Mucus Retention

I have asthma and I have had a lot of mucus retention.  No problem breathing, but alot of mucus.  What causes this?

[Victoireh]

Excess mucous production in the lungs is one of the symptoms of asthma. Some asthmatics just produce more mucous then others in response to an allergic reaction. The best thing to do is drink lots of fluids to keep the mucous thin and exercise regularly to help move the mucous from the lungs.

[choo_choo]

I don't know  what controller med you use, but after I use Symbicort at night, for some reason it makes me cough mucus up.  So about 15-20 min after using it, I take a hot shower and cough it up and I feel much better.  The mucus doesn't cause me breathing problems, either, but I can feel it.  If I don't have mucus, I don't cough after using Symbicort, but I still take a hot shower ;)    

[Victoireh]

The reason that the mucous comes up after using Symbicort is because your airways have been opened up more by the long acting bronchodilator portion, thereby allowing the mucous to travel easier up the airways. That is a good thing.

I suffer a lot from excess mucous and find that it really helps to stay well hydrated and rested. For asthmatics the steroid portion of your inhaler will help to cut down a lot on the excess mucous production. Like you said, as long as the excess mucous doesn't become detrimental to your well being, and in particular to your lungs (infections), then some can certainly be tolerated. It is important to strike up a balance between inhaler dosages and symptoms. Most asthmatics given the right treatment should be able to have almost no symptoms present most of the time.