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Medical Author:

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Self-Care at Home

Work with your health-care professional to develop an action plan. Follow your treatment plan closely to avoid an asthma attack during and after exercising. If you do have an asthma attack, the action plan will help you control the attack and make the decision about when to seek medical care.

If you should have an asthma attack, move to the next step of your action plan. Keep the following tips in mind:

• Take only the medications your health-care professional has prescribed for your asthma. Take them as directed.



• If the medication is not working, do not take more than you have been directed to take. Overusing asthma medications can be dangerous.



• Do not take cough medicine. These medicines do not help asthma and may cause unwanted side effects.



• Aspirin and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), can cause asthma to worsen in certain individuals. These medications should not be taken without the advice of your health-care professional.



• Do not use nonprescription inhalers. These contain a very short-acting inhaler that may not last long enough to relieve an asthma attack and may cause unwanted side effects.



• Do not take any nonprescription preparations, herbs, or supplements even if they are completely "natural," without talking to your health-care professional first. Some of these may have unwanted side effects or interfere with your medications.



• Be prepared to go on to the next step of your action plan if necessary.

If you think your medication is not working, let your health-care professional know immediately.