On Mar 8, 4:58 pm, Mop...@hotmail.co.uk wrote:

Hi Mops,
I'm in a similar situation right now.  I'm a moderate asthmatic but
caught a bug and now am juiced up on all kinds of drugs including
pred.  You mentioned the cough.  This week I learned from calling
pharmacists and such that it's not a good idea for asthmatics to take
cough suppressants (you probably knew that already, but it was new to
me) because it just keeps that mucus stuck down there in your lungs.
The only cough suppressant the pharmacists recommended was Mucinex,
which also has an expectorant.  My experience with the Mucinex has
been that I took it for two days because, at first, my cough was
restricted but yet so forceful that I thought I might break a rib
coughing as I was.  So the Mucinex helped ease the cough and during
those two days the mucus started to become less thick.  Yesterday I
stopped taking the Mucinex so that I could start really clearing out
my lungs and since then I've had some pretty good success.  From my
experience, the Mucinex should only be used if you're so sore from
coughing that you just can't stand it or you're afraid you might break
a rib (which can actually happen)...but if you use it, you might not
be able to expectorate that mucus.  Also, check with your pharmacist
to make sure you won't have any drug interactions by adding OTC
Mucinex.  If you need a decongestant, Mucinex D is also available, but
you have to get it from the pharmacist.

One lifesaver for me this week has been Vicks.  Yep, good old-
fashioned vicks.  I use three Vicks products.  The first is the vapor
inhaler ( http://www.vicks.com/7.3_More_Products.php) which I call a
"sniffy stick".  This has medication in it and should be used no more
than once every two hours for one week.  Increasing frequency/dose or
duration of use can cause your nasal passages to get used to the
medicine and inadvertently cause more congestion when you stop taking
it.  The vapor inhaler ("sniffy stick") is very small and convenient
when you're on-the-go.  The other two products I've found very helpful
are the V1300 Vicks VapoSteam® Inhaler ( http://www.vicks.com/7.8_More_Products.php
) and the V1900N Vicks Waterless Vaporizer ( http://www.vicks.com/7.5_More_Products.php
).  The VapoSteam Inhaler is inexpensive (most Eckerd stores carry a
bunch of Vicks products) and works moderately well.  I use the scent
pads in it, but I suspect it might work better with the vicks
VapoSteam oil.  It's easy to use, but the tap water you use must be
hot enough (I suggest microwaving it in a mug, then pouring the very
hot but not boiling water with scent pad/oil into the basin of the
VapoSteam Inhaler) for it to be effective and produce a decent amount
of steam.  For the price, it's worth it.  The later product, the
Waterless Vaporizer, is really nice at night.  Here are some product
reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Vicks-Waterless-Vaporizer-Scented-Pads-Nightlight/dp/B0000TN7NI

The Waterless Vaporizer sits by my bed on a nightstand.  Using this
thing is the only way I'm able to breathe through my nose during the
night.  Otherwise, I tend to breathe through my mouth all night due to
congestion.  If you use this product, be sure to remove the scent pad
after it's been used for 8 hours.  If you leave it in there, it will
tend to start stinking.

Hope some of these suggestions help.  Good luck.

TGG

On Mar 8, 10:58 pm, Mop...@hotmail.co.uk wrote:

Hi Mops

Try these stop coughing tips, they may help they may not but worth a
try.
Cough: http://www.buteykoscotland.co.uk/healthtips1.htm

keep nose breathing
Alex