Medicating Asthma Around the Common Cold

Friday, July 24, 2009, 11:20
Asthma
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Joanne:

My asthma is triggered usually only when I have a cold. This happened in January, and I was using albuterol at that time, and four puffs of Flovent–two puffs in the morning and two in the evening. When I recovered and didn’t need my albuterol any more, and I wanted to reduce the Flovent, I wondered if it is like prednisone where the amount is reduced gradually? What about using only two puffs once a day as opposed to four? Do you have to do that gradually? Go down to three and then two?

Dr. Shapiro:

Generally not. Generally you can go from four puffs down to two, and that would be a good maintenance medication for somebody like you, where you have these occasional colds and more difficulty, but not a whole lot of trouble in between. Since I’m not your doctor and I don’t know you personally, I can’t say that that’s absolutely what you should do. But your thought process is good and your recommendation for yourself sounds like something I would agree to. And you don’t have to taper the same way as you would if you were taking Prednisone.

Joanne:

That’s what I was wondering about, because I use the two puffs of Flovent consistently every day.

Dr. Shapiro:

Then you could go right down from the four puffs after the cold finishes, to going back to two puffs directly.

Joanne:

Is there any way that I can prevent tight breathing when I do begin to get a cold? Other than start with albuterol?

Dr. Shapiro:

Start with albuterol and you can double the Flovent dose the way you’ve done. And you might talk to your doctor about even going higher on the Flovent dose during difficult times.

Joanne:

Thank you.

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