Patients scheduled to undergo bronchoprovocation testing should clear their bodies of all asthma and other pulmonary (lung) medications. For example, a patient who has a 4 p.m. test should not take a short-acting bronchodilator (which lasts four to eight hours) any later than 8 a.m. that morning. This rule should also be applied to all other similar medications. However, patients should consult with a physician before modifying medication intake.

Patients should also avoid the following on the day of the test:

• Chocolate
• Coffee, tea, cola drinks or other caffeinated beverages
• Smoking (for at least six hours prior to testing)
• Environments that are extremely cold or extremely hot
• Exercise

Patients need to be free from respiratory infections for six weeks prior to their testing date. Patients who have viral infections should not participate in bronchoprovocation testing until they are well and their lung capacity returns to normal.

Patients who have recently suffered a heart attack or stroke and those with aneurysms (a bulging out of part of the wall of a blood vessel) or uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure) are also considered poor candidates for bronchoprovocation testing. In addition, pregnant women may be advised to postpone testing, as the effects of methacholine on the fetus are unknown.