Asthma

[majorghumman]

I am using symbicort dry spray irregularly as I don't feel out of breath in day to day life. I am 64years old, healthy Indian male from Punjab but living in New Zealand for the past 20 years. My peak flow is 360.

Is it OK or not?

[hypercat54]

Hi have you been officially diagnosed with asthma? Have you been given the symbicort by a medical professional? If so then you need to use it as prescribed as it also has an accumulative effect. Using it intermitently like this will lessen the effectiveness of it.

[Josephone]

360 is a bit low mention it to your GP additionally you can check it out online. Happy Christmas

[damascena]

Simbicort will not work unless taken daily. It's a preventative medicine as I understand it. Usually these take a few days to take effect so your sporadic use is not helping. 350 sounds low. My healthy peak flow is 450 and I am a short female who was never into sports or much exercise. You may want to take Simbicort everyday for a while at least until your peak flow climbs up.

[Superzob]

I have given some thought to your predicament. I am slightly older than you and have a peak flow of 300. I was diagnosed with asthma last year, and 50% lung function, after I complained of incessant winter colds and occasional chest tightness. After several inhalers, I have also settled on Symbicort, and that does seem to raise my PF to your level, as asthma is about 20% of my problem (the rest is COPD, although I've never smoked). I have been advised to take Symbicort regularly (2 puffs/day) to avoid putting further strain on the lungs, even though only the asthma component is reversible. My research suggests that you have 60% lung function, which is what I achieve with the inhaler, and you tend not to get any symptoms at that level [By the way, that would be quite normal for someone who started out life at the lower end of the lung function spectrum]. However, if your lung function drops below about 53%, then you start to get symptoms (as I did). My best advice would be to take the Symbicort regularly to delay any further reduction in lung function. You're fortunate to be living in New Zealand, where the air is pretty clean; I've been to Pune twice in the last 5 years, and the pollution is terrible!

Hope this helps.