How To Exercise With Asthma:
1. Keep your blue rescue inhaler on you at all times.2. Check that your asthma is under control. If its not under control, exercise could be dangerous.3. Take your medications as directed. If youre having trouble breathing, you should take your rescue medicine . Your doctor may also ask you to take your blue rescue inhaler or another bronchodilator fifteen minutes before you exercise.4. Warm up and cool down properly
- Before exercising, warm up slowly by walking, stretching, and doing other low-level activities.
- After youve finished exercising, cool down slowly for at least 10 minutes. Dont stop exercising all of a sudden. If youve been running, taper the run to a walking pace. If youve been swimming, finish your swim with a slow paddle. Give your body time to adjust.
5. Protect yourself from other asthma triggers while youre exercising
6. If you have symptoms, stop exercising and take your blue rescue inhaler
- Sit up. Wait a few minutes to see if your symptoms improve.
- If your symptoms improve a lot, warm up again and slowly go back to exercising.
- If your symptoms dont improve, take another dose of your blue rescue inhaler. Wait a few minutes to see if your symptoms improve.
7. If your symptoms still dont improve, follow these instructions:
- STOP any activity
- Take your blue rescue inhaler
- If the medicine is not working, call 911
- If symptoms are not getting better, keep taking your blue rescue inhaler until the ambulance arrives
Video: Phlegm And Asthma
Phlegm and asthma
0:07 Gross as it looksphlegm and mucus protect your body from infection.
0:11 A little bit of phlegm is totally normal but if your phlegm
0:18 changes in colour thickness or amount it could be a sign that you’re ill and your
0:20 asthma may be affected
0:23 if you find you’ve been coughing up more phlegm than
0:28 usual this could be a sign that your airways are inflamed this can cause
0:34 asthma symptoms like coughing wheezing shortness of breath or a tight chest
0:38 You should take your daily preventer inhaler as prescribed and it should help stop
0:42 these symptoms because it reduces the inflammation in your airways over time
0:47 if you’re doing this and still getting a lot of mucus on your chest you should
0:51 book an appointment with your doctor or ask the nurse
1:00 if you have yellow or green phlegm this might be a sign of an infection like a cold flu or a chest
1:04 infection these can often make asthma symptoms worse so it’s really important
1:09 to keep taking your preventer inhaler every day
1:15 if your phlegm is streaked with blood this is usually down to the pressure put on the blood vessels if
1:19 you’re coughing a lot the best thing you can do in this case is to see your
1:24 doctor to make sure it’s nothing to worry about if you have brown or black
1:28 tinged phlegm it usually occurs in smokers or if you have COPD chronic
1:34 obstructive lung disease as well as asthma when you stop smoking even just
Other Preventive Actions For People With Asthma
In addition to getting a flu vaccine, people with asthma should take the same everyday preventive actions CDC recommends for everyone, including avoiding people who are sick, covering coughs, and washing hands often.
Specific Health Actions for People with Asthma
- Take asthma medication exactly as your doctor or other medical professional tells you to do. Know how to use your asthma inhaler if your doctor of other medical professional tells you to use one.
- Plan ahead to maintain sufficient supplies of your regular medications for chronic medical conditions .
- Know and avoid the asthma triggers that can cause you to have an asthma attack.
- Follow an updated, written Asthma Action Plan developed with your health care provider.
- Follow this Asthma Action Plan for daily treatment to control asthma long-term and to handle worsening asthma, or attacks.
- If your child has asthma, make sure that their up-to-date written Asthma Action Plan is on file at school and/or at the daycare center. Be sure that the plan and medication are easy to get to when needed.
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What Do I Need To Know About Otc Cough And Cold Medicine Overdose
An overdose means you have taken too much cough and cold medicine. An overdose can become life-threatening. You may have any of the following if you have had an overdose of OTC cough and cold medicine:
- Blurred vision, dilated pupils, or severe headache
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation
- Anxiety, irritability, restlessness, or hallucinations
- Slurred speech, trouble thinking, or unusual behavior
- A fast heartbeat, irregular heartbeat, or trouble breathing
- Seizures, loss of consciousness, or not waking up
Does Having Phlegm Mean My Asthma Is Getting Worse
Coughing up more phlegm than usual could be a sign that your airways are inflamed. This means your airways get narrower and this can cause other asthma symptoms, like:
- breathlessness.
