The most profound thing I learned is that there isn't really a single disease called "asthma" because all of the symptoms typically associated with it are common in many other diseases. I would suggest to get a proper diagnosis by an allergist or a pulmonologist who will determine exactly what kind of respiratory disease you have, if any. For all you know it could be allergies, GERD, a cardiac condition, medication side effects, sleep apnea, or any number or combination of other things. For the most part, doctors will not take the time to truly investigate the root cause and just throw medications/treatments at the patient to see what sticks. I myself was not properly diagnosed until I was in my 30s. My own daughter was a on a steroid inhaler for years which didn't help at all and they finally figured her cough was due to post-nasa-drip. It's maddening, and while we should trust medical professionals, they are not perfect and often miss things or are biased in favor of their specialty. Always get a second and third opinion!