Asthma is an airway disorder that causes breathing problems because of two body reactions: swollen airway passages from swollen tissues and excess mucus, and tightened airway muscles that do not work properly. One of the primary methods of treating asthma symptoms is by using inhaled medicine to work quickly and directly on the airways. Inhalers deliver three main types of medicine to control asthma: rescue medicine, long-acting control medicine and corticosteroids.
Rescue Inhalers
Nearly every person with asthma keeps a short-acting beta agonist, or rescue inhaler, within reach to halt an asthma attack. These rescue medicines include albuterol, levalbuterol and pirbuterol, which are all bronchodilators (drugs that open tightened airways). Ipratropium (Atrovent) and ipratropium plus albuterol (Combivent) are two anticholinergic medicines to prevent muscle spasm during an asthma attack, and they may be used as rescue inhalers also.
Control Inhalers
Long-acting beta agonists are also bronchodilators and are often made as inhalers. salmeterol (Serevent) and formoterol (Foradil) are two examples of these drugs. Long-acting inhalers are often used twice daily on a regular basis, instead of during an immediate asthma attack; the goal of these medicines is to prevent attacks from occurring at all. In addition to control inhalers, tablets are made to provide the same effect in asthma that does not resolve with inhalers alone, and inhalers with allergy prevention mechanisms are available for specific types of asthma.
Corticosteroids
Inhaled corticosteroids include beclomethasone, budesonide, flunisolide and triamcinolone. These drugs are available alone or in combination with beta agonists as inhaled treatments. Corticosteroids are also used for long-term control of asthma, because they reduce swelling directly at the airways, which improves breathing on a daily basis and minimizes the effect of swollen airways during an asthma attack.
