Help me: Do I have asthma

[theben]

I'm desparate for some medical advice, so please help me OOT.

Background:

I've never had breathing problems until this spring. It seems allergy season has been awful. Aside from congestion, I've frequent had some terrible shortness of breath. My chest has felt very "tight" and i've felt like i can't take a full breath. Its very annoying and makes me feel terrible. Is it possible for allergens to induce this in somebody who has never had asthma for his entire life?

If this seems to be allergen induced asthma, what are acceptable treatments? I am aware there exists over-the-counter inhalers (epinephrine). How effective (if at all) is this stuff and what are the risks and side effects? Does anybody use these things and how often would you say you use them?

Thanks in advance.

[kyleb]

No, you're just fat.

[SirOsis]

Don't take the over the counter inhaled epinephrine/Primatene Mist stuff. You don't want those side effects. It should be easy to get a prescription for albuterol, which is the standard asthma "rescue" medication. It is a short-acting bronchodilator, and it should help you a lot. I don't know if you have a primary care physician, but if you do, talk about it with him/her. They might even write you a prescription for an anti-inflammatory, such as an inhaled corticosteroid, e.g. Flovent, Qvar.

[theben]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't take the over the counter inhaled epinephrine/Primatene Mist stuff. You don't want those side effects.

[/ QUOTE ]

Question: What are the side effects?

[SirOsis]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Don't take the over the counter inhaled epinephrine/Primatene Mist stuff. You don't want those side effects.

[/ QUOTE ]

Question: What are the side effects?

[/ QUOTE ]

Think of epinephrine as you think of adrenaline. It's not good for your heart, can make it race. It seriously sounds like you just need an albuterol inhaler. If you don't have a PCP, check out asthma and allergy research clinics in your area. You can make some side cash doing clinical trials (which usually aren't that risky, avoid Phase I trials) and they will hook you up with free meds for both your allergies and asthma in between. Even if you go into some free clinic and get a prescription for albuterol, the inhaler shouldn't cost more than $15 at a cheap place like Wal-Mart. Also, if you can, get a PFT (pulmonary function test) somewhere. That should tell you how your lungs are doing. I'm not a doctor.

[sdunsmb]

just go to the doctors

[marchron]

Are you already taking allergy medication? I'd start there before I ever worried about asthma.

[SirOsis]

[ QUOTE ]
Are you already taking allergy medication? I'd start there before I ever worried about asthma.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that would be something to look at first. You can get generic Claritin (loratidine) over the counter, it's a decent long acting antihistamine. The chest tightness strongly suggests asthma, especially allergen-induced. If the OP lives in the Portland, OR area, let me know, I'm working in the field for about another month, and I can hook you up.

[hobbes9324]

Asthma is part of a wide spectrum of lung diseases that fall into the catagory of "reactive lung disease" - different things cause symptoms for different people - various allegens, cold air, and exercise, to name a few.

"True" asthma, whatever that is, rarely begins in adults - but allergic type response symptoms can - you just may have never run into whatever it is that is causing your symptoms before.

Inhaled beta-agonists (Albuterol, or something similar) are pretty much front line therapy, as are steroids (not that kind) - both of these require a perscription, so you're pretty much stuck seeing an MD.

STAY AWAY FROM PRIMATINE and it's relations - most MD's feel that if they came on the market today, they would never be allowed to be sold. For what it's worth, in my 17 yrs. of practice in Emergency Medicine, I've had three young asthmatics die on me - two of them died with a primatene inhaler in their hand.....

MM MD