My first post... In the last year I seem to have developed a chronic cold (almost always fighting either sniffles, sneezes or coughs) and more recently, occasional asthma-like symptoms. The real breathing trouble is at night, as on three occasions in the past 2 months I have been unable to sleep or was woken with shortness of breath when both inhaling and exhaling. Also, have had some daytime wheezing after stairs, or brisk walking in cold weather -- possible exercise-induced asthma? It may be aggravated by cat dander at home (which never seemed to bother me before) or a job (one year old, actually) in an office with a smoker and poor ventilation. I know I need to check with a doctor, but we are in the process of switching health care providers at work, and I don't want to risk the "pre-existing condition" label right now. I hope to visit a physician about this in the next couple months. I have never had allergies, but it seems that treatment of asthma -too- involves antihistamines such as in Claritin, now available otc. Has anyone successfully treated asthma symptoms with Claritin? On a positive note, I will soon be moving to a larger living space (less dander per square inch) and the job just moved to a new, larger, and better ventilated office this week. If you have any advice, i'd appreciate it. (Also, i've read some notes here on nighttime acid reflux -- is that a possibility even if I experience no stomach/heartburn-like discomfort at all?) Thanks.

Hi Granolagrrrl
I moved house a couple of years ago & had lots of problems with my asthma. I suppose it could've been due to lots of reasons but it did seem a lot like allergic reactions during hayfever period. There's lots of fields around here & the farmers grow rape seed. When it flowers it's hell on earth for asthmatics/hay fever sufferers.

My doctor prescribed Neo-Clarytin which has the generic name of Desloratidine. The Clarityn we can buy otc here is Loratidine. Not quite sure what the difference is. Anyhow, it seemed to make a big difference to my asthma & I've been taking it ever since. I wonder if I really need to take it all year round but my lungs haven't given me any bother for a while now so I just keep taking it. I always think it's hard to know if something is helping or not. Asthma is such a fickle thing.

Lidia http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

It IS fickle... Ughhhaaa!

1. Get a diagnosis of asthma from your DOCTOR and get on a drug treatment regimen specifically for your ASTHMA.

2. Don't try to treat it solely with over-the-counter medications.

3. Antihistamines often help asthmatics with underlying allergic triggers. They may or may not help you. You might find drugs like Singulair help you more than claritin -- they kind of bridge the gap, and block a different chemical than most antihistamines do.

Thank you for the good advice. I do plan to see a doctor, as soon as our insurance is settled. I may actually change primary care physicians when the insurance switches to the new company. Maybe I will look for someone who has some emphasis in this area. 'Just need to take care of symptoms until that day arrives.... http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

And if you get any indication whatsoever that your doctor doesn't know what he's talking about with reference to the asthma (in the sense that he automatically wants you to take buttloads of ventolin before he'll prescribe you anything else) do yourself a favor and get a referral to a pulmo doc.

Pulmonologists are usually pretty good about allergies, and could probably help you more than an allergist could, just becuase pulmonologists have had more experience dealing with the real actual physiological changes that asthma does to your lungs.