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Asthma

Wheeze, cough, breathlessness, and chest tightness. Very manageable with the right plan.

Speak to a GP about asthmaFrom £79

In short

Asthma is very common and, with the right inhalers, technique, and action plan, most people control it well. A GP can review your asthma and optimise treatment. A severe attack is an emergency, call 999.

Overview

What is asthma?

Asthma is a long-term condition where the airways are inflamed and narrow in response to triggers, causing wheeze, cough, breathlessness, and chest tightness. It varies over time and between people. Good control, through the right preventer inhaler, correct technique, and avoiding triggers, means most people live without limitation.

Symptoms

Common symptoms

  • Wheezing (a whistling sound when breathing)
  • Breathlessness
  • A tight chest
  • Coughing, often worse at night or early morning
  • Symptoms triggered by exercise, colds, allergens, or cold air

When to act

When to see a doctor

Book a GP for an asthma review if you're using your reliever often, waking at night, or symptoms limit you, or to check inhaler technique and your action plan. Call 999 for a severe attack.

When to seek urgent help

Seek urgent help if

  • A severe attack: struggling to breathe or speak, reliever not working, lips turning blue (call 999)
  • Needing your reliever inhaler more and more, or waking at night with symptoms
  • A peak flow much lower than your best
  • Any asthma symptoms in someone who is rapidly deteriorating

Call 999 for life-threatening emergencies or NHS 111 for urgent non-emergency advice.

Treatment

How a private GP can help

  • A review of your symptoms, triggers, and how well your asthma is controlled
  • Inhaler technique check and advice (a common reason control is poor)
  • Guidance on preventer and reliever inhalers and how to use them
  • A personalised asthma action plan
  • Prescription of inhalers where appropriate for established asthma
  • Referral for diagnosis tests or to a respiratory specialist where needed

What we don't do

  • Emergency treatment of an asthma attack (call 999)
  • Specialist respiratory investigations and severe/brittle asthma care (referred on)

Pricing

What it costs

An online consultation about asthma starts at £79 for a 20-minute video appointment. In-pharmacy consultations are £129 and home visits are £189. Your consultation includes one private prescription if appropriate, and a sick note for work if needed. You pay the pharmacy separately for any medication.

See full pricing breakdown

FAQ

Common questions about asthma

Can asthma be diagnosed online?
A suspected new diagnosis usually needs breathing tests (spirometry/FeNO), so we'd guide you to the right assessment. For established asthma, we can review control, inhalers, and your action plan.
Why is my asthma not well controlled?
Common reasons are inhaler technique, not using the preventer regularly, ongoing triggers, or an under-treated plan. A review addresses all of these.
What should my action plan include?
How to recognise worsening asthma, what to do and which inhaler to step up, and exactly when to seek urgent help. We can help you put one together.
What do I do in an attack?
Use your reliever inhaler as directed, sit up, and stay calm. If it's not helping, you can't speak in full sentences, or you're getting worse, call 999, this is an emergency.
See all conditions we can help with

Ready to talk to a GP about asthma?

Message Emily on WhatsApp or book online in under 90 seconds. UK-registered doctors, available today.

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7 days a week · 08:00–22:00 · WhatsApp or email