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If your asthma is: Mild or intermittent - you would typically only need a quick relief medication such as an inhaled short-acting bronchodilator. Short-acting bronchodilators are used for quick relief or "rescue" medication. They go to work within five minutes and usually provide relief for two to four hours. Moderate to severe - you would take a long-acting bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory, such as an inhaled corticosteroid, on a daily basis. You would natural asthma remedy also have a quick-relief medication available for flare-ups or attacks. Long-acting bronchodilators provide up to 12 hours of relief. Beta-2 agonists are inhaled bronchodilators which are called "agonists" because they promote the action of the beta-2 receptor of bronchial wall muscle. This receptor acts to relax the muscular wall of the airways (bronchi), resulting in bronchodilation. The bronchodilator action of beta- 2 agonists starts within minutes after inhalation and lasts for about 4 hours. Examples of these medications include albuterol (Ventolin, Proventil), metaproterenol (Alupent), asthma diagnosis pirbuterol acetate (Maxair), and terbutaline sulfate (Brethaire). A new group of long-acting beta-2 agonists has been developed with a sustained duration of effect of twelve hours. These inhalers can be taken twice a day. Salmeterol xinafoate (Serevent) is an example of this group of medications. The long-acting beta-2 agonists are generally not used for acute attacks. Methylxanthines, such as theophylline. Leukotriene pathway modifiers, such as zafirlukast, zileuton, or montelukast sodium. Quick-relief medications, which are used as needed, include short-acting beta2-agonists (such as albuterol or pirbuterol) and anticholinergics signs and symptoms of asthma (such as ipratropium). If you are using quick-relief medication more than two times a week, you probably need long-term treatment. Overuse of quick-relief medication can be harmful because it may delay medical care and increase your chances of having a severe asthma episode. Quick-relief medication, such as short-acting beta2-agonists and anticholinergics. If you are using quick-relief medication sports induced asthma more than two times a week, you probably need long-term treatment. Overuse of quick-relief medication can be harmful. If necessary, continuing to treat other health problems, such as inflammation and infection of the sinuses (sinusitis) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Your doctor might prescribe a single inhaler that allows you to take both your long-term bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory medications together in one dose. This combination of asthma control medications allows you to reduce the number of inhalers you need to treat your symptoms and also shortens treatment times. Back to Top Over-the-Counter Asthma Medications Bronkaid (epinephrine) and Primatene Mist (epinephrine) are the two most common over-the-counter (OTC) asthma medications. They are used for long-term control of your asthma scholarships asthma and for quick relief during acute asthma episodes. Long-term medications include: Inhaled corticosteroids, such as beclomethasone dipropionate, triamcinolone acetonide, fluticasone propionate, budesonide, and flunisolide. Inhaled corticosteroids are the preferred long-term treatment. Oral corticosteroids, such as prednisone and dexamethasone. Long-acting beta2-agonists, such as such as salmeterol and formoterol. Mast cell stabilizers, such as cromolyn sodium or nedocromil. beta-2 agonists can have side effects, such as anxiety, tremor, palpitations or fast heart rate, and lowering of blood potassium. Just as beta-2 agonists can dilate the airways, beta blocker medications impair the relaxation of bronchial muscle by beta-2 receptors and can cause constriction of airways, aggravating asthma. Therefore, beta blockers, such as the blood pressure medications propanolol (Inderal), and atenolol (Tenormin), should be avoided by asthma patients. The anticholinergic agents act on a different type of nerves than the beta-2 agonists to asthma deaths achieve a similar relaxation and opening of the airway passages. These two groups of bronchodilator inhalers when used together can produce an enhanced bronchodilation effect. An example of a commonly used anticholinergic agent is ipratropium bromide (Atrovent). |
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