Fifty Plus (50+) - Any 50+'ers battle exercise induced asthma?

In case I wasn't having enough health issues this year already, I've developed exercise induced asthma, which has gotten steadily worse, and hasn't been consistently controlled well by the first prescription given me. At first it happened only when I rode really hard, but now it can happen from something that barely gets me breathing hard, like mowing the lawn.

Research hasn't shown me any link between lung surgery and exercise induced asthma, and it appears to be pretty rare for someone my age to develop it, but here I am. Anyone else have this issue when you ride?

Are you sure it is exercised induced asthma and not just allergies accerbated by breathing allergens deeply into your lungs? The latter may be a problem that passes with the season.

Are you sure it is exercised induced asthma and not just allergies accerbated by breathing allergens deeply into your lungs? The latter may be a problem that passes with the season.

No, this is definitely not allergies. All my friends have asked that too, and all I can say is anyone who asks that has never had asthma (just like I hadn't before). It is very different, and very strange how a simple inhaler can usually fix it instantly. As for passing with the season, I developed it in January and it is now late May, so I don't think that's happening, either.

All that being said, allergic reactions can trigger asthma attacks for some people, but mine seems to only be triggered by exercise. I had a leftover albuterol inhaler (from a bronchitis prescription many years ago), and when it instantly stopped the wheezing, that was how I first identified it as exercise induced asthma. My doctor agreed, but his prescription inhaler isn't working as well now as it first did. I've just seen him again, and will have my new prescription soon.

My research told me that a surprising number of serious athletes have it. That's what made me curious about how many fellow 50+'ers have it, too.

I too have exercise induced asthama. It is exacerbated by cold and I usually run all winter. 2 puffs of albuterol 15 mins before a run completely eliminates it. Also i can run though it. After about 20 mins it is completely gone with our without albuterol.

I think you might need to see your doctor if you are have increased dyspnea on exerction. Ankles swelling or anything like that?

Sorry I can't help - the "mowing the lawn" comment made me think allergies.

No, this is definitely not allergies. All my friends have asked that too, and all I can say is anyone who asks that has never had asthma (just like I hadn't before). It is very different, and very strange how a simple inhaler can usually fix it instantly. That being said, allergic reactions can trigger asthma attacks for some people, but mine seems to only be triggered by exercise. I had a leftover albuterol inhaler (from a bronchitis prescription many years ago), and when it instantly stopped the wheezing, that was how I first identified it as exercise induced asthma. My doctor agreed, but his prescription inhaler isn't working as well now as it first did. I've just seen him again, and will have my new prescription soon.

If you haven't been tested for allergies, you simply do not know. Even better, it
doesn't have to be allergies at all. I have a few allergies. But what I have most of the time is a system that was aggravated by the environment. It acts just like allergies. Imagine if someone slammed a hammer on your thumb. An ordinary amount of pressure would hurt. Because things are already irritated, some minor irritant can set it off.Hard to say what caused it, maybe the pollution I sucked in riding.

But the result is I get the symptoms.

Have you tried using your inhaler before you go out? Have you tried using antihistamines. Before you get on some really powerful medicine, explore your options.

A half a Tavist helps me.

I don't know about "exercise induced" but I do have plain ol' garden variety asthma
I hit the inhaler a couple of times before I go out... no big deal

If you haven't been tested for allergies, you simply do not know. Even better, it
doesn't have to be allergies at all. I have a few allergies. But what I have most of the time is a system that was aggravated by the environment. It acts just like allergies. Imagine if someone slammed a hammer on your thumb. An ordinary amount of pressure would hurt. Because things are already irritated, some minor irritant can set it off.Hard to say what caused it, maybe the pollution I sucked in riding.

But the result is I get the symptoms.

Have you tried using your inhaler before you go out? Have you tried using antihistamines. Before you get on some really powerful medicine, explore your options.

A half a Tavist helps me.

Ah, but I have been tested for allergies. I do get sinus attacks which put my nose to running at an unbelievable rate for a short time, three or four times a year, but they've never found a particular allergen causing it, and this is very different.

I too have exercise induced asthama. It is exacerbated by cold and I usually run all winter. 2 puffs of albuterol 15 mins before a run completely eliminates it. Also i can run though it. After about 20 mins it is completely gone with our without albuterol.

I think you might need to see your doctor if you are have increased dyspnea on exerction. Ankles swelling or anything like that?

I don't get dyspnea, just wheezing, and eventually, if I keep riding, phlegm. Cool, dry air seems to make mine worse, too. No ankle swelling. And I have seen my doctor. Come to think of it, I've seen more doctors in the last 6 months than the rest of my life...

Mine is exercise and cold induced. One or the other doesn't do it, but both together and I get an attack for sure.

On the Heartbreak 100 this past weekend (report to follow in different thread) I used albuterol 20 min. before the start (12 mile climb right out of the start), temp. low 40's (it got colder as we gained altitude), and no problem. Well, not with asthma anyway!

Rick / OCRR

Sorry I can't help - the "mowing the lawn" comment made me think allergies.

Yeah, I understand. But, rotating my boat trailer tires did it too. I just used mowing as the example. Anything that gets me breathing a little harder than usual can trigger it (sometimes).

And most of us do tend to blame everything on allergies. I'm reminded of a guy I work with. He had terrible sinus attacks and cold symptoms so much of the time he went to all kinds of doctors. He was tested and tested for allergies, and they decided he was allergic to grass and started giving him weekly allergy shots. It only helped slightly. Then, after learning he would need double hip replacement, he quit smoking. That was over three years ago, and he's not had a sinus attack since. Blaming everything we don't understand on allergies doesn't work very well, and I have been really unimpressed with the allergy doctors I have knowledge of.

Mine is exercise and cold induced. One or the other doesn't do it, but both together and I get an attack for sure.

On the Heartbreak 100 this past weekend (report to follow in different thread) I used albuterol 20 min. before the start (12 mile climb right out of the start), temp. low 40's (it got colder as we gained altitude), and no problem. Well, not with asthma anyway!

Rick / OCRR

Mine seems worse with hard exercise and cool air, but sometimes happens even with moderate exercise in warm temperatures. I guess I didn't mention earlier that my doctor had me doing the albuterol mix inhaler before I started my exercise, too. This always worked at first, but not now.

I don't know about "exercise induced" but I do have plain ol' garden variety asthma
I hit the inhaler a couple of times before I go out... no big deal

I did a search to see if it had been discussed here before, and found your post, which noted that yours wasn't exercise induced. Have you had it all your life? Has the same inhaler always worked well for you?

I've had it all my life but it wasn't diagnosed until about 10 years ago.
Once they told me that's what I was dealing with, the little light went on.
I've used Albuterol ever since and it has helped a lot.
Now we're also adding Advair to the mix

+ 1 for Advair to control "exercise-induced asthma" and allergens that cause wheezing/shortness of breath, which is no fun. Advair is awesome and I'm down to one puff a day. I couldn't mow the lawn without it. Symptoms came on when I was about 35. Allergy shots for about ten years. I started with Albuterol and switched to Advair about 15 years ago.

I hope you get things under control, Bud.

I have allergies to a major degree. They affect my breathing for 3-5 months a year. I also found out that I get exercise induced asthma when riding in cooler weather. Anytime it is below 50 degrees, I can get to wheezing and start to close up. It is a lousy feeling on the bike for sure. I use a puff or two of albuterol to get over it and go on. I have read the posts about advair, and will look into it. I don't take anything regularly and allways want to take the least drastic treatment possible.

Well, I got my steroid inhaler today. It's Asmanex. Anyone use this one?