Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - asthma

i curious how many guys up here suffer/ deal with asthma and if you take anything for it. i have dealt with it since i was a young kid but since high school i stopped using an inhaler. the only thing that helps control it is exercise and more exercise but of course it still affects me while i ride. its exercise and sickness induced. i know there is alot of new stuff on the market so i just wanted to know how it works for people. also would it be worth it compared to possible long term side affects i.e. long term steriod use (inhaler like Albuterol) which i formerly used.

i just think of how much stronger of a hill climber/ sprinter i could be if i could get more air into me :D

I also suffer from asthma, although I am new the cycling world, I have played sports and still currently do with asthma. I've never had an attack since I was a kid(10ish) Im 20 years old now and I never use an inhaler since, however I do wonder if it would be useful because I push myself a lot especially when Im not suppose to(Im stubborn like that). Once I do that I need a time out for good while. I would recommend going to your family doctor, as some people have different severity's of asthma, and require different dosage amounts. Tell him what you will doing. I know where your coming from, and to be honest I don't think anyone who doesn't have asthma or other breathing difficulties know what we go through. I live in the city, so it hits me hard on smoggy days, I prefer to stay indoors. Personally I try not to use any medication unless I have to, anyways, don't let it keep you down.

I carry an Albuterol inhaler.

I couldn't ride at all if it wasn't that I use a steroid inhaler every day as prescribed. I guess it would depend on how severe your asthma is when you exercise. Maybe you should consult a family doctor who can test your respiratory function (usually a quick test in the office), and then refer you to a specialist for more extensive testing if necessary. I know many people don't like to take medication, but the thing is, with asthma, if you don't treat it, you risk worse breathing problems later on in life due to the remodeling of the airways that occurs over time due to the inflammation in the airways.

But I wouldn't look at asthma treatment to improve performance... only to prevent asthma attacks while doing it.

I wish they could discover a cure for you sufferers. My eight year old grandson has had to tote a nebulizer (sp?) with him everywhere he goes. It has always hurt me to hear him wheeze and ask for his treatment. I worry about his long term steroid use and know our biking miles will probably always be short.

I think it's a lot safer to use the steroid inhaler regularly to prevent having to use the rescue inhaler than relying only on more frequent use of the rescue inhaler. The steroid inhaler is not like taking a steroid by mouth. It's delivered right where it's needed, and almost none is absorbed into the rest of the body, no more than when you apply hydrocortisone cream (a steroid) to skin for eczema. The rescue inhaler can have some cardiovascular side effects.

Agreed, however, I only have very occasional issues with Asthma under exercise. Most of the time, I can push through it, but carry the albuterol if I can't. I suppose I've had to use it 4 times this year, and always on days where the air quality is poor.

I have moderate to severe asthma. Currently I use Advair and take Singulair. I haven't had an attack since I started these meds., though I do still have an emergency inhaler around here somewhere. Before I was on the meds, I had 1-3 attacks a day.

i curious how many guys up here suffer/ deal with asthma and if you take anything for it. i have dealt with it since i was a young kid but since high school i stopped using an inhaler. the only thing that helps control it is exercise and more exercise but of course it still affects me while i ride. its exercise and sickness induced. i know there is alot of new stuff on the market so i just wanted to know how it works for people. also would it be worth it compared to possible long term side affects i.e. long term steriod use (inhaler like Albuterol) which i formerly used.

i just think of how much stronger of a hill climber/ sprinter i could be if i could get more air into me :D

Breath Test failed at 63 %. Taking Astelin, Qvar 80 mcp, Maxair, Two weeks later 85% on Breathing Test.

I have moderate to severe asthma. Currently I use Advair and take Singulair. I haven't had an attack since I started these meds., though I do still have an emergency inhaler around here somewhere. Before I was on the meds, I had 1-3 attacks a day.

My daughter uses a similar regiment, although she has what is sort of teh opposite of asthma. She battles ecercise induced bronchial spasm resulting in the air not being able to get out of her lungs properly as opposed to not getting in. She is a pretty high level athlete being recruited by Div 1, 2, 3, and NAIA colleges for soccer, which is demanding. She pracrices 3 days a week and plays twice a week almost year round.

My best advice, especially if you have insurance, is to see a very good Allergy/Pulmonary specialist and explore the new appraoches that are out there. There are some very proactive maintenance meds out there these days

I have exercise induced asthma, I take a couple a puffs of Intal (chromlyn sodium) 5 minutes before if I'm gonna put myself in difficulty right away, otherwise I've found if start with a 10 minute slow warmup I don't need it.

My daughter uses a similar regiment, although she has what is sort of teh opposite of asthma. She battles ecercise induced bronchial spasm resulting in the air not being able to get out of her lungs properly as opposed to not getting in. She is a pretty high level athlete being recruited by Div 1, 2, 3, and NAIA colleges for soccer, which is demanding. She pracrices 3 days a week and plays twice a week almost year round.

My best advice, especially if you have insurance, is to see a very good Allergy/Pulmonary specialist and explore the new appraoches that are out there. There are some very proactive maintenance meds out there these days

Ah, isn’t that what asthma is? Exercise induced asthma is spasms of the bronchial tubes causing them to close down. When you have the spasms you can get air in because you’re expanding the chest, opening it up, which slightly opens the bronchial tubes allowing air in. When you try to breathe out you constrict the chest closing the bronchial tubes, not allowing air out. Since you can’t get the air out you can’t get air back in.

thanks for all the responses. my asthma used to be much worse when i was a kid. currently i ride between 120-200 miles a week and yes i kinda look at it from a performance point of view. i kinda cant help it:D i enjoy pushing myself close to the edge but the asthma keeps me from pushing all the way to the edge and beyond. i just cant get enough air in me. what does help is my breathing as i approach the hill and through the hill. the big ones are the ones that hurt where i have to grind for a long time.


the real bummer is when i have to take a month or 2 off due to injury or winter. when i get back on full time it takes almost a month to make my lung cooperate enough to get back to where i am. though it is tempting i dont think i plan on using any medications to advance my performance. just have to keep getting stronger. but i think ill ask my doctors opinion and hopfully he doesnt just try to prescribe me somthing just so he can get out of his office:lol:.

