Paper Example on Asthma Medication Challenges: Patient's Experience With Side Effects

Health Coach: Hello, it seems you have tried your level best to take the drugs as prescribed by the doctor. However, it seems you have challenges taking asthma medications as instructed by the doctor.

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Patient: Maintaining the medication is not as easy as taking a cup of coffee. The drugs have made me develop some problems and thus making me backslide in taking them. The various effects that I have experienced during medication are: the oral candidiasis, which affects my mouth, my throat mostly become sore, and some spasms of the windpipe (Beau et al., 2017).

Health Coach: If you are facing such side effects, then you should see your physician be told what you should do. Did you know that wheezing sign noticed by your doctor is a good show that your asthma is worsening?

Patient: What should I do and what are the other signs of asthma emergency?

Health Coach: You need to see your doctor frequently so that he can know the stage at which the asthma is. Additionally, the other signs of asthma are no sign of improvement even after you have used the relief inhaler and also shortness of breath when you are carrying out less physical activities.

Patient: When can I contact my doctor?

Health Coach: You should frequently contact your doctor to keep it under control. According to Langdon and Mullol (2016), the best long term controls enable you to feel better daily and may also prevent you from being at risk. You also need to see your doctor when the drugs do not ease the pain. Additionally, asthma grows with time, so you need the doctor to discuss your symptoms and get you treated.

Patient: Mr. Health coach, what triggers asthma?

Health Coach: When you are exposed to different irritating substances that can trigger allergens, they can trigger the signs of asthma. You should note that asthma triggers are different from one person to the other. According to Pola-Bibian et al. (2016), the many triggers of asthma include the preservatives and sulfites that are added to some of the foods or drinks that we consume such as the sodas, dried fruit, beer, and wine. Secondly, some medications such as the aspirin, ibuprofen, and beta-blockers may increase the chances of contracting asthma. Lastly, the Gastroesophageal reflux disease which is a condition whereby the acids in the stomach forms in your throat leading to asthma. Additionally, there are certain airborne substances that may trigger asthma, such as pollens, mold spores, and dust mites (Pola-Bibian et al., 2016)

Patient: I am made to understand that there are some factors that may increase my chances of developing asthma. What are they?

Health Coach: Well, the factors that are thought to increase chances of asthma according to Toskala and Kennedy (2015) are exposure to occupational triggers such as chemicals that are used during agricultural farming and processing. The second factor is having a related allergic condition like allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. The last factor is when you smoke; smoking blocks the lungs making it difficult to breathe.

Patient: Now that asthma has become a tragedy, are there possible ways of preventing it?

Health Coach: Unfortunately, there are no proper ways of preventing asthma. However, you and your physician can develop a plan in which you can stay with your condition and preventing the asthma attacks. It is easy doing so when the following are taken into consideration (Ichinose, 2016). First, monitoring how you breathe. By doing this, you will know and discover the impending attacks such as coughing slightly and some wheezing. Although your lung function may decrease slowly without you noticing, it is advisable to constantly measure and record the airflow with a home peak flow kit (Ichinose, 2016).

Additionally, you should pay close attention to increasing the use of an inhaler. When you rely on the inhalers such as the albuterol, your condition is not in control, and you need to see your physician so that your treatment can be adjusted. Additionally, you need to take your medication as instructed by the doctor. Do not change taking your drugs before consulting your physician just because there are some improvements. It is also recommended to carry your medication with you each time you are seeing your doctor so that your doctor can confirm that you are using your medication in the right way and taking the correct dose. Lastly, you need to identify and treat asthma attacks as early as possible. The quicker you act; you are unlikely to have extreme attacks. You will also not need continuous medication to control the symptoms. When your peak flow measurements reduce, and you get alerted to an oncoming attack, have the medication as prescribed and stop any activity that may have caused the attack. If you do not see improvements in the symptoms, then you need to seek medical help (Ichinose, 2016)

Patient: Mr. Health coach what advice can you give to patients living with asthma

Health Coach: For a healthy life, ensure that that you do not smoke, eat healthy foods, reduce the loads in the lungs, and ensure that you participate in various physical activities.

References

Ichinose, M. (2016). Asthma prevention and management guidelines 2015, Japan: comparison with GINA2015. Nihon Rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine, 74(10), 1609-1614.

Beau, A. B., Didier, A., Hurault-Delarue, C., Montastruc, J. L., Lacroix, I., & Damase-Michel, C. (2017). Prescription of asthma medications before and during pregnancy in France: an observational drug study using the EFEMERIS database. Journal of Asthma, 54(3), 258-264.

Langdon, C., & Mullol, J. (2016). Nasal polyps in patients with asthma: prevalence, impact, and management challenges. Journal of asthma and allergy, 9, 45.

Pola-Bibian, B., Dominguez-Ortega, J., Vila-Nadal, G., Entrala, A., Gonzalez-Cavero, L., Barranco, P., ... & Quirce, S. (2016). Asthma exacerbations in a tertiary hospital: clinical features, triggers, and risk factors for hospitalization. Journal of investigational allergology & clinical immunology, 0-0.

Toskala, E., & Kennedy, D. W. (2015, September). Asthma risk factors. In International forum of allergy & rhinology (Vol. 5, No. S1, pp. S11-S16).