Are over the counter asthma meds acceptable?

Every day at MyAsthmaCentral.com we get lots of asthma related questions. Below are some questions I thought my readers at the RT Cave would enjoy.

Your Question: Is there one over the counter product that is widely acceptable for asthma?

I am a soccer coach with three asthmatic kids on my team. While I expect each player to have his own prescription inhaler, I also expect boys in their early teens to be forgetful of such necessities. Hey, I am lucky if they remember to bring a ball and water to practice.

Is there any over the counter product that I can keep in my first aid kit to lessen an attack should any of the kids forget their inhaler?

My Humble Answer: It sure would be nice if you could keep a Ventolin inhaler handy in every first Aide kit. The problem with that is these inhalers are monitored by the FDA and can only be obtained via prescription. So, unfortunately, I think the best thing for your asthmatic athletes is for them to bring in their own medications.

On a similar note, if you do find a product on the shelf in a store marketed for asthma, I would not recommend these products. They can actually be more dangerous than prescribed meds.

I write about the hazards of one such over the counter asthma medicine here.

If you have any further questions email me, or Visit MyAsthmaCentral.com's" Q&A section.