Asthma Medications

Asthma medication plays a key role in how well you control your condition. There are two main types of treatment, each geared toward a specific goal.

  • Controller medications are the most important because they prevent asthma attacks. When you use these drugs, your airways are less inflamed and less likely to react to triggers.
  • Quick-relief medications — also called rescue medications — relax the muscles around your airway. If you have to use a rescue medication more than twice a week, your asthma isn’t well-controlled. But people who have exercise-induced asthma may use a quick-acting med called a beta-agonist before a workout.

The right medication should allow you to live an active and normal life. If your asthma symptoms aren’t controlled, ask your doctor to help you find a different treatment that works better.

Asthma attack illustration

Long-Term Control Medications

Some of these drugs should be taken daily to get your asthma under control and keep it that way. Others are taken on an as-needed basis to reduce the severity of an asthma attack.

The most effective ones stop airway inflammation. Your doctor may suggest you combine an inhaled corticosteroid, an anti-inflammatory drug, with other drugs such as:

  • Long-acting beta-agonists. A beta-agonist is a type of drug called a bronchodilator, which opens your airways.
  • Long-acting anticholinergics. Anticholinergics relax and enlarge (dilate) the airways in the lungs, making breathing easier (bronchodilators).
    • Tiotropium bromide (Spiriva Respimat) is an anticholinergic available for anyone ages 6 and older. This medicine should be used in addition to your regular maintenance medication.
  • Leukotriene modifiers block chemicals that cause inflammation.
  • Mast cell stabilizers curb the release of chemicals that cause inflammation.
  • Theophylline is a bronchodilator used as an add-on medication for symptoms that are not responding to other medications. Buy Here.
  • An immunomodulator is an injection given if you have moderate to severe asthma related to allergies or other inflammation caused by the immune system that doesn’t respond to certain drugs.
    • Reslizumab (Cinqair) is an immunomodulator maintenance medication. It is used along with your regular asthma medicines. This medicine is given every 4 weeks as an intravenous injection over a period of about an hour. This drug works by reducing the number of a specific type of white blood cells, called eosinophils, that play a role in causing asthma symptoms. It can reduce severe asthma attacks.
    • Mepolizumab (Nucala) targets the levels of blood eosinophils. It is given as an injection every 4 weeks and is used as a maintenance therapy medication.
    • Omalizumab (Xolair) is an antibody that blocks immunoglobulin E (IgE) and is used as an asthma maintenance medication. This prevents an allergen from triggering an asthma attack. This drug is given as an injection. To receive this medicine, a person has to have an elevated IgE level and have known allergies. The allergies need to be confirmed by either blood or skin test.

Ref. https://www.webmd.com/asthma/asthma-medications#1

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