Am I at risk for severe asthma ?

[ihatesteroids]

Well,it's been nearly a year since I got this awful disease,very late onset.I'm a non smoker but have had heavy exposure to air pollution.During the year,I've been relying heavily on ventolin and montelukast.I didn't find a steroid inhaler which suited me and used ventolin almost daily with the exception of a summer month.Winter was especially tough with breathing difficulties in the evenings.Spring wasn't easy either and high humidity made things worse too.Also a lot of nocturnal coughing,nasal blockages after using ventolin,sleepless nights and wheezing.I guess I'll have to use a steroid inhaler after all which makes me very uncomfortable,but could relying on ventolin alone already have increased my risk of developing severe asthma ?

[Griffon]

The answer is that any treatment and or lack of will have an affected on your overall condition . Asthma has a mind of its own and responds to conditions in the environment . In my own case after suffering a prolonged attack that lasted eight months I was able to wean myself off medication and have been fine since . Learning to manage your condition is the key .

[Hannah125 in reply to Griffon]

Hi,

I had no idea that an attack could last this long. I myself feel like I'm constantly having an attack (chest always feeling sore and can no longer breath properly without ventolin). I've been sick for 7 months and despite two courses of oral steroids and seretide I still feel the same. How did you overcome this attack ? Did it settle on its own ?

Thanks!

[Hidden]

Steroid inhalers use corticosteroid, the dose delivered is tiny, most goes to the lungs and have been proven to be extremely safe.

This chap helped to get them introduced for asthmatics and the site is probably the best to explain allergies.

allergiesexplained.com/

Using ventolin regularly will cause your body to become tolerant and it will lose some of its affect, taking a preventer inhaler regularly means you can use the ventolin less often and it will be more affective when you need it.

[ihatesteroids in reply to Hidden]

At high doses,inhaled steroids aren't particularly safe and the severity of my condition requires high doses.

[Hannah125 in reply to ihatesteroids]

I know that inhaled steroids also can have awful side effects but from what I read it is still better than taking oral steroids. If taking inhaled steroids can prevent you from needing to take oral steroids then I'd recommand you to give the inhaled steroids a try. And once you gain control you can slowly lower the dosage so the side effects could become less intense.

[ihatesteroids in reply to Hannah125]

It was only a short course of oral steroids,thankfully without ill effects.As for inhaled steroids,I'm still trying different brands to find one I can tolerate.

[Superzob]

My consultant believes that untreated asthma can lead to more permanent damage, and it's possible that my untreated asymptomatic late onset asthma resulted in my fixed airways obstruction.

I had a lot of problems with aerosol inhalers, and eventually settled on Symbicort Turbohaler, which uses dry powder. The problem with all this is that it is very specific to the individual, which is why there are so many inhalers on the market.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that it is probably better to find a preventer inhaler which suits, rather than relying on Ventolin, which is really for emergencies. There is little danger in taking Ventolin at 8 puffs a day but, because it has only a short-term effect, it might not be offering the safeguard against worsening symptoms and permanent damage which you really need.

[ihatesteroids]

Yes,my symptoms are worsening and I've had to resort to my first short burst of oral steroids which calmed things a bit.