What is the difference between a "maintenance" inhaler and a "rescue" inhaler?

How do I know when my inhaler is empty?

How do I know when should I call Dr. Smits and when should I call my family doctor?

Are samples provided to patients when new medications are ordered?

Will you provide a school or work excuse slip when I am sick?

When I feel better, is it okay to stop taking my medications?

HOW CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COLD, VIRUS, OR THE FLU AND AN ALLERGY OR ASTHMA FLARE UP?

COLD vs. ALLERGIES

You have a runny, itchy nose and watery, itchy eyes. You're sneezing all the time. Do you have a cold or allergies? Because allergy symptoms often mimic those of a common cold, people often mistake one for the other. How to tell the difference? Ask yourself a few questions:

When do the symptoms occur, and how long do they last? Allergies may be seasonal (often occurring in warm weather) and tend to come and go. Colds thrive during cold and rainy weather, when people are indoors in crowded places. Colds generally last less than a week. So if your "cold" lasts for several weeks in the summer, chances are good its an allergy.

What are your symptoms? Allergies usually aren't accompanied by headaches and/or muscle aches, as colds often are.

COLD vs. FLU

People sometimes use the words cold and flu interchangeably, or they use flu to mean a stomach virus with symptoms such as diarrhea. The flu is a viral disease called influenza. It may have symptoms in common with a cold, but it is more serious because it can have potentially fatal complications. The flu kills 20,000 Americans each year.

For the most part, the distinction between colds and flu is not especially significant. In healthy adults younger than 65, both diseases are usually self-limiting, meaning they will go away on their own. Antibiotics are useless treatments for both. Depending on which strain of the virus you catch, the flu generally packs a meaner punch than a cold. Its symptoms tend to be more severe and it may last one to two weeks, as opposed to a few days to a week for a cold.

The real reason to learn the difference is the possible after-effects. A cold may sometimes lead to a secondary bacterial infection, treatable with antibiotics. For older people and those with weak immune systems, influenza carries potential deadly complications.

Even healthy people should be aware when they have the flu, so they can be extra careful not to spread it to people at risk of complications. There is also an anti-viral drug that may be appropriate and necessary for treating influenza, but is never used for colds.

The chart below compares cold and flu symptoms. Once you are familiar with the telltale signs of each infection, it will become pretty easy for you to discern whether you have a cold or influenza.

One final note on this subject. If you develop a cough that lingers for weeks, see a doctor. It could be something that requires antibiotics, or it could be whooping cough. This contagious disease is making a comeback among unvaccinated children and adults. Some adults may never have been immunized; others may have received vaccines that are no longer providing protection.

Based on information from :

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A "MAINTENANCE" INHALER AND "RESCUE" INHALER?

A "maintenance" inhaler is used daily and helps to keep asthma under control. A "rescue" inhaler is intended to be used only "as needed" for coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY INHALER IS EMPTY?

One way to tell how much medication is left in your inhaler is to place the canister that hold the medicine (without the mouthpiece) in a water and watch how it floats. If the cannister is empty, it will float to the top; if it is full, it will sink to the bottom. This will work for the following inhalers: Flovent, Aerobid, Serevent, Azmacort, Proventil, Maxair, Albuterol, Combivent, Vanceril, and Tilade. It will not work for Pulmicort, Serevent Diskus, or Flovent Rotodisk. This method is not a substitute for counting the number of puffs listed in the product information sheet that comes with the inhaler.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN I SHOULD CALL DR. SMITS AND WHEN I SHOULD CALL MY FAMILY DOCTOR?

If you are exhibiting symptoms such as increased cough, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, increased nasal drainage and congestion, or headache, please contact the Allergy and Asthma Center. It is likely that you are experiencing an exacerbation of your allergic disease, asthma, or both.

ARE SAMPLES PROVIDED TO PATIENTS WHEN NEW MEDICATIONS ARE ORDERED?

When we prescribe a medication to a patient for the first time, we often provide samples of the medication for the first week's dose. That way, if the medication does not work the patient has not paid for something they won't use. The following is our "Samples Policy":

1.) The Physician–Patient relationship must be intact in order for samples to be dispensed (i.e. follow-up visits must be up to date).

2.) Samples are given for a trial period. If the sample medication is well tolerated, a prescription will be given to the patient for use over a longer period of time.

3.) The responsibility for the payment of prescription medication rests upon the patient.

WILL YOU PROVIDE A SCHOOL OR WORK EXCUSE SLIP WHEN I AM SICK?

We do provide school and work excuse slips. The following is our policy:

1.) The patient must have an office visit with Dr. Smits or Kevin. The school/work excuse will be written for the date the patient is actually seen.

2.) No retroactive excuses will be granted.

3.) If the absence will cover an extended period of time, periodic visits may be required as Dr. Smits or Kevin deems necessary.

WHEN I FEEL BETTER, IS IT OKAY TO STOP TAKING MY MEDICATIONS?

Please do not stop any medications without contacting the Allergy and Asthma Center.