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An asthma flare-up while travelling usually builds over hours or days, triggered by smoke, pollution, heat, a cold or exertion. Follow your personal asthma action plan, use your reliever inhaler as your doctor has told you and rest upright. If the reliever is not helping, you cannot speak in full sentences or your lips turn blue, call 112.
Before you fly: pack for a flare
A little preparation makes a flare-up on holiday much easier to handle.
- Bring enough medicine for the whole trip plus a few extra days, including your preventer and reliever inhalers and a spacer if you use one.
- Pack inhalers in your hand luggage, never only in the hold, in their original packaging with the pharmacy label.
- Carry a copy of your prescription or a letter listing your medicines by their generic names. Brand names differ in Türkiye.
- Bring your written asthma action plan, and make sure someone you travel with knows where your reliever is.
- Check expiry dates before you leave.
British prescriptions are not accepted in Turkish pharmacies, so a spare inhaler from home is far simpler than finding a replacement here. Our guide to travelling to Turkey with prescription medication explains the rules.
Common asthma triggers in Istanbul
Istanbul is a big, busy city, and a few triggers are hard to avoid completely.
- Traffic fumes on main roads and in tunnels, especially in summer heat.
- Tobacco smoke on café terraces and outdoor seating areas, even though indoor smoking is banned.
- Heat and humidity in July and August, and cold, damp air in winter.
- Steep hills and long stair climbs around Galata, Cihangir and the old city.
- Dust and mould in older buildings and some rental flats.
- Colds and flu picked up on flights and crowded transport.
Plan around them where you can: choose a non-smoking room, walk along the waterfront rather than busy roads, take a taxi or funicular up steep hills, and build rest into hot days.
Managing a flare-up in your hotel
At the first signs of worsening asthma, act early rather than waiting to see how bad it gets.
- Sit upright and try to stay calm; lying flat makes breathing harder.
- Use your reliever inhaler exactly as your asthma action plan or your doctor has told you.
- Move away from the trigger if you can: smoke, fumes, cold air or a dusty room.
- Keep track of how often you need your reliever. Needing it more than usual is a sign the flare is not settling.
If symptoms are building over a day or two and you are relying on your reliever more often, see a doctor rather than waiting for the trip to end. A doctor visit at your hotel includes listening to your chest, checking your breathing and oxygen level, and deciding on treatment or whether hospital care is safer.
If your inhaler runs out or is lost
Running out of an inhaler abroad is stressful but solvable.
- Do not ration a reliever if you need it. Get help early instead.
- A pharmacist (Eczane) can tell you what is available locally, but cannot use a British prescription.
- A doctor can assess you and, if appropriate, write a Turkish prescription that a local pharmacy can fill. Bring the empty inhaler or a photo of the label.
- At night and on Sundays, use the on-duty pharmacy rota (nöbetçi eczane); closed pharmacies show the nearest open one in their window.
Our step-by-step guide to lost or forgotten medicine in Istanbul covers this in more detail.
Flying with asthma
Keep your reliever in the seat pocket or a small bag at your feet, not in the overhead locker. Cabin air is dry, which some people find irritating, so drink water during the flight. If you use a nebuliser or another device, check the airline's rules before you travel. If you have had a recent flare-up, or needed hospital care in the weeks before the trip, ask your doctor whether it is sensible to fly and what to do if symptoms start on board.
After a flare-up
Even when a flare-up settles, it is a sign that your asthma was not fully controlled. Rest for the rest of the day, avoid the trigger where you can, and keep a closer eye on symptoms over the next few days. Book a review with your own doctor or asthma nurse when you get home, and take any reports from Istanbul with you. If you needed oral steroids or emergency treatment during the trip, that review is especially important.
Useful words
- Astım: asthma
- Nefes darlığı: shortness of breath
- İnhaler or fısfıs: inhaler
- Hırıltı: wheeze
Signs of an asthma attack: call 112
An asthma attack can become life-threatening quickly. Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department immediately if:
- Your reliever inhaler is not helping, or the effect wears off very quickly
- You are too breathless to speak, eat or sleep
- Your breathing is getting faster and you cannot catch your breath
- Your lips or fingers look blue or grey
- You feel drowsy, confused, exhausted or dizzy
- Your chest feels very tight, or wheezing and coughing are constant
Sources
Related Services
- Hotel Doctor in Istanbul — a chest examination at your hotel, Airbnb or residence.
- Prescription at Your Hotel — a doctor assesses you and decides whether a prescription is appropriate.
- Urgent Doctor Visit — same-day help when a flare is building.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What should I do if I have an asthma flare-up abroad?
- Sit upright, use your reliever as your asthma action plan says, move away from the trigger and get medical help early. Call 112 if the reliever is not helping.
- Can I buy an asthma inhaler in Turkey without a prescription?
- Ask a pharmacist what is available. British prescriptions are not accepted in Turkish pharmacies, so a doctor may need to assess you and decide whether to write a local prescription.
- Does Istanbul's air affect asthma?
- Traffic fumes, outdoor smoking areas, summer heat and steep climbs can all trigger symptoms. Plan quieter routes and rest breaks.
- Can a doctor check my asthma at my hotel?
- Yes. A doctor can examine you at your hotel, Airbnb or residence. Requests are accepted around the clock, but an asthma attack always needs 112.
If your asthma is harder to control than usual during your trip, send a WhatsApp message with your symptoms, your medicines and where you are staying.