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Help Your Medicines Help You
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What is Asthma? | Triggers: Know Your Troublemakers
Working With Your Doctor | Controlling Episodes
Help Your Medicines Help You | Kinds of Asthma Medicines
Live Better and Feel Better
WHAT KIND OF HELP CAN I EXPECT FROM MEDICINE? There are no wonder drugs to cure asthma. There are, however, several kinds of medicines to help you prevent and control asthma symptoms. New asthma medicines developed in recent years have changed the lives of millions of people with asthma. Still, millions of others suffer needlessly, failing to use the medicines that could keep them well.
The correct use of these medicines is the cornerstone of good asthma treatment. It can mean the difference between disabling disease and a normal, healthy life.
Which medicine should I take?
No one drug is best for every kind of asthma or every person. You and your doctor need to work together to find the best medicines and the right amounts for you. Even if you have already gone through that process once, your drug therapy should be checked from time to time by your doctor to see if it needs to be updated. Your asthma can change in time, and so can your body's response to medicines.
Your doctor will prescribe the drug or combination of drugs that will work best for you, but that's just a part of the job. The rest is up to you. You'll get your best help from medicines if you and your doctor work together as a team.
How can I work with my doctor on medicines?
Your doctor needs to know how your medicines are affecting you. Carefully report good effects and also any unwanted effects.
Do your best to take your medicines on time and in the correct amounts. If you want to stop taking any medicine for any reason or if you want to take more or less than directed, be sure to discuss it with your doctor first.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you use. Include prescriptions from other doctors and over-the-counter products, even if you don't use them every day. Don't forget cough medicines, nose sprays, nebulizers, aspirin, laxatives, antacids, birth control pills, vitamins, and food supplements.
So you won't forget any, write down all your medicines in the space below or in your asthma notebook.
Medicine is very important in treating asthma. You should only take those medicines that your doctor prescribes and use them exactly as directed.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about possible interactions of your drugs with each other or with foods.
Keep the medicines you're using in a box or tray separate from others you may have. Keep them in the containers they come in. If you go to a new doctor or to a hospital emergency room, take them with you. That can save time and avoid mistakes.
I don't think I am getting as much relief from my medicines as I should. Should I change doctors?
First, talk honestly with your doctor. Take your notebook with you, and be sure he or she understands how severe your symptoms have been between visits to the office.
If you haven't done it before, discuss your doctor's beliefs about asthma. Doctors can differ among themselves on the way asthma should be treated. For example, some prefer to use enough medicine to keep lungs working in a completely normal way. Others prefer less medicine even if you have mild symptoms.
Discuss the goals of your treatment. Your doctor should welcome your questions and answer them willingly. People who take interest in their treatment are better patients.
It's always you right to ask for a second doctor's opinion on your treatment. If you need help finding one, you can call your local Medial Society or American Lung Association® for the names of some who have special training in treating asthma.
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Taking Control "Having asthma and emphysema can make if difficult to live alone, but I'd like to remain independent. That's why it's been so important for me to learn to manage by myself when I can, and to learn how to get help when I need it.
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"It seems so strange to start having asthma at my age, but I'm told it happens to many elderly people."
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It seems so strange to start having asthma at my age, but I'm told it happens to many elderly people. The good news was that, unlike emphysema, the asthma in my lungs could be reversed. By taking my medicines faithfully, taking some exercise every day, and practicing breathing exercises, I think I've improved my breathing a great deal. But I don't overdo it on being independent. I found out when Fred died how very important it is to have good friends, family, and people I can call on. Even though I can't do all I'd like to do, I'm careful not to become isolated here in my house.
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The worst time to be alone is during an asthma episode. I used to be terrified that I would be unable to breathe and have no one to help me. But thanks to help from my doctor and my respiratory therapist, I have a plan that I feel safe with. If there's a good thing about asthma, it's that it doesn't happen suddenly. It gives early warning signals, and there's time to act. When I feel an episode first beginning, I always follow the same routine. I sit in my favorite armchair, take the medicine my doctors prescribed and some water, and then I sit back and close my eyes and relax. I don't think about anything except being relaxed, breathing slowly, and feeling my breathing get easier. Usually that's all I need. But if breathing keeps getting harder and I start coughing up a lot of mucus, I use the phone next to the chair to call my doctor. Either he or another doctor is always on call, so I'm always able to reach a doctor who knows me. That's a real comfort.
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"Good medical care, friends, and community resources have made it possible for me to keep living the way I choose, even with asthma."
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The doctor has instructions on Me for me at the hospital emergency room, so that if I need to go there they can begin treating me even before he arrives. I also have a friend nearby that I enjoy spending time with, and a daughter who lives a little further away. I know I can count on them if I should need them. On nice days I go to the local senior center for the noon meal, but in bad weather or if I'm not feeling well they bring the meal to me. Either way, I see friendly faces and have a good meal each day, and that's important to me.
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Good medical care, friends, and community resources have made it possible for me to keep living the way I choose, even with asthma. I feel proud of that, and thankful, too."
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Researchers at the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington are seeking volunteers, 18 to 59 year olds to participate in a study about the causes of asthma. Compensation is provided for participation. Volunteers must be diagnosed with asthma by a physician, capable of exercise on a treadmill, and have no other major health problems.
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For more information...
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Washington’s Tobacco Control Report Card Grades Mixed
