When to go to hospital?

I don't feel I'm in any particular danger currently when posting this, so hope it is within the rules.

I've had asthma since childhood, and since being diagnosed I was very stable on my meds till last year when I've become increasingly uncontrolled. I am currently on Symbicort 400 twice daily, Montelukast, Salbutamol and also a current rescue course of 20mg pred - given by the consultant at my last appointment. The pred has always sorted me out in the past at least for a while, but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

I'm still really tight/wheezy - my boyfriend can hear me wheezing at night - and today I feel worse in spite of the pred which I've been taking for three days now. I've noticed no improvement in symptoms since starting it, which scares me because it's always worked in the past. I hate taking pred anyway because of the way it can cause weight gain.

I'm awake now partly due to pred sleeplessness and partly because I feel so wheezy and my chest is tight. I've been to the walk in centre in the past when I felt this way but my oxygen levels were normal so I felt like a fraud even though they did take it seriously and gave me a course of pred that time. I'm going to go there tomorrow anyway and ask whether they think I need to increase my dose of pred. I just don't know how bad I need to feel before going to hospital, because I've never been in this position before.

Any advice welcome!

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Possibly someone more experienced will have a different answer, but in my experience of going to OOH and A&E, for hospital you need to have tried taking 10 puffs of ventolin (2 every 2 mins up to 10) and to still be breathless and/or wheezy to the point where talking and walking is difficult.

If normal medication is not helping symptoms but you are still able to talk in full sentences and move around the house you probably need to go to walk in centre or see and out of hours GP.

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Thanks that's really helpful. In that case I will go to the walk in centre today and see what they say. I was a bit scared last night because pred has usually sorted me out quite quickly in the past but this time it seems to be taking longer. I am probably just getting anxious because I'm frustrated at still struggling!

Thanks for the advice