Seeking advice on quick symptom reliefs for asthma

Seeking advice on best symptom reliefs is a strong conversation. Popular topics include whether certain activities (ie: lying down, swimming, drinking cold water) or certain products (ie: ginger, honey, dairy) help symptoms. 

Situational advice also dominates online discourse. Users turn to strangers to ask highly specific questions about their situation, from “why is my asthma worse after quitting smoking” to “when to go back to work after asthma attack”. 

Other advice queries are general questions about asthma, particularly about asthma detection (“how to know when you’re having an asthma attack”) to asthma cures (“how to get rid of asthma”), perhaps reflecting a portion of users who have not yet sought out medical attention and are turning to online communities for guidance.

Exercise & asthma: from exercise to reduce symptoms to exercise-induced asthma

Since asthma affects breathing, exercise is a contentious topic among individuals with the condition. For those with exercise-induced asthma, a popular topic is finding a natural cure to ways  to reduce reliance on inhalers, particularly emergency inhalers.  

For some, moderate exercise is an important part of their life, or viewed as a means for symptom management. As such, there are many conversations related to athletes with asthma and how to exercise in a way that accommodates – or even helps the long-term symptoms – asthma, such as increased relaxation that help ease flare ups. 

‍Breathlessness as a result of exercise is a point of anxiety for some. The search “exercise induced asthma VS out of shape” captures this worry, as it’s hard for some to distinguish the line between the two states.

All about children and asthma: parents share tips on best practices

Online discourse around children and asthma is a strong topic, from parents coming together to share stories and tips on how to help their child, to adults with asthma reflecting on the progress (or lack thereof) in the medical field as they’ve experienced asthma from childhood to present.

Parents share stories of the emotional distress and agony their children experience due to hospitalizations and breathing problems. Some parents resort to alternative methods such as herbal remedies or changing the prescribed medication, such as switching to Fluticasone, when their children fail to respond to traditional treatments.

Other discussion topics include ways to educate kids about their asthma, as well as parents who are also asthmatics reflecting on whether asthma is genetic.

Frustration at the medical system, including getting brushed off at the ER

Patients have mixed experiences when it comes to finding the right care for their asthma symptoms or attacks. A prominent theme present is poor follow-up and lack of access to regular checkups for asthma management. 

Others express distress about getting dismissed by doctors, including in some cases at the ER, with many anecdotes of patients being told that their asthma is not serious enough, just a cough (especially if there is no audible wheezing), or related to anxiety. There are conversations on Reddit such as “has anyone gone to ER for asthma? What was the point where you decided you needed to go?”. 

‍Advocating for oneself at the ER is a strong topic, as many share advice online, from bringing printed asthma tests to embracing a pushy attitude.

Adult asthma and those dealing with later life asthma

While asthma in children is commonly known, there are those that experience asthma for the first time later in life. Discussing potential causes of adult asthma, from a bad cold (bronchitis to pneumonia), stress to allergies, is a major theme. Another point of discussion for those with later life asthma, is a question of whether or not adult asthma will go away.

Online, people share personal stories of triggers for adult asthma and tips for asthma management, such as diet modifications to yoga. 

Many who identify as recently diagnosed with adult asthma drive conversations, including asking questions about how to talk to a primary care physician to when seeing a specialist is needed.

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Growing popularity in natural and home remedies 

Given strong distrust of side effects of certain asthma medications, there is a strong group of asthmatics that want to find natural and home remedies for asthma cures. Natural remedies may also be less expensive than traditional treatments, or can be used in conjunction with other medications. 

Altering the natural home environment, such as using a humidifier, a HEPA filter to using essential oils, are commonly discussed. 

Diverse home remedies are discussed, from herbal tea, weed, dog therapy, to asthma-specific breathing meditations.  

Concerns about overusing asthma medications

Patients worry about potential side effects of overusing medication such as drowsiness to headaches, whether it's emergency inhalers like Albuterol to steroid medication like Advair. There are many accounts of frequent use of inhalers resulting in thrush in the mouth. 

Dependency worries are common, as asthmatics question whether they are using their medications in an appropriately – or overusing fast-acting rescue inhalers.

High frequency use of Albuterol is a point of concern. This can exacerbates asthma symptoms in the long run. Patients share advice such as when reliance on rescue inhalers tips over to over reliance. Patients discuss that seeing a doctor is necessary if rescue inhalers are used more than twice a week.   

Night asthma woes: asthma worsening in the evening 

Some patients experience worsened asthma symptoms at night, leading to conditions like sleep apnea and insomnia. Online discussions around sharing tips on how to manage symptoms at night (ie: drinking Mucinex before bed) to identifying triggers dominate discussions.

There is large discourse on what types of inhalers and medications to use. Commonly discussed themes are how much to use preventative versus emergency inhalers. For instance, striking a balance between using fast-acting emergency inhalers like Albuterol at night and potential long-term side effects, like increased heart rate.

Asthma medication side effects: sharing stories 

The asthmatics community use online discussion boards to share personal stories about asthma medication side effects, whether to use it as a space to vent, warn others, or ask for situational advice that they can use towards their own asthma management. 

Commonly discussed side effects are asthma impact on teeth, weight gain, vivid dreams to intense mood swings.

Discussing side effects of specific drugs is also common (ie: “Montelukast: Anyone have side effects?”). Patients that experience side effects thus use these discussions to gather information in order to adjust the medication or exploring alternative treatments.