Cat-

Yes. Add in Mucinex DM - this will help break up the mucous and relieve the congestion.

Also add a warm steam vaporizer at night. This will help moisten airways and make it easier to breath and get rid of the mucuous.

Also see about a nebulizer and nebulized albuterol fluid (such as Duoneb or Xenopex). This will also help open your airways.

Use your rescue inhaler first to open your airways and then your preventative/maintenance medications. However, most preventatives/maintenance are only to be used 2x/day, not 4x/day as your are doing, (unless this is a steroid drug such as Flovent in which case this is OK). At any rate ask you doctor about this as over use of certain drugs, such as Advair, could potentially be fatal.

I'll post more tricks of the trade later. At work and inbetween disasters right now :-)

Please post how it's going and it this is helpful.

mucinex is great advice but is costly this otc med active ingrediant is guaifenesin which is found as an expectorant on the label in the cough and cold section. it works for me when I suffer with colds

although good advice has been given already. i would hold of getting a nebulisee. it is just as effective to use your reliever inhaler through a speaver having ten puffs as a nebuliser is. try having ten ouffs throgh aspacer and see how it helps. by using a spacer you dont lose as much of the active ingredients to the outside as you ddo when you put the inhlaer straight in your mouth..
steam inkhkations are a good idea or have a hot showerthis oipens the airways and sooths the irritation.
hope something works for you
olive

Note of caring caution to all...
As already stated by Orsonwelz, using asthma medications more frequently than prescribed or taking more doses than prescribed can be very detrimental to your health, and in some cases even fatal.

This warning applies to rescue inhalers and fast-acting inhalers including those with Albuterol, Epinephrine, and other varieties. Taking ten puffs when you're only to take two to four can cause a rapid increase in heart rate and other heart problems which can lead to a cardiac medical emergency in addition to your problematic asthma.

If in doubt about how much medicine you should take, contact your doctor, but never increase or change your dosing amount or schedule based on information provided by anyone except your doctor or other qualified medical professional.

Love to you all!! (I'm wheezing a coughing along with you!)

TGG

i didnt make it vlear in my message. if you are thinking of using a nebuliser you can get the same re;lief from 10puffs of a reliever as you can from a nebuliser and it is as effective.

you need massive amount so of reliever for it to cause cariac problems. yes it does increase your haert rate but not to a fatl level. brinchodilators ahve been desiged so you can use alot to gain reilf from them in an emergency without doing detrimental damge to your other votal organs at the same time.

i use the equivilant of 15 inhaler aday through an infusion going constantly and apart from an increase in haertrate there are not other cardiac problems associated with using this amount.

obviosuly you need to speak to your dr. but information such as what has been gien can be found on websites advising on what to do when asthma becomes uncnrtolled.

olive

Olive-

Just to be clear, you do not need to use a "massive amount" from a relievr inhaler in order to wind up in cardiac arrest. Over using it, taking more than two puffs at a time in quick succession can be enough to put someone into an arrythmia and then arrest. Over use of bronchodialtors can cause the same result.

Yes, a nebulizer, or an infusion, as you are doing, are safer ways of delivering a larger amount of medication quickly. However, even these methods can lead to cardiac problems and close medical supervision is needed, espceially in the case of using an infusion.

This is all based on an individual's tolerance to the medications. What's good for one person can be fatal to another.

My internist says NO to Muscinex on asthma. A nebuliser treatment will give you added moisture plus 6x more meds than we get with an inhaler. Remember mucous color..dark yellow or green & you need a doc immediately !!

Ohana-

Despite your internist's beliefs, most pulmonologists specializing in asthma prescribe Mucinex to get rid of excess mucous before it becomes infected. Yes, moisture from a nebulizer will help expel mucous, but unless an expectorant is part of the treatment, just adding moisture is usually not enough in the case of asthma.

Its important to use medications as directed. The level of importance is evident simply because it is a controlled substance.
Each person responds differently to medications. Using additional Albuteral can easily cause tachycardia. There is another issue with excessive use of Albuteral separate from tachycardia (rapid heart rate, usually 100 beat or more per minute, heart attack, heart failure, stroke due to increased blood pressure. Albuteral and many other drugs back fire and do exactly the opposite for the intended uses. Straight to the point is that more is not always better and too much will cause constriction rather than dilatation.

Another concern is an enlarged heart do to the heart working to hard. This condition is known as Congestive heart failure (CHF).

The purpose of using a vaporizer is for continuous mist to help maintain moisture in the lungs. When a person is struggling with Asthma; its common to do a lot of mouth breathing and therefore dehydrate the lungs or dehydration in general. Either of these dehydrations are risk factors. Increasing fluids during this time is important.

Guaifenesin (expectorant) is a very helpful drug. It is used to help coughs caused by colds or similar illnesses clear mucus or phlegm (pronounced flem) from the chest. It works by thinning the mucus or phlegm in the lungs. This can be prescribed so your insurance will cover the cost.

Some people can safely use a vibrator on the ribs, upper chest and the entire ribs area of the back. My personal experience has been reducing the effects of asthma, bronchial spasms, loosens phlegm, freer breathing and fewer and shorter times of distress.

Nebulizer treatments are more effective than an inhaler. If this were not true, it would not be used in the emergency room. The emergency room does not use inhalers because its not as effective as the nebulizer. There are several different ways the nebulizer is used in the emergency room. Some use a mask, mouth piece for continuous misting meditacion. A specialized mouth piece delivering medication only when inhaling or mask for a 1 hour continuous misting medication. Usually, the ER uses Duoneb also known as 2 medications being Albuteral and Atrovent.

When a patients regular meds are not containing symptoms, some patience are directed to use additional med prescribed to use with specific directions for safety. When this is not successful; its time to see ones doc or go to the ER.


I hope this helps.

I just got out of the hospital today. I went in to ER with a severe cough, and I was thinking it was asthma and maybe a cold. My heart rate was 156. So they rushed me back and did all kinds of fun tests. I ended up staying over night. Now i'm on my normal albuterol and daily flovent, along with prednisone, and hyrdocodone for chest pain. My heart rate is back down to at least 106. Now that i'm on all these meds does anyone have suggestions for more help with my cough? I don't want to over medicate myself. Especially after the heart scare.
Thanks

p.s. also on anti biotics..lol

There is a blood pressure med group that causes a dry cough.
Are you on BP meds?

If you are not on BP meds then my next idea is the one I used when I was in this type of trouble. Vaporizer. Remember that when we have asthma we often become dehydrated and do a lot of mouth breathing.

If you mostly stay in your room then put it there. If you stay in your living room most of the day then put it there.
If you are in both when you are ill then have 2 of them.

I hope that helps.
Animal stories.

Ther has been alot of useful tools. as a asthmatic and someone who suffers with sinus trouble. you have to be careful with your heart , the nebulizer is much safer than 10 sprays of rescue meds. i use duoneb twice a day and qvar in the morning and night. I dont overuse anything because i have a heart mumur to think about and my acid reflux wont allow too much antibiotics and prednisone so we are the sensitive ones. work closely with your doctor and do not over use asthmatics drugs. they find people who fatally succumb to asthma were the ones on the most meds.

AsthmaSucks,
The nebulizer is more effective than an inhaler too.
If I am having trouble breathing, I prefer to use duoneb anyday.

I also use Chromolyn (sp). This is the solution form of Intal.
I add this to the duoneg to dilute it. it's not as hard on me that way.

Guaifenesin is a great decongestant.
You can get this in pill form or liquid.
You can get it as a prescription or over the counter.

Example: cough syrups or Mucinex.
It's loosens up the junk in your chest and nose.