[bulletbob]

I'm going to see my pulmonary guy next week with a few questions so I'm taking a survey to see what combination of meds you guys use?

I'm hoping to hit the bike a lot harder this year and a make a couple of races now that I'm mostly recovered from breaking my fool neck!

Cranx? *rt*? buller? bueller?

Thanks!

 

[BruceBrown]

I'm going to see my pulmonary guy next week with a few questions so I'm taking a survey to see what combination of meds you guys use?

Singulair daily tablet. 3 separate inhalers (Oxis, Pulmicort and Bricanyl as needed)

BB

 

[*rt*]

I'm going to see my pulmonary guy next week with a few questions so I'm taking a survey to see what combination of meds you guys use?

I'm hoping to hit the bike a lot harder this year and a make a couple of races now that I'm mostly recovered from breaking my fool neck!

Cranx? *rt*? buller? bueller?

Thanks!

buller checking in.

i have yet to find the ideal combo of meds but over the years i have tried the following combos:

1. singulair (1x/day), advair (1x/day), zyrtec (1x/day), albuterol (15 min before exercise/racing), and intal (15 min before exercise/racing)

2. singulair (1x/day), zyrtec (1x/day), albuterol (15 min before exercise/racing), intal (15 min before exercise/racing)

3. zyrtec (1x/day), albuterol & intal (15 min before exercise/racing)

4. zyrtec (1x/day), albuterol (when i feel like it and usually 15 min before racing)

5. zyrtec (1x/day), & nothing else and i just try to ignore the fact that it feels like i'm breathing through one of those little straws you get to stir your coffee

i dropped the advair pretty early on because it was giving me thrush from the inhaled steroid....even when i was careful to rinse after using it. thrush sucks. i wouldn't recommend it. :madman:

i dropped the singulair recently when i ran out and discovered that i didn't feel or breathe any differently without it.

i've also pretty much dropped the intal out of the mix because.....well, i guess because i'm being non-compliant!

so basically, right now i'm taking zyrtec and i'll use my albuterol inhaler before a high intensity training session or before a race. it's not the magic bullet that i'd like but it seems to be the best i can come up with.

rt

 

[upstateSC-rider]

so basically, right now i'm taking zyrtec and i'll use my albuterol inhaler before a high intensity training session or before a race. it's not the magic bullet that i'd like but it seems to be the best i can come up with.

rt

This is what I do also but the albuterol tends to raise my HR a little more than I like sometimes.

Lou

 

[*rt*]

This is what I do also but the albuterol tends to raise my HR a little more than I like sometimes.

Lou

same problem here. my HR is pretty high anyway just before a race but with the inhaler it's not unusal for me to see 140 just standing on the start line! :eekster:

rt

 

[newbiescrub]

Not giving advice but...

You guys might want to ask your doctor about Xopenex (levalbuterol). Maybe you guys already have, so i won't bore you with the details, but supposedly it's not supposed to cause your heart to race as much. They just came out with the inhaler a few months ago and enviro-safe (no CFC). I don't know that insurance will cover it without prior authorization...

Shameless promo here.

 

[*rt*]

You guys might want to ask your doctor about Xoponex (levalbuterol). Maybe you guys already have, so i won't bore you with the details, but supposedly it's not supposed to cause your heart to race as much. They just came out with the inhaler a few months ago and enviro-safe (no CFC). I don't know that insurance will cover it without prior authorization...

thanks. good info. it would be nice not to see my HR hovering around the stratosphere while standing on the starting line.

rt

 

[Ptor]

I'm going to see my pulmonary guy next week with a few questions so I'm taking a survey to see what combination of meds you guys use?

Advair Diskus 250/50 (fluticasone propionate 250 mcg & salmeterol 50 mcg), one inhalation in the morning, one at night. Simply put, it changed my life. It works so well that it has been over two years since I've needed to touch myself up with an albuterol inhaler.

 

[Kentbphat]

I take the same Advair as PeT, and Singulair once a day.
I have an albuterol inhaler, but haven't used it in quite some time.

Sometimes its hard to tell if these things are really working (I don't have a super severe case of athsma, but enough to suck) but I do feel it a little bit if I forget to take them.

Hope everyone has a good 07 season.
Myself? If I finish the race I'm happy. If someone finishes behind me, I'm ecstatic.

Gotta have fun out there!

 

[bulletbob]

A blanket thanks...

...ya'll!

Seems like Albuterol, Singulair and Advair are the only common threads and I'm already huffing the Albuterol and Singulair (thank gawd for insurance!).

I guess I'm in kentbphat's groove, the only thing I'll be competing against is the DNF or a number in my head. Really, I just want to make it to the finish line!

Thanks!

 

[bulletbob]

Damn, do you own stock in Merck I hope?

 

[ar1981]

My Asthma is only triggered by cold weather (I need to move some where warm!)
I was using Flixotide (GSK) as a preventor and Salamol or Ventolin as a reliever... Haven't had to use them for quite awhile now...
BTW - those are names none of you are probably familar with since they aren't state side...

 

[*rt*]

Damn, do you own stock in Merck I hope?

LOL. i wish!

rt

 

[sprocketjockey9]

Singulair Daily Tablet and Albuterol

One of the best things I've found is to focus on your exhale completely and "force" the air out of your lungs. By working on exhaling rather than inhaling, you allow alot more air into your lungs and I've found this has had a profound effect on my EIA

 

[jspharmd]

Seems like Albuterol, Singulair and Advair are the only common threads and I'm already huffing the Albuterol and Singulair (thank gawd for insurance!).

Bulletbob

There are national guidelines that were developed to assist physicians with evidence-based diagnostic and treatment strategies. These guidelines have a very simple chart explaining the appropriate starting therapy based on symptoms (see page 5 of PDF document). Depending on how often you are having these symptoms and under which circumstances they are occuring, you may require an inhaled steroid to reduce the overall inflammation caused by Asthma. Below is a link to the guidelines. Your physician should be somewhere close to what is recommended in the guidelines or have a good reason not be.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/execsumm.pdf

As important as medications is avoiding triggers. Your physician can help you identify these and make a plan to remove them (whatever they are). I've noticed that, for many people, pets are the trigger and you should therefore have a plan to reduce exposure to this trigger (i.e. not sleeping with your pets).

Often reducing triggers can significantly improve your symptoms.

FWIW, I use Flovent (Fluticosone) as my controller (i.e. inhaled steroid) and Albuterol as my reliever (bronchodialator). I usually pretreat with albuterol prior to exercise.

Finally, if you continue to have symptoms despite you intial treatment regimen, you should pay special attention to the conditions you are in when you have an Asthma attack (this should then be discussed with your physician).

Enough with the soapbox, good luck!!!

 

[nor]

I use nasocort to keep the nose clear, advair, albuterol and Mucinex. Mucinex saved me by just keeping the pleghm down and making it easier to get rid of the stuff. It is sold over the counter and is extended release tablet.

 

[CranxOC]

Hey Bob,

I'm on Advair 100/50 twice a day (morning and night), Singulair once a day (at night), Intol four times per day and Albuterol before exercise. I also used Nosonex for a while however, I experienced one of those "rare but serious" side effects with it; it essentially caused unbelievable amounts of muscle fatigue and weakness...not good for riding/racing a MTB.

I am curious about that new drug Xopenex and will have to look into it. The funny thing about Albuterol for me is that it actually has the opposite affect on my HR than it has on most people. I've experimented with not using it before a ride and, like clockwork, I run a much higher HR without it than with. I guess actually getting oxygen in your system does help.

Good luck, asthma's a beeyatch but, it is what it is and there's apparently not a whole lot we can do about it.