Winter Blues, Inhaler Rules!

Hmm, the preventative inhaler! That marvelous little device that's supposed to be my respiratory savior, yet somehow manages to turn me into a moody, bloated, itchy-eyed version of myself. A sort of puffed-up, grumpy, vaguely amphibian character with all the charm of a miffed-off toad. I jest but it is actually true!

Seasonal shift and asthma flares

Does anyone else experience this? Or is it just me, wandering around with my moon-shaped face and slightly haunted expression? No, I'm not imagining it! Every time the seasons shift, it’s like my asthma wakes up from a nap and decides, "Right! Let’s make life interesting again." Out comes the steroid inhaler, and the fun begins.

As the temperature drops, my chest feels tighter, my breathing gets as heavy as Darth Vader’s, and that wheezy labored sound becomes my new personal soundtrack. Winter, my friends, has arrived, and with it, my trusty inhaler—the same one that keeps me breathing but, regrettably, turns me into a walking emotional sponge. Moaning alert! There's more...

A complicated relationship with my asthma inhaler

The thing is, this inhaler and I have...let’s call it a complicated relationship. Sure, it keeps me alive, and I do appreciate that, really. But there’s the small matter of what it does to me.

The side effects always get me

Moon face

For starters, there's the bloating. Oh yes, I get that delightful steroid-induced face swelling that gives me what they call a "moon face." Fabulous! Just what I always wanted—a big, round face that looks like it should have its own orbit. As you can imagine, this doesn’t exactly do wonders for one’s self-confidence.

It alters my mood

Then there’s the anxiety and the depression. Now, I’m not talking about the type of anxiety where you’ve forgotten if you locked the front door —oh, no. This is the kind that pins you to your bed in the morning like a lead blanket, making every small task feel like climbing Everest.

You’d think an inhaler would make me feel a bit lighter, right? Help me breathe easier? But no, it’s like carrying an invisible weight around all day, one that whispers in your ear, "Don’t bother getting up...just stay here, staring at the ceiling."

A change to my appearance

And finally, let’s not forget the itchy eyes. I’ve no idea why this happens. Maybe my eyes are rebelling too, like, “Oh, you’re taking the inhaler again, are you? Let’s make things interesting by turning red and gloopy!” The result? I look perpetually tired, slightly irritated, and possibly contagious.

What's the solution?

So, there you have it. The inhaler—the very thing that’s supposed to keep me breathing and functioning—transforms me into a puffy, grumbling, bleary-eyed creature with the energy of a slug. Yes, it keeps me alive. But I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t make me wonder, “Is there a way to breathe and not look and feel like this?”

Does anyone else experience side effects from their asthma medication? Share your experience in the comments section below.