When an asthma patient’s maximum speed of expiration or peak flow is low - around eighty percent of their personal best, and remains low even after using the rescue inhaler - that’s when they should contact their doctor. If the peak flow falls to 60 percent of their personal best, they should immediately use their rescue inhaler and have someone take them to the emergency room.

Patients should never second guess themselves. If they feel that they need immediate help, if their asthma management plan is not working, they should go to the ER. A lot of asthmatics feel that they should wait to see if their asthma gets worse before they take action - which is a huge mistake. Chances are that it will indeed get worse, beyond the power of the emergency room doctors to help. It is much easier for doctors and nurses to fix the milder asthma symptoms. They will not turn the patient away, and they will at least give the patient an Albuterol breathing treatment (a treatment which opens the breathing passages and relaxes the muscles) to make sure everything is in working order.

Many asthmatics find it very hard to judge when they are fine and when they are not, so it’s better to err on the side of caution.