JessicaNAJ

My son has asthma (he's 10). Because he has proven in the past to be responsible, I let him take his inhaler back and forth to school with him in case he has an asthma attack.

I have been working with his Doctor to get his asthma straightened out. According to her, he's been using his inhaler way too much (his doctor said the inhaler should last a year...we're luck if it lasts 3 months). So he is now on 3 different allergy/asthma medications.

I was talking to my son the other day and told him that I need to know when he takes his inhaler so I can keep a journal of it and bring it with us to his next doctors appointment. He starts crying?! I asked him what was wrong...he didn't want to tell me. I told him he has to. He said his inhaler was gone (I know it was at least half full a week ago). "What do you mean it's gone?" He told me that after school, he fell asleep in his sitters van. When he woke up, he needed his inhaler. When he took it...it did weird things to him...he saw triangles in his eyes and his hearing was weird so he kept trying it b/c it was weird. (He's totally freaking out at this point-scared that I'd tell his doctor or his sitter or what I was going to do.) He said he didn't know why he kept doing it, but he did. I told him it was probably because he was getting a high off of it....which is why people smoke pot and drink.....now he's really freaking out - he said he'll never do it again. I reminded him of the "pass out" game (I made him read a paper on it so he knows how serious it is and does not try it with his friends)....I think that scared him too. I wasn't trying to scare him...I just wanted him to see how dangerous his actions were.

OBVIOUSLY I took his inhaler away from him and he is no longer allowed to bring it with him to school or anywhere else for that matter.

My biggest fear is that my wonderful, intelligent, caring, sweet little boy will become an alcoholic like his father. Do you think this was just experimental or could it be a sign of something more to come in the future?

LaTeeDa

You cannot predict the future. All you can do is make good choices and help him understand. You didn't say how old your son is, but depending on his age, I don't know if taking it away is your only option. Maybe talk to the doctor on your own first and get some suggestions. If your son realizes that you are concerned and care about him, instead of mad at him, it will be easier to communicate. Don't worry about what might happen in the future. Just deal with what is going on now in the most caring way you can.

(())

L

Pick-a-name

God only knows...literally. My kids (I only recently found out ) carry the genes on both sides. My father was telling me how I have to keep an eye on my 24 yr old son and not "let him become an alcoholic". I guess I will you what I told him......the chance is there. It worries me,too. But I can do as little to control his life and drinking,etc as I can his father's or for that case my dad did to "control" my sister who just lost her job and went through treatment for alcoholism (my dad thinks because he didn't "see" it, that if he had seen it, he could have stopped it.) Were it only that easy!

No doubt we all are in the same position. I see some red flags with my kids but try not to obsess about them. We speak openly about things..they know the risks (do they really believe them.........I doubt it. who believes anything like that at 18-23y?) They are going to do what they are going to do; I just try to give them a foundation of tools to use now and know options and about treatment.

I am glad you got to the bottom of this. Work with your doctor first ; he has probably seen this before. Hopefully there is Alatot or Alateen for your kids.

((Jessica))

StandingStrong

Now you know that no one can answer this question - not even you.
I drank (A lot) in high school, I also tried some other drugs. Guess what - I haven't drank or touched anything illegal in YEARS! However, had you asked my Dad when I was in high school, he probably would have told you that I was headed for a druggie's life.
I remember when my oldest was just a little guy, I discovered to my sheer horror that he had been sniffing the gas can in our garage!!! He thought it was funny. Can't recall how old he was but I did what I could to educate him on what that could do and as far as I know, he never did it again. Kids will do things.

Jessica; there is no crystal ball that can tell you if your son will become an addict or alchoholic or anything else. You just have to do the best you can and hope for the best.

JessicaNAJ

You all are right....Once I again I'm worrying about something that hasn't happened yet. All I can do is hope for the best and do what I think it right at the time...I think I handled it appropriately.

Thanks y'all

robina

Both my mother and father were alcoholic. I don't do drugs and I hate alcohol. Sometimes children of alcoholics learn a good lesson from their parent's mistakes.

Please don't worry this far in advance. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt to get him into Alateen, and talk to him a lot about your feelings regarding drugs and alcohol...

