RunningAHEAD - Topic: Anyone take Singulair for allergies and/or asthma?

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/21/2007 at 6:05 PM

I'm curious to find out what some of your experiences are. My mom just started taking this for her asthma and Trent has suggested I look into this med, too. I am currently on Allegra and an inhaler (Albuterol), but as the pollen count climbs the less well my Allegra works and the more asthmatic I am while running (my asthma is typically not very problematic until I am exercising--exercise-induced asthma). During today's race I was struggling to breathe particularly hard. During the Winter months the cold air didn't set off my asthma this much...it's got to be my seasonal allergies kicking-in at fault. On Monday I plan to call my PCP to ask about switching-over to Singulair, but I'd still like to hear what others have experienced with it. If you've taken Allegra, how does it compare for you? Do you still find you need your inhaler much? Thanks, k

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

shyrunner07

posted: 4/21/2007 at 9:10 PM

never had allergies, so i can't offer any advice...*knocks on wood* but, i was listening to Sanjay Gupta's podcast (dr on CNN) and he was talking about a possible thing to consider with allergies- locally grown honey. I guess because it is made from bees playing around in the area pollen, it can help to boost your defenses by consuming it.../weird factoid

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/21/2007 at 9:15 PM

I actually have heard that in the past and kind of forgot about that. I do like honey...I should see where the honey that the farmer's market near us carries is collected from. Thanks for suggesting that! Big grin

k

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

Sockoni

posted: 4/22/2007 at 8:52 AM

I'll be watching this post as I'm really curious about this too. My son has allergy induced asthma and this past week he missed 2 days of school because of it. It was all he could do to breathe. He's on Predasolone (sp?) right now and that seems to take care of the problem. It's a very strong steroid, though, and the drs say it should not be used long term. We didn't see our regular dr who had the day off, but the one we saw suggested Singular as a preventative method. Said it wouldn't help us with the current asthma situation, but we should consider it for the future. All we've used is Allegra, Albuterol and then Flovent for a more permanent solution when he seems to have more constant problems. I'd never heard of Singular before our last appointment. If anyone has any info, I'd love to hear as well!

jEfFgObLuE

I've got a fever...

posted: 4/23/2007 at 12:23 PM
modified: 4/23/2007 at 12:23 PM

ZZ, is your asthma more exercise-induced or allergy-induced? (Best way to tell is the ask yourself how the asthma was during the winter -- if you had none in the winter, it's pretty much all allergies). Anywhoo, I used to have exercise-induced asthma. It just kind of came out of nowhere when I was a sophomore in HS, and finally seemed to go away mid-20's. I used an inhaler called Proventil. A couple puffs before a run (or in college before a marching band rehearsal) and I was symptom-free. Good Luck! Jeff

On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/23/2007 at 12:27 PM

It's mostly exercise-induced, but it does get worse this time of the year. Frequently I will feel constriction and breathing difficulty very shortly after a sneezing bout. This Winter the cold air didn't set me off nearly as bad as I had expected, but I also always used Albuterol before every run AND I generally was doing pretty easy-paced runs. I think the combo of pollen + running harder/faster definitely is not working well for me at the moment. k

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/24/2007 at 10:34 AM

Just got back from my doc's office. He gave me 2 weeks of samples of Singulair and if that doesn't work I'll likely switch back to a nasal steroid and a secondary asthma treatment. I'm still to continue with Allegra and Albuterol. He doesn't think the Singulair by itself will do the job, but the combo of meds should tackle stuff more than the Allegra and Albuterol alone have been. k

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

Mississippi

posted: 4/25/2007 at 8:36 AM

My 5 y/o started with a regiment of Singulair, Nasonex, and Flovent each morning. It's only been a little over a week so we have yet to see the results. I'll let you know if anything worth while comes from it.

Michelle

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/25/2007 at 8:57 AM

If the Singulair doesn't work I think my doctor was talking about trying Flonase (I believe this is generic, now, so it should be cheaper than the Nasacort AQ I took last year--that worked well but was too $$) and an additional inhaled asthma medication. I'll be interested to hear how your son does, Michelle. Speaking of kids and issues, I really think my son might have seasonal allergies, too...poor kid. Mine did not start until puberty, but he keeps getting drainage and bad coughs right around the same times that my allergies seem to be worst. This AM he woke coughing, but otherwise seems quite healthy and happy, which leads me to believe that it's allergy and not viral. We need to remember to keep giving him Claritin to see if we can head stuff off. k

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

starrita

posted: 4/25/2007 at 9:50 PM

I don't take Singulair, but I do have problems with allergies and asthma. I am on Allegra and Flonase to control my allergies, and Advair high dose for my asthma. I would say that the Advair has done the most for me to keep my breathing problems at bay. It prevents me from having to take Albuterol on a daily basis, which is good for me because I've have problems with side effects from my puffer.

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/25/2007 at 10:04 PM

Flonase is one of the things my doc is thinking about trying me on if the Singulair/Allegra combo doesn't do the job. I think Intal was another possibility, but I believe that is the same as Nasalcrom...which I took years ago with only mediocre results. Is Advair that disc thing? I think my mom was using that for a while. It has some sort of inhaled powder, right? I may ask about that, too. k

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

starrita

posted: 4/26/2007 at 8:44 PM

Yep, advair is the purple disc and it comes in three different dosages. It's an inhaled powder that you take twice a day. The thing I like about Advair is I can use a higher dose when allergy season kicks in and then lower the dose later in the year. My doctor lets me choose which level I want for which month. The only negative thing is it's quite an expensive medication if you have a high co-pay. I used to pay $45 a month, but it was the best money I ever spent. Now my co-pay is $5. The benefits of switching jobs!

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/26/2007 at 9:19 PM

Our drug co-pay is so random...high on some things, dirt cheap on others. I have a sneaking suspicion that that would be high. That would be interesting to try if the Singulair doesn't work. I know my PCP did mention the inhaled powder type of meds. My mom has taken Advair, too, I believe. k

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

Anyone take Singulair for allergies and/or asthma? (Read 847 times)