Sons asthma, worse after inhaler?

[Snappymcsnappy]

Just that really, 9 years old diagnosed with cough variant asthma.
Has no wheezing, chest tightness etc.
Just bad cough and low flow reading.

Had his first inhaler dose at 4pm but he is coughing worse than ever!

Is this normal, I’m worried?

Diagnosed today I meant to say

One dose of inhaler won’t make much difference. Is it a preventer or reliever inhaler? If a preventer it will take a few weeks to have an effect, if a reliever one dose might not have made much difference. Coughing is always worse at night and cough variety asthma will also get worse at night so that’s normal for the condition but will need to be managed. I recommend calling the Asthma UK helpline -
It’s staffed by asthma nurses who can give brilliant advice.

Hmm, I’m not sure?
It’s blue, think the drug is called salbutamol?

I wasn’t, unfortunately, expecting it to make much difference after one dose no, but it seems to have actively made it worse?
Unless it’s coincidence.

The blue inhaler doesn’t stay in your body for long so chances are it’s worn off by now and his asthma is worse as it’s nighttime. Most asthma is worse at night. He may need a preventer inhaler as well. I have cough variant asthma and I have a seretide preventer inhaler to use twice a day and the blue inhaler to use if I have symptoms. The preventer inhaler should work so well most people should hardly need to use the blue inhaler.

If you are concerned I would seek medical advice.

Salbutamol is a reliever inhaler (also known as Ventolin). One dose won’t have made much difference. Does he have a spacer and mask to take it with? If not it would help him to get the medicine into his lungs as if he coughs while taking it he’ll cough it back out again.

Ask him how he feels?

He may feel it's easier to cough but need more puffs to really ease it. I often cough after mine just because now I can, IYSWIM. Or it may just not have done much and he needs more full stop.

4pm is a long time ago for one puff of blue inhaler if asthma isn't controlled.

I also agree with calling Asthma UK helpline ASAP. Their website is also packed with useful advice.

Everyone’s responses have been really helpful thank you.

I will bear asthma uk in mind.

He does have a spacer and mask with it and all has been quiet upstairs for a while now so I am thinking (hoping!) that it was sheer coincidence that it was worse tonight.

Salbutamol is a short acting bronchodilator, effective within 5-15mins the effects last 4-7 hours. Asthma in children is commonly characterised by a nocturnal cough. A 4pm dose may well have worn off by now. Normal dosing is 2 puffs up to 4 times a day. Asthma UK or your own asthma nurse will be able to advise appropriately.

The powder and carrier agent in the salbutamol may not suit him. He should be using a spacer to aid drug delivery - if he is and his technique is good, then it might be worth looking at a different reliever (terbutaline for example comes in a breath activated inhaler which some children find easier to use).

I'd expect one dose of salbutamol to have a good effect on cough if it's truly cough variant asthma, rather than needing it over a prolonged period.

my son has the same asthma type, ventolin alone never did much for him, now we have a bottle of redipred ( an oral steroid) to give as a boost when needed and he also uses a combo inhaler which is reliever and prevention in one which is called simbicort, and we use the Australian S.M.A.R.T asthma program, which is when his asthma starts, rather than waiting for it to build up and become hard to manage we hammer it hard ( this was advised under doctors orders and we have a treatment plan to follow), we we give the redipred and use the simbicort only and more often until the symptoms pass
So far following this treatment plan we have had a lot less time off school and a lot less coughing for days and ending in vomiting... might be worth asking about... (not sure if your doctors will give you the liquid steroids to keep as a just in case measure though, my doctor is a firm believer that if its something you can cut off in the first day by having the right medication to hand rather than waiting days to come see him he would rather you had a bottle of redipred or pregnisone tucked away ready to use , and of course strict instructions of when to use)

Hope your son is feeling better today. My son has this type of asthma, sabutamol like others have said is only a short acting drug. DS would often need 8 puffs to make a difference (It's very hard to over dose on it) and oral steroids to get an attack under control. If wasn't until he was put on a preventative that things improved significantly.

The only time the blue inhaler made DD's cough worse she was in the middle of an asthma attack. Luckily we had the liquid steroids and after one dose she was fine within an hour.

We’ve had exactly the same problem with the blue inhaler not really helping. Asthma nurse explained that when my daughter has a cold, the mucus produced irritates her lungs causing her to cough uncontrollably. It’s horrible to hear her coughing so much at night. Nurse has recently prescribed a purple inhaler, daily monkolucust (apologies if I’ve spelt that wrong) tablets and a saline nasal spray to dissolve the mucus in her nose. Dont wait as long as I did if you feel the inhaler isn’t helping but go back to see if they can prescribe anything else.