i'm not gonna lie, i'm terrible with my asthma, i'm 19 and on 3 types of inhalers, but rarely take any of the preventer ones. I let my asthma get out of control, thinking it'll get better on it's own. I've never had a serious attack which has taken me to hospital.
Will any of this have any long term effects? i'm gonna start trying to take my meds more, but sometimes i do genuinely forget.
Its best to take your preventer inhalers as they stop the long term damage being done to your lungs. Once the damage is done to the lungs it is not repairable and you will permanent breathing issues which you will have to live with. We were all young once and we are all human and forget sometimes to take meds but in the longterm you have to take care of your lungs.... No-one else will!
need to take preventers, there a very few long term effects of taking them and taking them reguallary will hopfully get more control back.. get a meds reminder or your fone!
You say you are on 3 inhalers, what are they? As some inhalers are a combination of two medications and if you could reduce to two inhalers only that may make it easier to take.
And also, you may be on more meds now because your asthma has never managed to calm down because you are not taking the preventer regularly but when you do you may need less meds in the long run,
Hi tweak-93,
I was like you, never cared about my asthma, was not good with taking my medication, smoking (although not more than a few a week) and generally enjoying my youths!
Now, I'm 29, long-term steroid dependant being advised by doctors to go to/stay at hospital every time I get even an infection.. I've always been very career orientated person, putting my asthma somewhere on the second plan but I can no longer do that.. It's there and it keeps reminding of itself every day and I do fear that one day it will not let me work anymore (let's hope it won't happen!).. When I was in a hospital last time I was in a ward with some women in their 50s. They were a bit like me - not caring in their teens and early 20s, even still not caring in their 30s. Right now, they are severely disabled, on oxygen, not able to walk more than few steps and having to be admitted for IV once or twice a month.
I don't want to sound overdramatic but take care of yourself. I didn't for a long time and started seeing the results already. I don't say that you will end up like me or like these ladies I met in a hospital but why chance it?
Hi tweak - 93
I was like you when I was a lot younger and pre-teens
I've been through hell with my asthma lately and I do wonder if when I was really young I took proper care of myself, would I still have asthma now and not be steroid dependent, would I be able to live a 'normal' life.
I actually can't work any more cause I am so bad and talking from experience, you do not want to be steroid dependent as the side - effects are horrendous.
Unfortunately I didn't know about this site till earlier this year when I was in RBH and an in-patient there told me about it.
I am just as bad as remembering to take medication but I found alarms on phone and putting sticky notes on the bathroom mirror helpful with taking inhalers (as I brush my teeth twice a day and need to take my inhalers twice a day) and a Pill Box for taking my numerous tablets.
Hope that helps
Nimz
xx
like Nimz said, I link taking my preventer to something I do every day which reminds me to take it - I too would forget to take it until I was really ill 
Good for you for owning up to where you're at. As you'll see, I just posted about feeling embarrassed taking asthma meds at work. But I know if I don't I would be a whole world of hurt worse.
One thing I was thinking, is I used to work with teens, an one of them said he used to set the alarm of his phone to remind him to take his medications, and when it rang, he would pretend that it was his mother calling, so when he left the area for a few minutes, his friends didn't mind and he didn't have to explain what he was doing. I thought this was brilliant.
Bee
Asthma and Storms
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Emergency services and asthma
