Can Post Nasal Drip Trigger Asthma?

Hi, I recently was diagnosed with what initially presented as seasonal asthma over the summer, which settled but then came back after a cold, which lingered for the best part of 3 weeks and I needed steroids to get my asthma stable again... I am also taking Avamys nasal spray as I also suffer from Eustachian tube dysfunction which obviously flared up from the cold I had, however on Friday I got called in to work early, and in the rush forgot to take it! (I had my preventer as normal but as I am rinsing my sinuses a good half hour before using my Avamys I left the house forgetting to take it!) by mid morning I was suffering bad from post nasal drip which still must be lingering from the cold, which made me cough loads (Different to my asthma cough though to begin with) and by lunchtime I was needing ventolin as it was irritating my asthma, and when I got home a few hours after I checked my pf and it had dropped down to 350 (usually around 450 but best is around 500) it picked back up to normal after taking another 2 puffs of ventolin and taking my spray again though and has stayed stable over the weekend! I was just wondering if post nasal drip does actually trigger asthma symptoms? And if so, does anyone have any tips on how to clear it more effectively- my sinuses are awful! I steam, rinse, use decongestants although they don’t work and can’t take for more than a few days anyway, I’m used to it as I suffer bad with hay fever! Also tried my antihistamines to see if they make any difference but I’m not sure they do unless it’s from allergies......... I have an appointment with the nurse on Tuesday so will ask her opinion anyway, but I wanted to know if any of you lovely people have experienced anything like this or have any tips/advice on how I can get rid of it any quicker as the slightest thing will irritate and inflame my sinuses, has me straight back onto my Avamys and takes a long time to clear!

Sorry for the long post!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Hi, that sounds horrible! I luckily don't have major sinus issues, but I do have hayfever despite not having allergic asthma (which is weird, but then so is my asthma). I mentioned to a previous consultant (who seemed to know his stuff) that I wasn't sure if hayfever was really setting off the asthma if it was non-allergic asthma. He said the rhinitis/post-nasal drip would set me off from the physical aspect of it dripping into my airways, even if pollen wasn't directly setting my asthma off. He wanted me to be really vigilant about taking my antihistamine and Avamys because of this - I had been seeing my hayfever as a side issue.

I have heard good things about Dymista which is a steroid plus antihistamine nasal spray - a friend with severe asthma and hayfever who was on Avamys and said it was good thinks this is way better! I haven't tried it but you might want to ask the nurse when you see her. \

Hope this helps - I can't offer many solutions sorry but I hope your appt is useful and others can suggest things!

[Hidden in reply to Lysistrata]

Thank you! That’s interesting, and actually makes sense that it can irritate by dripping down! Thanks for the Dymista suggestion, I will definitely ask if she thinks it would be worth changing to a different spray, although the Avamys is usually really good, it makes such a difference with the inflammation and pain side of things and makes having hay fever so much more bearable, I think it just took me by surprise how bad it got just from missing one dose after a cold that started a month ago when I wasn’t even particularly sympathetic, I’d only been taking it to ensure everything had calmed right down and to try and keep my ear as clear as possible after the cold!

Thank you!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

If it helps, Dymista seems to have the same steroid ingredient (the fluticasone) plus an antihistamine - so it's probably down to whether you ans the nurse think a topical antihistamine would help, since you should still keep the benefits of Avamys with the same steroid.

Always surprising how much difference you notice when something isn't there! I thought my Spiriva Respimat was doing nothing for.me until the GP surgery messed up,, and so I didn't have any and wasn't pursuing it very hard because I thought it wasn't helping anyway. By the second day I changed my mind and mentally asked Spiriva to forgive me and could I have it back now please!

[Hidden in reply to Lysistrata]

Completely agree with your words about not really noticing how much something helps until it’s not there!! Thank you for the info on the Dymista, even if it probably won’t help any more than the Avamys now, it might well be something that will be extremely useful come hay fever season, especially if the pollen is anything like this year! This is why I am so so greatful for this forum, when I went to my GP because my sinuses weren’t coping at all with hay fever, my ear drum was sucked right in to the bone and I was in so much pain with it all, all my GP said was that I was already on the right medication!!! Now I know there are actually alternatives, I can be more assertive next year and ask about something more if I need to!

Thank you!