Question for all medics and knowledgable asthmatics

saw a mum in wrk yesterday whose child is on blue and brown inhalers as gets chesty/wheezy after cold but fine rest of time mainly probs start oct till april so therfore she doesn't give inhalers at all for rest of year unless child gets a cold. Am I right in thinking that brown should be given all time and blue when needed sounds daft as should know suppose but when its not for me but wrk related like to be sure. if child only needs inhalers after cold should mum just use ventolin prn rather than restarting brown one as well as child is well unless has cold and never wheezy or anything mum says?

ps not really bringing wrk home hmmm. well wrk long enough hrs but haven't cracked it yet.

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Hi Katharine,

Your assumption would have been correct, but over the past couple of years there has been work done suggesting that, for a certain subset of asthmatics who have seasonal symptoms, or symptoms only provoked by colds, then intermittent use of inhaled steroids is permissable and, indeed, best for them.

Hope this helps,

CathBear

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I'm not a child anymore, but this is pretty much what I do. I take my reliever (blue) when I really need it (though that's not often), and start on my preventer (brown) only when I've got a cold or a chest infection. I'm fine most of the time, so there's no point using the preventer every day when I don't really need it.

Spaniel xx

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my son takes his blue inhaler when needed and his steriod 2 puffs twice a day. it use to work 4 him but that was when it was under control now it isnt as they dropped it