For over 30 years I’ve controlled my asthma using ventolin inhalers with the instructed dosage of 2x puffs 4 times daily or when required.
Recently my request for a repeat prescription has been made difficult as the asthma Nurse at my doctors surgery informs me using my inhaler more than 2 times a week is excessive and my asthma is out of control!
I have done some breathing tests at the surgery and have an appointment at the hospital last Dec.
Previously I have been issued 2 inhalers with each prescription which always means I have one in reserve.
Nowadays I am informed one inhaler is meant to last 30 days, which it doesn’t, and have to argue for a repeat on every occasion.
Moreover, I am now using online services to purchase medication as I don’t need the stress
Without your medical notes it’s difficult to know the reasoning behind your regimen, but on the face of it it seems to be quite outdated. These days the rule of thumb is that if a reliever inhaler is required more than twice a week then the asthma is not as well controlled as it could be and preventative medication would be added in (or swapped or dosage adjusted if already on preventative meds) in order to reduce symptoms and need for the receiver inhaler. People who use a lot of reliever inhaler are generally at a higher risk of having an attack as although they may be managing symptoms the underlying inflammation that drives the airway hyper-responsiveness it not being adequately treated. Again this is a generalisation all asthma is individual and I don’t know your medical history, but it may be worth asking for an asthma review to talk about these issues with those who do know you and have access to your records. If you are under a consultant you could try contacting them to talk through your treatments whether this is still the best regimen for you or if you could benefit from trying something else. If they feel that salbutamol alone is still your best option they can write to your surgery to tell them as such and to stop limiting your supply.