I have real bad EIA. So bad that one day when I forgot my inhaler, I was on a climb and I got a huge attack, got really woozy and passed out while on the bike. I woke up to a handful of kids thinking that I was dead or something. That day scared me enough to keep me away from climbs.

This has been brought up before on BF and in telling my story, member Anthony G had recommended something that I didn't even think of.


Potassium and Magnesium Aspartate. I have been taking it for a few months now and slowly I have been able to increase my cycling and have not used the inhaler for the past couple of months. I haven't really pushed myself too hard but I know that usually I would have to. I don't think that my body has been fully accustomed to it yet but I still haven't felt a need for the inhaler at all. Although I still am a little apprehensive about climbs.......I'm chicken now :o I have just increased my intake to taking two 250mg capsules a day instead of one. Each capsule is only 63% of daily requirement.


http://nutritherapy.wordpress.com/2006/09/10/potassium-magnesium-aspartate-critical-to-many-bodily-functions/


Helps individuals overcome asthmatic attacks by reducing lungs tension
K-Mg-Aspartate influences a variety of lung structures. It is thought to modulate smooth muscle contractions and it is known to have a direct effect on calcium uptake, resulting in smooth muscle relaxation. K/Mg aspartate has been a forgotten cation from the therapeutical point of view, but now several clinical reports point to the salutary actions of K-Mg-Aspartate in various lung diseases. Many reports suggests that aspartate has a role as an adjunct to traditional therapy in asthma and asthma-like conditions and have been helpful in the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma. (Skotnicki AB, 1977)


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9501684


Magnesium is the fourth most abundant metal found in the body. It plays a crucial role in numerous biological processes. It is a natural calcium antagonist. New experimental data suggest that Mg+2 influences a variety of lung structures. Intracellular Mg+2 is thought to modulate smooth muscle contractions and it is known to have a direct effect on calcium uptake, resulting in smooth muscle relaxation. Magnesium has been forgotten cation from the therapeutical point of view, but now several clinical reports point to the salutary actions of Mg+2 in various lung diseases. Many reports suggests that magnesium sulfate and aspartate has certainly a role as an adjunct to traditional therapy in asthma and asthma-like conditions and have been helpful in the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma.

Good luck. :)

I have had trouble figuring out what asthma medication to take. I have been through 2 so far. They work for 6-8 months then stop. Just to be safe I am currently going through some lung and heart tests. I am 60 and may have other issues. After reading the post above I have done a lot of research on magnesium and asthma and it looks very promising. I am currently not taking any traditional asthma medicine until my tests are over which will take about 2 or 3 more weeks. After my stress pulmonary test Thursday morning I will try magnesium and see if helps my rides in the next two weeks. The link below has some useful information in addition to that posted by Si Blue. I am curious if anyone else has successfully tried magnesium.
http://www.krispin.com/magnes.html

Advair 250/50
Talk with your doc before hand because this stuff isn't for everyone but it has worked wonders for me for the past 4 years.
I'm a lifelong asthmatic who had severe bronchial asthma.

I used toi take Advair, but being that I currently have no insurance and riding has seemed to cure my asthma I just carry an Albuterol inhaler for emergencies.

I couldn't ride at all if it wasn't that I use a steroid inhaler every day as prescribed. I guess it would depend on how severe your asthma is when you exercise. Maybe you should consult a family doctor who can test your respiratory function (usually a quick test in the office), and then refer you to a specialist for more extensive testing if necessary. I know many people don't like to take medication, but the thing is, with asthma, if you don't treat it, you risk worse breathing problems later on in life due to the remodeling of the airways that occurs over time due to the inflammation in the airways.

But I wouldn't look at asthma treatment to improve performance... only to prevent asthma attacks while doing it.
Which asthma medication are you taking?

I've had asthma since I was about 14. There are three things which I have found to have an incredible impact on my symptoms:

- Yoga: Being doing this now for 8 years. There are MANY yoga exercises that are specifically designed to strengthen the intercostal muscles which are the muscles which actually bring air in and out of your lungs. In addition in an hour and a half of yoga you stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system as as releasing tons of endorphins which counteract histamine responses (hence why they give you epinephrine shots when you have attacks)

- Weight-loss. When I was 235 I was taking practically nothing for my asthma. 280 now and back on the stupid advair discus

- Reduce drinking/smoking. I actually dont smoke but its amazing to me how many asthmatics do. When you drink some of the alcohol is metabolized through the lungs (which is why your breath smells like it when you drink) and those chemicals can be irritating to asthmatics. Keep it to a beer or two. :)

Finally a note about albuterol: This is the BAD ****! Your body become incredibly resistant to it so use it ONLY when you REALLY REALLY need to. Otherwise a cup of black coffee or 5 minutes of Ujayi breathing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujjayi_breath) will do wonders. Also albuterol is the drug used when you have can-kill-you-level attacks, so if you're resistant to it from frequent use that's also bad. In addition it weakens your mucous membranes over time and leaves your lungs weaker for about 12 hours after use. If you go through more than one canister of albuterol every two months you need to change something.