnea.

Hope this helps... best of luck in your endeavors.

I am seeing my GP Thursday and will talk to him about this. I think he will be open to reviewing my meds and how I take them.

He has also says that asthma can change over time. I actually thought I'd outgrown it and was resistant when he diagnosed me, but he explained that nobody really outgrows it, just that people's trigger reactions can change. And when he brought up how I react to respiratory illness - well, I get better so much faster now that I have inhalers. So.

While I don't understand exactly the mechanism that causes me to react to trees outside of pollen season, I am coming around to allergies simply because it seems too coincidental otherwise. And I'm coming around to the thought that these have been chronic, at least for this year. The hike out Sunday (last weekend's backpack) was a shock because all of a sudden I realized how stark the difference was between me on and off ventolin, and that it used to be normal for me to hike without wheezing - I've taken the ventolin before but this time those things struck me.

I don't normally have sleep issues.

I'm on - but going off of (so that I can loose weight) a medication (Seroquel XR) that also acts as an anti-histamine I think - I wonder if (I've been on it for years) it's been having some effect against the allergies causing asthma - at least until I got the walking pneumonia - and that effect is especially lessening now I'm dropping the dose - I'm down to 400mg now from 800mg.

Singulair might also be good if it has an anti-histamine effect because my new anti-pyschotic causes akathisia and if I get it once I'm totally off the Seroquel than I'll need to take something for it - I've had akathisia before and there's no way I can tolerate having it - so if Singulair can do double-duty than that's great.

I'll be curious about the outcome of your discussions with your doc. Don't forget to post :)

Alison

Saw my GP yesterday. He thinks the asthma in the bush is allergy-triggered, so we're trying an anti-histamine plus Ventolin first, and then if that doesn't work we'll look at something like Singulair.

....though I realized after the appointment it would've been cheaper for me to get Singulair, or at least I should get him to prescribe Benadryl or something, so I don't have to pay the cost of it.

Hoping this helps! I'm redoing my first aid/CPR this weekend, but have 2 day hikes next weekend so we'll see how it goes.

Glad that you connected with your doc. The more I learn about it, the more I have come to understand it is about finding the right combo of stuff for you and identifying your own triggers and how best to manage them i.e stay on top of them. Hope the hiking goes well?

Alison

Sorry, new to ST so not sure what the rules are about guys posting in the Womens section but here goes.... Life long asthmatic both allergy induced and activity induced. Just a couple of suggestions, you mentioned seeing your GP, have you considered a specialist? It has made all the difference in the world for me. I take Advair (2x day), singular, allergra and my asthma is well in hand and rarely use my rescue inhalers anymore. But its different for everyone but getting on something like Advair (or similar drugs) was key for me. One last comment, on the singular if it bothers your sleep take it after dinner not just before bed. My Asthma Dr prefers I take it around 6-7pm as it supposedly works better.

Good luck

Of course you can post! We just get final veto power...

Gary, the regimen you describe is exactly the one I am on. I am using the rescue puffer once and a while, I am assuming just as things stabilize. I really appreciated your note about the singulair earlier in the evening as I had been waking up about 4am and unable to get back to sleep. Had a lightbulb moment when you wrote that, so am now trying to take it earlier in the evening and things seem to be getting better.

Thanks for your post,
Alison

asthma is a tough thing.
i am 35 and just now have my asthma in line.
years of doctors and medications that never worked.
i can't give you advice on what meds to take, everyone is different,
go see a pulmonologist. a general practitioner has no business seeing an asthma patient that can not be regulated.
good luck.

my meds are dialed in perfect now, no need for rescue inhalers.

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I'd Rather Play Hockey And Lose, Than Figure Skate And Win A Gold Medal

Well I'm hoping this new regime (so to speak) does the trick and if it doesn't then I will ask to see a specialist (I guess a pulmonologist).

I'm thinking because my asthma is generally okay in the city, that it may be just a matter of hitting the allergy stuff regarding being in the bush. The problem is I spend a fair bit of time in the bush. We'll see how this weekend goes, I should know from that or at least have a better idea.

(btw I like your sig!)

Since many people who responded mentioned they had allergies as well, I have a questions about allergies.

A few weeks ago when I had to close the windows for the winter I got a cold. It went away for a few days, then came back, same cold, all sinus congestion that isn't helped with my zyrtec or singular, or even OTC drugs. I went away for the holidays and within 2 days of being back, I am congested again.

Is it possible I am now allergic to something in my house? and if so, how would I go about finding out what's causing it? I find it hard to believe I've had the same head cold 3 times in 5 weeks, it's got to be something in my house. I am going to eliminate anything I've changed in the last month, like a new shampoo etc but without physically removing furniture I don't see how I can pinpoint what's causing this.

I will be heading to an allergy specialist in hopes they can help me.

if anyone has gone through this, please let me know how you figured out what was causing the issues.

You might actually have a sinus infection. Especially if the bulk of your symptoms are sinus/congestion related. I had something similar a few years ago, just couldn't kick the congestion. Weeks and weeks of feeling like I had a head cold, with some days marginally better, and some days marginally worse. Ended up on antibiotics (for something unrelated) and *surprise* the sinus issue was gone...

Just something to consider, especially if this has come on only this winter.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I hadn't thought of a sinus infection because (sorry if this is TMI) but my snot is clear. Every other time I've had an infection, it has not been clear. I will talk to my MD about a potential infection though. It feels like one with the sinus pressure, so maybe you are on to something!

Thanks for the suggestion.