[lunarprobe]

I just started sorta racing in my local series this year after getting in shape and becoming pretty active around a year ago. I started having bad asthma symptoms (EIA) during late season biking last year and while cross country skiing. So I got an albuterol inhaler late winter from Student Death and that seemed to help out if I used it before, during and after long durations of skate skiing.

I had decent success during the year so far by using my inhaler before, during and after big mountain bike rides. Recently, however, its gotten really dry and dusty and during a local race tonight I reached the bottom of a seriously dusty downhill section and realized I couldn't really breathe (which was pretty depressing as I faced the first real climb at that moment..) I had forgotton to use my inhaler beforehand, but I have also mostly had asthma triggered by cold temps..and it was pretty toasty. I pulled over before the climb, hit the inhaler for a while, got passed alot, and sort of recovered to at least finish.

I am just curous how people who have dust/cold air triggers deal with asthma in a racing situation. Do you use anything other than the standard inhaler? How long will that carry you through if you're pushing it? In the previous race I hit the inhaler twice 30 min prior to starting, and won the sport class, but felt like death warmed over afterwards with regards to coughing and wheezing and it was only 11 miles, though with a solid climb. Is there anything else you can do to help with this?

 

[Hud]

My brother was a bad athsmatic when he was younger, but was cured by a homeopath.
He still can't go too hard in cold air, or he gets a bit wheezy and phlegmy. He doesn't require an inhaler or anything though. On very cold days doesn't ride at all. The homeopath said the athsma could return if he overdoes it in cold air.
Doesn't help you much sorry.

 

[BruceBrown]

I am just curous how people who have dust/cold air triggers deal with asthma in a racing situation. Do you use anything other than the standard inhaler? How long will that carry you through if you're pushing it? In the previous race I hit the inhaler twice 30 min prior to starting, and won the sport class, but felt like death warmed over afterwards with regards to coughing and wheezing and it was only 11 miles, though with a solid climb. Is there anything else you can do to help with this?

Singulair.
One pill daily (taken before I hit the sack). If I get any symptoms during an XC race, it's usually after the race is over (coughing, etc...). Talk to your doctor about a 24 hour solution rather than just relying on your rescue inhaler.

BB

 

[lunarprobe]

Singulair.
One pill daily (taken before I hit the sack). If I get any symptoms during an XC race, it's usually after the race is over (coughing, etc...). Talk to your doctor about a 24 hour solution rather than just relying on your rescue inhaler.

Thanks for the advice, Bruce. Is Singulair something I would only need to take the night before biking/skiing days or everyday?

 

[GrantB]

I was recently prescribed Singulair, too. You can't take it the night prior to an event or only before days you think might be difficult. You have to take it habitually, every day, no matter what you think you are going to get into, in order for it to be effective. For that reason, and the lengthy list of possible side effects, I've been letting it sit on the shelf. A friend of mine who races MTB and triathlons and who has far more pronounced asthma than me loves the Singulair and says it has helped her immensely. She recently completed her first half Iron Man.

I'm more the exercise induced asthma type, and tend to do ok in the summer, so for the time being I'm cooling it. I might resume medicating in the winter.

 

[sprocketjockey9]

I'm on singulair also and have a albuterol inhaler. Singulair is taken daily.

I use my inhaler only typically during early spring races, usually don't need it after the first few races as the coughing seems to subside

 

[lunarprobe]

Thanks for the input guys. I just got back from the doc and am going to try the Singulair out. I am not real excited to take medicine everyday, but being able to breathe is very important to me!

 

[lunarprobe]

Update

Well, I tried Singulair and it worked great. I only had to use my Albuterol inhaler a couple of times during 5 hr+ rides, and no coughing fits. Unfortunately, it also gave me horrible insomnia, bad anxiety, and nasty headaches and general zombieness in the mornings. I kept using it through last Thursday to get me through the Enduro. Now that I am off of it, the side effects are disappearing, but I am now having bad inflamed-lung sensitivity and shortness of breath without any physical exertion. The albuterol does little to help (when I can actually hold it in without coughing) and the asthma seems to be having some sort of nasty rebound effect following the end of Singulair use. Looks like its back to the Doc....

 

[JonathanD]

I have had alergies and athsma since I was a child. When I was younger it would get so bad that I could not walk upo the stairs.

Alavert has hellped me greatly. Also, when I was 13(12 years ago) I did some testing and found that I am allergic to Wheat. I would pick a food type for 3-6 months and avoid it. I tried going without dairy, without meat, without sugar and without wheat. I found that wheat and sugar GREATLY effect my ability to breath, live without aches, and enjoy life.

No wheat/sugar from me. Its not that I can't eat them every once in a while, but if I eat them every day my quality of life decreases.

BTW, alavert can be taken the night before, it is a 24 hour relief type of thing that can be found over the counter.