Asthma Medications

Asthma Symptom And Proper Medications For Bronchial Asthma

Asthma Treatment

Although there is no permanent solution for asthma treatment currently, effective management is available for preventing attacks and controlling and ending attacks soon after the patient exhibits asthma sign and symptom. Asthma medication are taken orally or inhaled in vapour form using a metered-dose inhaler. This is a hand-held pump which delivers medicine directly to a person's airways.

There are two kinds of asthma medication: bronchodilators, which reduce broncho-spasms; and anti-inflammatory medications, which reduce airway inflammation. Immunotherapy is another treatment option for asthma triggers by allergens. This form of therapy modifies a person's allergic response by repeated exposure to small amounts of allergens.

There are two basic kinds of medication for the treatment of bronchial asthma:

Long-term control medications - These are used on a regular basis to prevent attacks and not to be used for treatment during an attack.

These include:

inhaled steroids prevent inflammation
leukotriene inhibitors
long-acting bronchodilators help open airways
cromolyn sodium or nedocromil sodium
aminophylline or theophylline (This isn't used as frequently as it was in the past)
a combination of anti-inflammatory and bronchodilators, using either separate asthma inhalers or a single inhaler

Quick relief (rescue) medications - which are used to relieve the symptoms during an acute attack.

short-acting bronchodilators
oral or intravenous corticosteroids which help to stabilize severe episodes of asthma.

People with mild asthma (infrequent attacks, eg. exercise induced asthma) can use their relief medication as needed, but those with persistent problems should take their control medications on a regular basis to prevent their symptoms from occurring. A severe asthma attack requires a medical evaluation and may even require hospitalization with oxygen, intravenous therapy and medications being required.

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