Question:
I was diagnosed with regular (as opposed to just EIA) asthma (30% gain in
lung function after using an inhaler). My only symptoms were a severe
feeling of thirst for air duing exercise. No matter how hard I inhaled, I
felt as though the air was not reaching deep enough in my lungs.I have been
using Advair 50/100 for a few years 1X/day. This has helped but not totally
relieved the symptom on all days. I do not want to go to a higher dose of
the steroid. But, this week I came down with a cold and mild bronchitus. No
fever, so I continued swimming. I took the Advair and also Clariton D about
an hour before swimming. I noticed that the "thirst for air" problem was
totally gone. The same has been true for all of the last 5 days of using
this combination. I am wondering if there might actually be something to
this, or if this is more of a placebo effect? Hard to believe this
difference could be in my head and I'm thinking of maybe using the
Clariton-D on a reular basis along with the Advair. Any comments or advice,
etc?
Answer:
It might be real. Many asthmatics do benefit from the addition of Claritin
to their regimen. I personally think it has more to do with treating the
sinuses and so reducing their deleterious effects on the asthma but I have
never seen any evidence of a specific mechanism.
BTW - your dose of steroid is about half of what we start small children on.
I wouldn't hesitate to go up to the full children's dose if you are not
totally clear and symptom free.
