What do asthma medicines do?
What do asthma medicines do?
If you or your child has asthma, the medicines that the doctor prescribes can:
● Reduce asthma symptoms and make it easier to do daily activities
● Help prevent asthma attacks or stop them if they happen
Which medicines might I need?
Doctors can use different medicines to treat asthma. These include inhalers, liquids, and pills. You might take 1 or more depending on how often you have symptoms and how serious they are. The medicine and amount you take might change over time. There are 2 main types of asthma medicines:
● Quick-relief medicines can reduce symptoms in 5 to 15 minutes. People use these medicines to treat asthma attacks or asthma flare-ups.
● Long-term controller medicines help keep asthma symptoms from happening. People take these 1 or 2 times a day every day, even if they have no symptoms. When these medicines are working well, you should need quick-relief medicines less than 2 times a week. Some medicines can work as both types. These are taken once or twice a day as controller medicines. They can also be used for quick relief when needed. The medicines listed below are the most common types of asthma medicines.
Quick-relief medicines
These are medicines you take to relieve asthma symptoms when they happen.
● Short-acting beta agonists — Short-acting beta agonists (called “SABAs” or “short-acting bronchodilators”) are quick-relief medicines. They relax the muscles around the airways. SABAs can help stop an asthma attack.
Also, if you have asthma symptoms when you exercise, it can help to use a SABA 5 to 20 minutes before exercise. Some people feel shaky after taking a SABA. If this happens, your doctor or nurse might tell you to use just 1 puff next time, or they may give you a different medicine. Some examples of SABAs are Asthavent, Venteze and Ventoli
Controller medicines
These are medicines you take every day to help prevent asthma symptoms.
● Inhaled steroids – Inhaled steroids reduce inflammation in the airways. They can take a few days to work, so you will not feel the effect right away. They help prevent symptoms and asthma attacks in the future. Inhaled steroids come in different kinds of inhalers. Your doctor or nurse will show you how to use the inhaler. Each inhaler has its own directions. The steroids used to treat asthma are not the same as the steroids some athletes take illegally. It is rare for these medicines to cause side effects. The doctor will give the lowest dose that works well. This reduces the chances of any side effects. Some examples of inhaled steroids are budesonide brand name: Pulmicort, Flixotide Some people worry about side effects of steroid inhalers, so they do not use their inhaler or give it to their child. But the truth is that not using a steroid inhaler is much riskier than any side effects it might cause. Inhaled steroids help keep asthma attacks from starting. These attacks can be dangerous and even cause death. Plus, asthma damages the lungs over time. Inhaled steroids can prevent some of that damage.
● Inhaled steroids plus a long-acting beta agonist – Long-acting beta agonists (called “LABAs”) relax the muscles around the airways like SABAs do. But the effects last much longer. Medicines that have a LABA and steroid in 1 inhaler include Symbicort, Foxair, Sereflo, can also be used for quick relief of asthma symptoms.
● Leukotriene modifiers – Leukotriene modifiers are long-term controller medicines you take in a pill. They reduce inflammation and mucus, and relax the muscles around the airways. These medicines don’t work for everyone. They are not as strong as inhaled steroid medicines. Some examples of leukotriene modifiers are montelukast (brand name: Singulair)
Combined medicines
Some medicines can work as both a controller medicine and a quick-relief medicine. These are taken once or twice a day as controller medicines, but they can also be used for quick relief.
Combined medicines contain:
● A specific LABA, formoterol, which starts working quickly
● An inhaled steroid These combination medicines (sample names Foxair, Symbicort) can be convenient because you only need to carry 1 inhaler. They also give you more controller medicine when you need it quickly. Your doctor can talk to you about whether this is an option for you.
Medicines for more severe asthma
People with more severe symptoms might get other medicines, too. Your doctor can talk to you about whether any of these might be an option for you. They include:
● Steroids that come in pills/syrup – If other asthma medicines do not work well or you have an asthma flare after a cold virus, you might need to take steroid pills/syrup for a few days or weeks. Some examples of steroid pills for asthma are prednisone and methylprednisolone.
● Omalizumab (brand name: Xolair) – You might get this medicine if your asthma is caused by allergies and inhaled steroids do not work well. It comes in a shot.
● Other medicines –These include dupilumab (brand name: Dupixent. You might get 1 of these medicines if your blood tests show a high level of white blood cells called “eosinophils