Asthma/allergies in teen athlete
My 17 year old son has been diagnosed with asthma, EIA, and environmental allergies (mainly grass pollen). He is on Qvar, Flonase, and Zyrtec. He is a competitive runner and until recently, took Albuterol before exercise. His main complaint, however, is not that he has chest tightness or wheezing but that he has lots of phlegm in his throat, although he will occasionally just say he feels like his "breathing is not good." (Getting a good description is challenging!) Interestingly, he has recently felt better and performed better without using the Albuterol (allergiest said OK to try). He is very compliant with taking his meds. Questions:
Can the preventative medications alleviate the need for the Albuterol?
Are there other issues presented that we should explore with his allergist? Thank you.
Hi Helen,
I read your posting and thought I'd just say what I know from my experience. I take singulair and nasonex for my allergies/asthma, and I also have an albuterol inhaler. I'd rate the severity of my allergies/asthma as "moderate." I have been on those meds for a while and rarely have to use the albuterol anymore because the other ones keep it under control-- so yes, I think it's possible. The albuterol makes me feel shaky and jittery, so I don't really like it. I find that having caffeine works better than the albuterol. The caffeine somehow reduces the swelling. I have also heard dark chocolate helps. 
Green tea has another chemical in it that does something else that helps w/the asthma symptoms, too. Just some stuff worth trying. Good luck!
Katie
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