Understanding and Treating Your Asthma: What to Ask Your Doctor
It’s common to feel overwhelmed during medical appointments. When it’s time for your visit, you might get distracted or you may not remember everything you had been wanting to discuss. You might not even feel like you have enough time to ask all of your questions.
Being prepared for your visit can help you make the most of your time with your healthcare provider. So we’ve put together a guide with some tips and questions to help drive your conversation.
There are two ways to use this guide:
1. Download, save, and/or print all sets of questions here.
2. Use the menu below to find and save the questions specific to your needs.
Where are you in your asthma journey?
I want information on what to expect at my appointment or how to prepare ↓
I want more information on my asthma diagnosis and what it means for me long term ↓
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I want to know the basics about asthma treatment guidelines and goals ↓
I am starting a new asthma medication and I have questions ↓
I’ve been taking asthma medication for a while and I don’t think it’s working ↓
I’m having trouble managing my asthma and allergy symptoms ↓
Preparing for your appointment
Whether you have a new or long-standing diagnosis of asthma, there are a few things you can expect at your visit.
Be prepared to answer questions about your:
Medications and supplements
Environment (such as where you work and who you live with)
Exercise, diet, and social habits (such as smoking)
Medical history, including any hospitalizations for asthma
Family medical history (if you know it)
When it comes to your symptoms, it helps to be as specific as possible. You may want to record how your asthma affects you and bring your notes to your visit.
Be prepared to answer questions about how often you:
Need your rescue inhaler (if you have one)
Have daytime asthma symptoms
Wake up at night due to asthma symptoms
Have limitations in daily activities
Your provider will probably also talk to you about triggers — anything that seems to make your asthma symptoms worse. So it might help to keep and bring a list of those.
This information will jump start your conversation with your healthcare provider and guide your treatment plan.
Questions to ask your doctor about asthma
Here are some questions that can help you better understand and manage your condition. Since time with your provider may be limited, it may help to prioritize the questions that are most important to you:
How severe is my asthma?
Does asthma increase my risk for anything else?
What can I do to reduce flare-ups?
How can I avoid getting sick so it doesn’t worsen my asthma?
Do I need an asthma action plan?
How often will I need to do pulmonary function tests (PFTs)?
Asthma treatment guidelines and goals
Healthcare providers make treatment recommendations based on symptoms. Asthma treatment guidelines, such as those from the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), say the choice of medication depends on:
How often you have symptoms
How severe your symptoms are
How your symptoms affect you
Your pulmonary function testing (PFT) results
There are two main goals of asthma treatment:
Keep your asthma controlled so it does not prevent you from participating in work, school, and physical activities.
Reduce your risk of asthma attacks, lung infections, loss of lung function, and medication side effects.
That said, it helps to think about what your goals are in treating your asthma so you and your provider can come up with a plan together.
Questions to ask your doctor about beginning asthma treatment
There’s no right or wrong way to approach your treatment conversation. But you can use these questions to help you get the information you need about your asthma treatment plan:
What side effects should I expect from my medication(s)?
Is there anything I can do to minimize or prevent side effects from treatment?
If I have side effects, when and how should I let you know?
What’s the difference between a rescue inhaler and a long-acting inhaler?
Where can I learn how to use an inhaler?
Am I using my medication/inhaler correctly?
Are there any long-term risks with this medication?
What if I forget to take my medication?
Can other medications I’m taking make my asthma treatment less effective?
When will I know if my treatment is working?
What do I do if my treatment isn’t working?
Will I need to take this medication forever?
What do I do if I can’t afford my medication?
Questions to ask your doctor about changing your asthma treatment
If you find that your treatment isn’t working well enough, you and your healthcare provider may decide to change your treatment plan. It’s helpful to know what to expect when this happens. Here are some sample questions:
What should I watch for after my treatment plan changes?
Will changing my treatment plan also change the cost?
What side effects should I expect from my new medication(s)?
Is there anything I can do to minimize or prevent side effects from treatment?
If I have side effects, when and how should I let you know?
Are there any long-term risks with this medication?
When will I know it’s working?
What do I do if my treatment isn’t working?
Is it possible to decrease or stop my treatment?
What to ask your doctor about asthma and allergies
It’s common to have both asthma and allergies. If you have asthma, you may notice that your symptoms worsen when your allergies are triggered. If you’re struggling with symptoms, speak with your healthcare provider about treatment options:
What can I take for my allergy symptoms?
Can treating my allergies improve my asthma symptoms?
Are there medications that can treat both allergies and asthma?
Should I take something for allergies before my symptoms start?
Do I need allergy testing?
Would allergy shots (immunotherapy) make a difference in my asthma symptoms?
The bottom line
You may have a lot of questions about your asthma and treatment plan, and keeping everything straight can be tricky. Consider printing or saving these questions to your phone to streamline your conversation with your asthma provider. If you choose to print them, remember to bring a pen to your visit. That way you can take notes without having to worry about remembering every detail. Focus on the questions that are most important to you. But, in the end, don’t be shy about getting all the information you need to manage your asthma.
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