JessicaNAJ

oh...something I'm very proud of myself for - I didn't feel the need to tell G. This is something I would normally share with him in hopes of getting his cooperation for help. Wasn't worth the headache to me. He called today and I didn't even bring it up.

gelfling

Keep educating him about alcoholism and addiction. See if you can find alateen meetings for him to attend. What happens genetically isn't in our hands. Educating them helps more than anything. Surely wish I had done that with my son.

mallowcup

Inhalers are most often broncho dilators which means they are probably vasoconstrictors. Cardiac considerations. My mother abuses her inhalers terribly. I think the very best thing youcan do for your child is to reduce the stress, which is the biggest reason for an asthma attack and it also causes them to be more serious. His teacher can keep it in her desk or the school nurse can keep it. It won't do your son any good at home. It may be time to make some rational, calm decsions about your marriage. Your son is probably having a combination of asthma exacerbations because of the stress of your home situation along with the temporary high that makes him feel "different".

JessicaNAJ

Thank you Mallowcup.... his asthma is induced by congestion caused from his allergies. It's actually much better since he's been given this new regimen of medicine for his allergies. I thought about the school nurse...but she is only in the school 2 days out of the week. He really hasn't needed it in school for a while and I asked him if he thought he'd be ok to not bring it with him...he agreed that he would. I honestly think if his asthma was stress induced or exercise induced, his doctor would have told me...trust me, I ask ALOT of questions.

I will ask his doctor and my counselor about the second part of your post...it is something to look into.

rivercitybelle

Unfortunately, Often children will continue to use the inhaler repeatedly as it did not immediately provide the relief they thought they needed. A trusted adult like the nurse or the office or the teacher could keep an inhaler with the instructions on it for your son, I did that with my two that had it. The downside is you need at least 2 inhalers. The upside is that you hopefully cut down on ER visits because of breathing issues and your son would have the security of knowing it was available "just in case" even if it's not needed.

Just a suggestion.

DesertEyes

Hi there Jessica,

I'm sorry to hear about all the hardships you are going thru. If I may I have a litte experience with asthma that may help explain a few things. I have asthma, a really bad case of it, as well as a bad heart, so I understand how the inhalers work.

The most common medication in an inhaler is albuterol. As others have said, it expands the bronchii. It also has a variety of other effects on the body, such as increasing heart rate and blood pressure. When I take a puff of albuterol the very first thing I feel is a slight dizziness from the effect on my cardiac system. My heart instantly starts pounding harder.

It takes at least two or three breaths before I feel any difference in my ability to breathe. It is precisely this delay that causes the problems your son seems to be having.

Here's the catch. When my lungs plug up from an allergy attack I _also_ start feeling a little light-headed and my heart pounds. Plain old stress and anxiety feels _almost_ exactly the same as the beginning of an asthma attack. I have to consciously focus on my breathing in order to tell them apart.

If I'm _not_ having an asthma attack, but am only feeling stress and take a puff of albuterol.... my heart rate goes up, my diziness increases and I think the puff didn't work. So I take another one.

If I may suggest that your son might be reacting a little too soon to his symptoms and puffing albuterol when it's just stress, and not asthma. A few minutes with an experienced adult, especially one who also has asthma, might be very helpful. If your son is willing, you may have him take his albuterol to school and give it to each teacher in turn. That way it will be available if he needs it, but the time it takes him to get to the teacher will be enough to help him differentiate non-asthma stress from an asthma attack.

Mike :-)

reader

Hi Jessica, I also have severe asthma with allergies, so does my 7 year old nephew. We both take Singular. My asthma is soo much better since I started it. If he isn't already on it I would talk to his Doc. My nephew has improved alot also. Just an idea!!

mallowcup

Kids initially just do what your son did,
Hey, that's weird, triangles" and they do it again. They like the way it feels. I don't think it makes your son any different than most kids. I wouldn't give him the inhalers to carry. Singulair is a good question to ask about. What you are explaining minus the prescribed inhaler is "huffing". That buzz or those triangles can come from most aresol cans.

robina

I've been on albuterol (ventolin) since I was 10 years old. Recently, my doctor was concerned because I've been taking it too much. She specifically suggested that I was over-using the inahler due to stress and anxiety attacks, and not asthma.

It was something I never would have considered, but when she mentioned it, I could see the logic.....Something to think about...

ASpouse

Jess, why not give it to the school nurse. I know where I live kids are not allowed to have any medication of any sort with them in the classroom. Talk to the school nurse and his counsellor and explain what happened.

You are barely getting yourself recovered, you need help for him, go to the school and ask them for it.

gelfling

I have to agree with the people who say give the inhaler to someone at school. My son had to go to the nurses office prior to PE for his. If he was caught with it, they would have expelled him. Try the counellor office or the principals office if the nurse isn't there everyday.