Expert: Marc Rubin, RPh Asthma Educator - 5/2/2008

Question
I am currently on vacation on Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. I had an asthma attack, which I found out later was due to the Sahara Windstorm we were having on our arrival day which I just thought was some smog and so stayed outside.

I weight 58 kilos and took 40 mg prednisone the first day, 40 the second and reduced to 30 the next because I felt better. Today (4th day) I am again having a hard time breathing. Can I go back up to 40 or even increase, or is it not good to jump back and forth like this?
Thanks for any quick help you can give me!

Answer
Hi Cheryl,

For your weight, 60mg/day is appropriate for up to 10 days. You can go back to full dose, and I'd probably do that for 3-5 days.

What other asthma medications are you taking at present? Do you have a peak flow meter with you? (If not, you should be able to pick one up at the local pharmacia). If you do, stay on the prednisone until you are back to 80% of your personal best.

You got hit by two things: dust AND smog. The smog is a strong irritant to the lungs. It is a combination of ozone and particulate matter from industry and automobiles..a very nasty pair. I hope you are carrying your rescue inhaler with you. I'm not sure what flies in the Canary Islands (no pun intended) but in Mexico, albuterol is over the counter, not requiring a prescription. In some countries, the pharmacist is allowed to prescribe the inhaler. You should probably look into getting a medical face mask to wear (under a more stylish scarf) should the winds pick up again.

Let me know how it goes, and if there is anything more I can help you with.

Sincerely,

Marc

(PS: I would have gotten back to you sooner, but I was upgrading my network, and was fully down for the past 14 hours)