Please tell me if you think this sounds like asthma

[Anothercuppatea]

ds is 3. He has a permanent night time cough.
He does not cough or wheeze in the day at all. (just normal cough when a cold virus etc)
Doctor prescribed salbutamol for before bed. It made no difference. Doc doesn't think it's asthma as he can no wheeze in his chest at all.

Heres what I think is strange. Ds will start coughing often a few minutes after falling asleep. If it was asthma would it not start an hour or so after? He also coughs when sleeping sat up in the car, which doesn't sound like asthma?
I am really confused. The last couple of nights he's had a couple of huge coughing fits and it is affecting everyones sleep.

It could be postnatal drip, this often causes a nighttime cough and doesn't go awat with salbutamol. It's often made better by nasal corticosteroids like beconase.

*away

Are you giving the ventolin properly? So often on asthma threads people haven't been shown the correct technique which means the drugs don't work.

DS has asthma and his cough often starts soon after going to bed when its bad.

He give inhaler with a spacer device. It's hard to know how much he gets. But we put one puff in. Then he does 6 or so in out breaths. And we can hear the little valve clicking, which the doc said meant he was doing it properly.

The pharmacist did say that doc could have prescribed a mask of some sort, which makes it easier for kids. I'm not sure if perhaps I should go back and ask for one of those.

Sounds like postnasal drip to me too. Dosnt sound typical of asthma. Ask your gp for a steroid nasal spray.

Thanks. Looked up post nasal drip, but sounds like it's a symptom?
And many things can be cause? Like allergy, virus etc? Would the nasal spray just treat the symptom?

Although it is technically a symptom of a number of things, generally when doctors use the term post nasal drip they are referring to an 'upper airway cough syndrome' caused by excess mucus production and the abnormal flow of that mucus to the back of the throat. It's often due to rhinitis or chronic sinusitis. These conditions normally have an allergic basis (e.g dust mites, pollen).

Sorry..... posted too early. As its often difficult to identify the trigger and to eradicate it if you suspect e.g dust mites, the steroid nasal spray treats the allergic response

Thanks I will try and suggest to doctor. It's difficult cos I think he doesn't like being told what the diagnosis is! He gets all "well I'm the doctor so I think I will decide". I'll have to be subtle!