If you have more asthma symptoms than usual, your reliever inhaler will help open up your airways. But remember, if youre using your reliever inhaler more than three times a week, you need to see your doctor.
Taking your daily preventer inhaler as prescribed should help reduce the inflammation thats causing your asthma symptoms. Find out more about how preventer inhalers help asthma.
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Side Effects Of Relievers And Preventers
Relievers are a safe and effective medicine, and have few side effects as long as they are not used too much. The main side effects include a mild shaking of the hands , headaches and muscle cramps. These usually only happen with high doses of reliever inhaler and usually only last for a few minutes.
Preventers are very safe at usual doses, although they can cause a range of side effects at high doses, especially with long-term use.
The main side effect of preventer inhalers is a fungal infection of the mouth or throat . You may also develop a hoarse voice and sore throat.
Using a spacer can help prevent these side effects, as can rinsing your mouth or cleaning your teeth after using your preventer inhaler.
Your doctor or nurse will discuss with you the need to balance control of your asthma with the risk of side effects, and how to keep side effects to a minimum.
Symptoms Associated With Asthma Cough
A cough is a very common asthma symptom. In some people, cough is sometimes the only noticeable symptom of the condition.
When figuring out whether your cough is due to asthma or not, it may be helpful to assess any other related symptoms you have.
Other possible asthma symptoms include:
- chest tightness
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Should I Be Extra Cautious About Coronavirus If I Have Asthma
Yes. The CDC has released new guidelines for people with asthma, which include the following:
- Stock up on supplies in case you need to self-isolate .
- Stay at home and practice social distancing from those you do not live with .
- Avoid people who are sick, and wash your hands often.
- Avoid non-essential travel.
- Clean and disinfect your home and car regularly, especially items you touch often like doorknobs, light switches, cell phones, keyboards, faucets, car door handles, and steering wheels.
- If someone in your home is sick, stay away from them.
- Avoid sharing personal household items such as cups and towels.
The best way to protect yourself is to keep on top of your asthma and asthma symptoms. Follow these simple asthma management steps:
What Does My Test Result Mean
For both the PCR and the lateral flow tests, your result will be either:
Negative
This means that the test did not find coronavirus.
You usually dont need to continue self-isolating if you get a negative result. But, unless you have had both your vaccinations, you need to self-isolate if:
- someone you live with tests positive
- youve been told youve been in contact with someone who tested positive.
If you still feel unwell after a negative result, stay at home until youre feeling better. Contact a GP if your symptoms get worse or do not go away.
If youre being sick, have diarrhoea, or have a high temperature, stay at home until 48 hours after theyve stopped.
You should check with your employer before going back into work.
You can read more about what your test result means and what to do on the NHS website.
Positive
This means the test found signs of coronavirus.
What you need to do depends on the type of test you had:
Positive PCR test
Positive rapid lateral flow test
If you did a rapid lateral flow test at home and the result was positive, you should self-isolate immediately. You need to report the result and get a PCR test done to confirm the result. You should continue to self-isolate until you get the result of the PCR test, and then follow the advice given when you get the result. Anyone you live with who has not had both jabs should also self-isolate until you get the result of the PCR test.
Unclear or void
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Nocturnal Asthma Medical Treatment
There is no cure for nocturnal asthma, although there are treatments to get it under control. Discuss your symptoms with your GP or asthma nurse and they will be able to recommend the best treatment plan for you. Medical treatment for nighttime asthma could include:
- Preventer inhaler. This delivers a dose of steroid medicine that you breathe in to damp down inflammation and swelling in the airways. Using a preventer inhaler regularly builds up protection so you are less sensitive to triggers. Good day-time control of your asthma will reduce flare-ups at night.
- Reliever inhaler. This delivers a dose of fast-acting medicine such as salbutamol that will open up the airways and help relieve the symptoms of nocturnal asthma. Keep it beside your bed so you can use it as soon as you have an attack at night.
- Combination inhalers. If your other inhalers are not helping, you might need a combination inhaler that mixes the medication and stops symptoms occurring while also providing relief if they do occur.
- Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists . This medicine is given in tablet-form and sometimes used in addition to inhalers to help with severe asthma symptoms and night-time attacks.
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What About Medicines For Blood Pressure
Beta-blockers, used to control blood pressure and heart disease, can make asthma worse. This group of drugs includes propranolol, atenolol, and metoprolol. If you have started taking a beta-blocker and your asthma gets worse, tell your doctor.
