Hi SMD,
I hope this note finds you feeling better. I offer this advice not as a health care professional, but as a fellow asthmatic and asthma educator. (I am asthmatic since I was a child, but it has gotten worse as I have gotten older.) If you are young enough to still get your period, it could also be premenstrual asthma which is related to your hormones. Please consult with your provider for the best possible care. With that being said, just using albuterol every 4 hours is not good - as it does not help the inflammation in the lungs to improve - it is a rescue medication and could cause the elevated BP and increased pulse rate. There are many steroid inhalers or combination inhalers - and I have a pic attached for you. I have been using Budesonide nebulizer - every 12 hours. No matter which steroid inhaler you use, please remember to do good mouth care so you don't develop a fungal infection in your mouth. There is also a 12 hour albuterol nebulizer - Brovana - Arformeterol - which can be helpful. I know how difficult it is to constantly do nebulizers - making sure they are not too close together. Unfortunately, you may need to try different steroid inhalers - powder vs HFA - to see which is best for you. This can be costly as well - so ask your provider for samples if possible. If you are new on this asthma journey, it may be too soon to consider biologic medications (Dupixent, Xolair, etc.) There is also an old medication - Theophylline - which is a bronchodilator - and not a steroid. This is a possibility - but blood work needs to be done to make sure you are in the normal blood range for this medication and not toxic. Please consider raising the head of your bed with blocks or with large blankets under the top of your mattress. If you use many pillows, you may develop a pain in your neck.
Please feel free to write back and let me know how you are doing. Good luck.
Pam