When do *you* use steroid tablets kept at home?

[Singinglouder]

Hi. Had a fall a few days ago and wrenched the muscles over my rib cage. That plus the pollen count has made me wheezy enough that even I've noticed (I'm very bad as spotting my own symptoms). Saw the GP for a review, booked in before the fall. He was a bit concerned about my asthma, and gave me a week's supply of prednisolone to take if things got any worse. So, my question is: how bad do other sufferers get before you use a steroid stash? Knowing me, I'll probably wait until I'm desperate, i.e. too late...

[doonhamer1967]

I check my peak flow daily and when the coughing and shortness of breath combines with a peak flow of 60% of maximum I start the steroids. I then go to the GP to make sure there is no infection. Your asthma plan should tell you when to start them. If you don't have a plan then get one from your GP/nurse.

[Singinglouder in reply to doonhamer1967]

Thanks for that. I moved house & therefore surgery recently, and the new place is in the middle of trying to get me better controlled, and I don't have an up-to-date plan. I'm more than a little complicated, having multiple health conditions, and as I don't end up at A&E with my asthma it's rather been left to ride a bit - generally 70-80% of PB is where I'm at.

[doonhamer1967 in reply to Singinglouder]

One of the problems with asthma is that everyone is different. It may be worth speaking to an Asthma UK nurse in the meantime to get more advice. healthunlocked.com/asthmauk... I am lucky in that I just need to turn up at my local surgery and see my GP without an appointment and this arrangement has kept me out of a&e this year despite seven exacerbations.

[Hamscoul]

If my peak flow is consistently lower than I expect and my inhalers are not controlling my wheezing as expected I would consider using steroids. I usually have a phone consultation with my GP and we agree what to do.

If I have been given them in case I get worse I would do the same. Peak flow. How often I am using my bricanyl and if no improvement start prednisone.

Hope that gives you an idea of when to think about using them. Once you have your own plan place it will be easier to decide.

[Singinglouder]

Thanks for the comments, folks. When I've had steroid tablets before, they've been to take straight away - this is the first time I've been given some to keep at home, so it's useful to see how other people judge it's time to start them. I'm hopeless at noticing how bad my wheezing is getting (looking outside for the kitten I could hear crying outside my window, before realising it was me...), and as a trained singer/speaker my peak flow isn't always an accurate measure, either. I'm wondering whether an oximeter would be useful for me - they don't cost much these days. At least that way I'd know I definitely wasn't getting enough oxygen into my system.