New asthmatic - Asthma Message Board

Soccergod · 10-12-2008, 03:05 PM

I was in ER this AM for severe attack. 2 doses of albuterol. Sent home with inhaler and prendisone. Can I consume alcohol? What are my exercise limitations?

gcsjr · 10-12-2008, 06:42 PM

First of all, you should make an appointment with a pulmonologist to have a lung function test and to get on an asthma treatment program (2 doses of albuterol is fairly common so your attack may not have been all that severe - truly severe attacks typically require steroid injections and the use of a nebulizer to control them - but any attack that is serious enough to send you to the hospital is something you should take seriously).

If you've never had an asthma attack before you should definitely see a pulmonologist before you start exercising again, the doc will probably want to get you on some kind of maintenance medication and, if your asthma is exercise-related, on a program to use your inhaler before you exercise.

Alcohol does trigger asthma attacks in some people so you might wait until you see the pulmonologist before you drink again.

rockbysea · 10-13-2008, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soccergod

I was in ER this AM for severe attack. 2 doses of albuterol. Sent home with inhaler and prendisone. Can I consume alcohol? What are my exercise limitations?

Hi...I'm new to this asthma thing too but I'm gonna hold off with all the meds they want me to take and just use the one puffer and advil with pseudoephedrine (one pill containing 30 mg of pseudoephedrine keeps my chest clear for about 5 to 7 hours) until I can find the cause. I also checked into emergency on October 11th and was also prescribed prednisone but I refuse to take it because it suppresses the body's immune system making one vulnerable to catch other viruses. Also prednisone should not be stopped abruptly if taken for longer than seven days.

“Adrenal suppression occurs if prednisone is taken for longer than 7 days, a condition wherein the body is unable to synthesize natural corticosteroids and becomes dependent on the prednisone taken by the patient.” wikipedia.

I don't want to just give up and say I'll be an asthmatic for the rest of my life because if I just start taking all the meds they want me to take I'll be one for sure. I'm not ready to become a new asthma customer without a fight.

gcsjr · 10-14-2008, 03:53 AM

rockbysea-

Obviously it's your choice not to take the medication but you're making your decision based on incomplete information. First of all, there is absolutely no evidence that taking asthma medication will cause you to be an asthmatic or to continue to need the medication. You're much more likely to end up back in the hospital if you don't take the medication, and asthma is a serious disease (nearly 4,000 people die from asthma attacks each year in the U.S.).

Second, if you take prednisone as prescribed, adrenal suppression is rarely an issue. The dosages typically prescribed for an asthma attack are relatively low, and after just a few days the amount will be tapered off so that your body will return to normal. Adrenal suppression is only an issue for people who prednisone daily for a long period of time.

You really should see a pulmonologist and get some better information about the medications you're taking before making your decision (or encouraging other people to make such a decision).

rockbysea · 10-14-2008, 11:35 AM

They tried to get me dependent on high blood pressure medication: I beat them on that.
They tried to get me dependent on cortisone creams: I beat them on that.
They tried to get me dependent on cholesterol lowering drugs: I beat them on that.
Now they're gonna try to make me dependent on expensive asthma medications (a $17billion industry) well I'm gonna do my best to beat them on that as well.

Are people not allowed to discuss what they want or not want to put into their bodies? If a doctor prescribes me a medication should I not research the side effects and decide for myself if this is what I want to put into my body and freely discuss this in an open forum?

I do not want to be encouraged to take a drug that suppresses my immune system by inhibiting my liver’s ability to synthesize natural corticosteroids, which may result in a dependency on the prednisone if I take it longer than 7 days. The doctor gave me one pill to take immediately and a prescription to take another 7 pills which means I would be on it for 8 days. According to the information from the drug company I would have to be weaned off this after 7 days.

The list of “side effects’ in the package insert for Prednisone are too numerous to mention but the short-term side effects are high blood pressure, insomnia, euphoria and in some cases, even mania.

And of course, guess what? They got a drug they can prescribe me for every one of those short-term side effects and on and on.