Peak flow/ventolin question

Hi, I'm a bit confused & looking for somebody clever to help me out!

If I take Ventolin then my peak flow goes significantly higher than it gets when I'm feeling well. Would it do this to normal lungs, or does this mean it's always lower than it should be?

[Hidden]

Hi,

Salbutamol shouldn't have much of an effect on 'normal' lungs - it might cause a little bit of bronchodilation and hence a higher peak flow (which is why it is sometimes used by cyclists etc as a drug of abuse) but it should not make a dramatic difference to your peak flow unless you have some bronchoconstriction going on. This is why salbutamol can be used as part of diagnostic testing for asthma - spirometry is done, then if the values are below the predicted value, a salbutamol inhaler or neb is given before repeating spirometry - an increase is highly suggestive of asthma.

When this is happening, how does your initial starting peak flow compare to your predicted or best peak flow? If your peak flow is low and you are responding to salbutamol, it may be that you have a reduced awareness of your symptoms for whatever reason - something to discuss with your doctor.

If you are feeling pretty well and are able to do everything that you want to do with no limitation in your exercise tolerance, but you are still finding that your peak flow is low and it improves with salbutamol, it is tricky to know how much significance to place on this - again, I would probably discuss it with your doctor to see if he/she feels that any more treatment is necessary.

Hope this helps

Em H

[Hidden]

In a moment I shall stop laughing enough at my mental image of a cyclist trying to race with ventolin shakes to thank you for your reply!

I'm able to function normally, exercise, etc if my PF's at least 440. My best PF (without salbutamol) is 480, although when the lungs are feeling healthy & stable I stay at a fairly even 460-470 & it definitely seems to plateau at this level & not be effected by higher doses of my steriod inhaler. If I've been at home before taking salbutamol & taken my PF first it's usually below 440, I've then taken it again around 1-3 hours later (I've not done this scientifically, all a bit random! Also, I've only just started thinking to take my PF pre-salbutamol) & it'll be at 520.

I'll ask the doctor about it when I'm next there & in the meantime I'll start taking some more structured PF readings & make a note of them so that I have something a bit more concrete!

Thanks for yor help

Sharon