Many good medications on the market work well to address asthma symptoms. But for the usually busy teen with asthma, the issue generally will narrow down to simplicity and portability. Basically, the simpler the course of treatment, the more likely the teen is to follow his daily regimen.

Get Informed

Teens need to understand what medications are available, and when they are appropriate to use. Medications generally fall into two categories: quick-relief medicines and preventive medicines.

Quick-relief medicines, such as the anti-inflammatory bronchodilator sprays, rapidly open airways when inhaled. They are to be used when a teen is having an asthma attack.

If a teen has periodic symptoms including wheezing, coughing, or troubled breathing, she would use quick-relief medicine. However, overuse of a quick-relief medication could harm your teen.

These medications should be used quickly when asthma symptoms appear: The longer the teen waits to use the medicine, the longer it takes to end the symptoms. Following an asthma episode, a teen may need to take the quick-relief medicine for several days.

The quick-relief medicines can be inhaled fifteen minutes before intense and vigorous workouts — and also afterward, if needed — to reduce the occurrence of exercise-induced asthma.

Preventive or longer-acting medicines help stop asthma attacks by keeping lung airways from becoming inflamed. Teens with more severe asthma symptoms usually will need to use preventive medicines daily to allow them to participate in normal activities.

Teens also have a high rate of using complementary and alternative treatments. In one national survey of about 1,300 young people fourteen to nineteen years old, 80 percent said they had used these treatments at least once in their lifetime, and 50 percent said within the past month.

Teens, though, need to first be aware that the complementary and alternative treatments should not replace their current medications. Also, they should check with their physician if they are using treatments such as herbal remedies. They may not be aware that some alternative treatments could end up creating risks with prescribed medications because they act in a similar fashion as those medications. (Also see Chapter 5.)

What to Choose

When looking for the right medication to use, convenience likely will mean better compliance when it comes to teenagers. Once-a-day medications may appeal to the teen rather than taking those medications that need to be used several times a day.

For asthmatic children, spacers are a familiar tool. But by the time they reach their teenage years, the large bulky spacers may get the thumbs down in terms of portability. If those tubes don't easily fit in pockets or purses, they're bound to be left behind. So smaller — and even attractive — spacers will be preferred. Health care providers have found that some teens may prefer dry powder inhalers to get their needed medication because their size is smaller, and no spacer is needed.

Cool Versus Safe

Teens need to realize that failure to comply with use of the right medication at the right time can have consequences. It's not uncommon that a teen may feel better after taking daily medication — and then stop using it. He might begin just relying on quick-acting bronchodilator spray when an asthma event occurs, which could prove to be problematic — especially if he forgets to carry his inhaler with him the one time he has an asthma attack.

In a worst-case scenario, teens with severe cases of asthma can die. But uncontrolled asthma also can lead to other problems, too, including depression, fatigue, and low self-esteem. This, in turn, can lead to emotional outbursts and poor school performance.

Therefore, it's important for the teen to realize that her asthma needs to be managed daily using medications appropriate for her and in a timely manner.

Is It Working?

Sometimes the medication prescribed by your teen's health care provider may not be working very well to control his asthma. In this case, your health care professional likely will see if he is using the inhaler correctly. If he is, then his health care provider may change the dosage, switch to another medication, or add a medication to the current treatment.

Also, the provider may suggest other medications, such as leukotriene pathway modifiers, or possibly mast cell stabilizers (cromolyn sodium or nedocromil), or theophylline.

If your teen's asthma still does not improve with the different treatments, he may need more intensive treatments involving larger doses of corticosteroids or other medications. This may require a visit to an asthma specialist.