ACE inhibitors are another type of medicine given to treat blood pressure, heart disease and, sometimes, diabetes. Drugs such as captopril, enalapril, and lisinopril are included in this group. These medicines appear to be safe for people who have asthma. However, some people develop a cough when taking ACE inhibitors. If you start coughing while youre taking an ACE inhibitor, remember that the cough might not be caused by your asthma. If the cough is caused by the ACE inhibitor, it will usually go away a week or so after you stop taking the medicine. If you develop other problems that make your asthma worse, call your doctor to see if you should stop taking your ACE inhibitor.
What Are The Possible Side
Most people who take cough medicines do not have side-effects. Some cough preparations can cause drowsiness. If you are drowsy after taking a cough medicine, you should not drive and you should not operate machinery. The leaflet that comes with your medicine will state if the medicine can cause drowsiness.
Pholcodine may cause constipation.
Note: the above is not the full list of side-effects for these medicines. Please see the leaflet that comes with your particular brand for a full list of possible side-effects and cautions.
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What Is Dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant. It affects the signals in the brain that trigger cough reflex.
Dextromethorphan is used to treat a cough. It is available over-the-counter alone and is also present in many over-the-counter and prescription combination medications.
Dextromethorphan will not treat a cough that is caused by smoking, asthma, or emphysema.
What Is An Asthma Attack
An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing. The attack happens in your bodys airways, which are the paths that carry air to your lungs. As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, like the branches of a tree are smaller than the tree trunk. During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swell and the airways shrink. Less air gets in and out of your lungs, and mucous that your body makes clogs up the airways.
You can control your asthma by knowing the warning signs of an asthma attack, staying away from things that cause an attack, and following your doctors advice. When you control your asthma:
- you wont have symptoms such as wheezing or coughing,
- youll sleep better,
- you wont miss work or school,
- you can take part in all physical activities, and
- you wont have to go to the hospital.
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Facts You Should Know About Asthma
- Asthma is a lung disease that causes inflammation and narrowing of the breathing passages of the lungs .
- Seek medical care if youre experiencing a spasmodic cough at night, wheezing, trouble breathing, and chest pain or tightness.
- Treatment involves the use of quick-relief and long-term control medications.
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When To Seek Emergency Medical Care
Anyone experiencing any of the following emergency warning signs of flu sickness, including people with asthma, should seek medical attention right away.
People experiencing these warning signs should obtain medical care right away.
In children
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish lips or face
- Ribs pulling in with each breath
- Severe muscle pain
- Not alert or interacting when awake
- In children younger than 12 weeks, any fever
- Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions
In adults
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
- Persistent dizziness, confusion, inability to arouse
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Flu Vaccines For People With Asthma
- Most injectable influenza vaccines are approved for use in people 6 months and older, regardless of whether or not they have asthma or other health conditions. Flu shots have a long-established safety record in people with asthma.
- People with asthma should generally not receive the nasal spray flu vaccine .
- People with asthma who are aged 5 years and older, talk to your health care provider before getting the nasal spray vaccine.
- Children 2 to 4 years old who have asthma or who have had a history of wheezing in the past 12 months should not get the nasal spray vaccine.
Get pneumococcal vaccines.
- Pneumococcal pneumonia is an example of a serious flu-related complication that can cause death.
- People who have asthma should also be up to date with pneumococcal vaccination to protect against pneumococcal disease, such as pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections.
- You can get either Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine when you get a flu vaccine.
- Talk to your health care provider to find out which pneumococcal vaccines are recommended for you.
What Causes An Asthma Attack
An asthma attack can happen when you are exposed to asthma triggers. Your asthma triggers can be very different from someone elses asthma triggers. Know your triggers and learn how to avoid them. Watch out for an attack when you cant avoid your triggers. Some of the most common triggers are tobacco smoke, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, cockroach allergen, pets, mold, smoke from burning wood or grass, and infections like flu.
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What Is Robitussin Cough & Allergy
Chlorpheniramine is an antihistamine. Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant. Phenylephrine is a decongestant.
Robitussin Cough & Allergy is a combination medicine used to treat cough, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, itching, and watery eyes caused by allergies, the common cold, or the flu.
Robitussin Cough & Allergy will not treat a cough that is caused by smoking, asthma, or emphysema.
Robitussin Cough & Allergy may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.