What should you know about OCS asthma?

OCS stands for oral corticosteroids, medicines taken by mouth to reduce airway inflammation. They are different from inhaled preventer medicines and are commonly prescribed as a short course when symptoms are not controlled with the person’s usual reliever plan. They do not provide a substitute for an individual asthma action plan.

Asthma can cause wheezing, cough and chest tightness when the airways narrow and become inflamed. Triggers may include viral illness, allergens such as house dust mites, smoke or exertion. A clinician decides whether OCS is appropriate after considering breathing symptoms, examination findings, previous treatment and other possible causes.

Follow the prescribed dose and schedule, and check whether the course should be taken with food or at a particular time. Do not share tablets or change the course without speaking with the prescriber. Continue other asthma medicines exactly as instructed unless told otherwise, and record how often you need your reliever.

Arrange follow-up after a flare so the clinician can review inhaler technique, triggers, preventer treatment and your action plan. If swallowing tablets is difficult or symptoms are worsening despite treatment, ask for advice promptly; nebuliser treatment may be considered in an urgent setting when clinically appropriate.

Seek emergency help for severe breathlessness, difficulty speaking in full sentences, blue or grey lips, marked drowsiness, confusion or rapidly worsening symptoms. Use your prescribed reliever and follow your action plan while help is arranged. A cough, wheeze or chest tightness that keeps returning also needs a medical review, even if it settles between episodes.

Ask why oral corticosteroids are recommended, how to take them, which side effects need a call, when improvement should be reviewed, and whether your preventer or action plan needs adjustment. Ask how to recognise your own early warning signs.