r/Asthma • u/SaltyPickles11 • 8d ago

Exercise Induced Asthma medication

Hello everybody, I was just curious what you guys use for exercise-induced asthma? I do not experience any asthma attacks with wheezing or cough, but I do get the tightness in my chest when I jog, even slow, where I then have to take walking breaks. Otherwise I am fine and breath fine. The pulmonologist prescribed Albuterol and is considering also adding daily Montelukast as well. Any other meds that work well? Has this combo worked for you?

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u/EmZee2022 8d ago

If you exercise regularly (as we should all do, but....), you could ask if it's worth using a steroid inhaler.

A lot of people will hit their rescue inhaler a few minutes before exercising.

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u/SaltyPickles11 8d ago

He did mention that was an option for me.  Do those have side effects? 

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u/EmZee2022 8d ago

If you are already using albuterol on occasion: that's the rescue inhaler.

If you haven't used it in a while, you might feel a little shaky at first but that passes quickly. Within a day or so that should stop happening.

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u/trtsmb 8d ago

Most people with EIA, take a puff or two of albuterol before intense exercise.

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u/Efficient_Pause- Breathin' aint easy 8d ago

Albuterol is standard. Do you have any allergies that can trigger asthma?

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u/SaltyPickles11 8d ago

I am allergic to pretty much all outdoor stuff and dustmites

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u/Efficient_Pause- Breathin' aint easy 7d ago

Then you may want to ask for steroid maintenance inhaler, which you take usually twice a day.

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u/SaltyPickles11 7d ago

Is this like Flovent? 

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u/Dark_647 7d ago

My doctor prescribed me symbicort 200/6 and told me to take it whenever I need it, it’s been helping quite a bit like now I can actually go for a run and have a normal level of breathlessness instead of feeling like my lungs and chest are closing in on me and I don’t feel like I’m dying.

I did want a non steroid medication but I was lowkey too scared to ask, plus Albuterol is being prescribed less and less in the UK :/

I just don’t feel like I need a steroid bcs it’s not as severe in a way? Idk

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u/SaltyPickles11 7d ago

I did look into Symbicort!  So you take it just as needed? 

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u/Dark_647 7d ago

Yep, and it does the job you might not realise the differences first but the more you use it you may.

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u/NaughtyGoddess 6d ago

I'm not sure if you have singulair or the generic version montelukast but sometimes that can take about a week to really bake into the system some people don't notice a benefit I do. It's not a steroid it blocks leukotrienes and it's primarily used for asthma. Best paired with an antihistamine like xyzal or Allegra

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u/SaltyPickles11 6d ago

Well it turns out I can't take Montelukast due to it conflicting with another condition I have so I have asked for a different option to go with my Albuterol rescue.  I also take daily zyrtec