1. Put the Puff Where it's Needed
Several different types of asthma medications are taken by inhaling, so that the medicine goes right to the lungs. Learning to use these medications to get the full dose takes a bit of instruction and practice. Many people simply hold the inhaler up to their mouths and deliver a puff of medicine into their mouths. Unfortunately, this gets little if any medicine to the lungs. Instead, breathe in and out deeply, then on the next breath in, deliver the puff of medicine from the inhaler and breathe it in slowly. Hold the breath in your lungs for 10 seconds if at all possible, and then exhale.
2. Know What to Take When
Anti-inflammatory medications, also delivered as inhalers, prevent asthma attacks, but they are ineffective during an asthma attack. For asthmatic symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath, use a bronchodilator, or rescue inhaler instead. These contain medicines designed to widen the bronchial tubes quickly, unlike anti-inflammatory drugs that take longer to work. Understand the functions of different asthma inhalers and the drugs they contain to properly manage asthma.
3. Asthma Control for Life
Once an effective combination of asthma medication is found, many asthmatics assume they'll have to take these drugs for the rest of their lives. But it's possible your doctor might lower or eliminate the dosage of some drugs after a period of time. Anti-allergy medications are often part of a plan to control asthma symptoms. If you experience most of your allergy-related asthma symptoms in the spring, it's possible you could take a different dosage the remainder of the year and still have sufficient asthma control.
4. Talk to the Doc
On the flip side, some asthmatics try to cut back on their medication without first discussing it with their healthcare provider. Those diagnosed with asthma in childhood sometimes wonder if they've possibly outgrown it, which does happen in some cases. But stopping medication without the advice of your doctor can lead to disastrous results, from an increase in intolerable asthma symptoms, to a full-blown asthma attack that ends with a visit to the emergency room.
5. Know Your Peak Flow
Asthma is a disease that's best managed with a proactive approach. It's key to have a plan in place with the doctor as to how to handle asthma when you're sick. Using a peak flow meter, which is a device that measures the ability to expel air from the lungs, is an important aspect of asthma management during an illness. An upper respiratory infection decreases an asthmatic's ability to expel air forcefully from the lungs, and can signal conditions that lead to a severe asthma attack. Medicine delivered via a nebulizer, which converts the medicine into a fine mist easily inhaled, is sometimes best for asthmatics so they can effectively manage their asthma when sick.
