Which inhalers for asthma

It can be helpful for nighttime asthma symptoms. You might need regular blood tests to make sure you're getting the correct dose.

Potential side effects of theophylline include insomnia and gastroesophageal reflux. These asthma medications open the lungs by relaxing airway muscles. Often called rescue medications, they can ease worsening symptoms or stop an asthma attack in progress.

They begin working within minutes and are effective for four to six hours. They're not for daily use. Some people use a quick-relief inhaler before exercise to help prevent shortness of breath and other asthma symptoms.

Possible side effects include jitteriness and palpitations. If your symptoms are minor and infrequent or if you have exercise-induced asthma, you might manage your symptoms with one of these medications alone. However, most people with persistent asthma also need an inhaled corticosteroid or other long-term control medication.

If you need to use your inhaler more often than your doctor recommends, your asthma is not under control — and you may be increasing your risk of a serious asthma attack. Ipratropium Atrovent HFA is a short-acting bronchodilator that's usually prescribed for emphysema or chronic bronchitis, but is sometimes used to treat asthma attacks. It may be used either with or as an alternative to short-acting beta agonists.

These medications may be taken to treat severe asthma attacks. They can cause bothersome short-term side effects and more-serious side effects if they're taken for a long period. Long-term use of these medications can cause side effects including cataracts, thinning bones osteoporosis , muscle weakness, decreased resistance to infection, high blood pressure and reduced growth in children.

Allergy shots. Allergy shots immunotherapy may be an option if you have allergic asthma that can't be controlled by avoiding triggers. You'll begin with skin tests to determine which allergens trigger your asthma symptoms. Then you'll get a series of injections containing small doses of those allergens. You generally receive injections once a week for a few months, and then once a month for three to five years. In some cases, immunotherapy can be done more quickly.

Over time, you should lose your sensitivity to the allergens. Allergy medications. These include oral and nasal spray antihistamines and decongestants, as well as corticosteroid and cromolyn nasal sprays. Allergy medications are available over-the-counter and in prescription form. They can help with allergic rhinitis but aren't substitutes for asthma medications.

Corticosteroid nasal spray helps reduce inflammation without causing the rebound effect sometimes caused by nonprescription sprays. Because it has few, if any, side effects, cromolyn is safe to use over long periods of time. Your doctor may recommend treatment with biologics if you have severe asthma with symptoms not easily managed by control medications.

Omalizumab Xolair is sometimes used to treat asthma triggered by airborne allergens. Taking a steroid on a regular schedule can help prevent acute inflammation. Steroid inhalers commonly used for asthma include:. Some asthma controller inhalers contain a long-acting bronchodilator, which widens the airways for 12 hours to help you breathe.

Many long-acting bronchodilators are long-acting beta-agonists LABAs , which act directly on beta receptors in the airway muscles to control the size of the airway opening. Others are anticholinergics, which also relax the airway muscles. Bronchodilator asthma controllers include:. Atrovent ipratropium is an anticholinergic bronchodilator used as a controller medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

For asthma, it's used only in a hospital emergency room to treat a severe asthma attack. Some experts suggest using a single combination inhaler instead of multiple inhalers may reduce hospitalizations for asthma attacks, and this may be due to the ease of using just one device instead of multiple devices. Combination inhalers used for asthma include:. Short-acting inhalers are often bronchodilators containing short-acting beta-agonists SABAs.

Sudden asthma symptoms may be the sign of an impending asthma attack, and it is important that you learn to recognize asthma symptoms that require immediate treatment with an inhaler.

Both can cause side effects such as jitteriness and palpitations. If you use a rescue inhaler often—for instance, more than twice per week and without an obvious trigger—this could be a sign that you need a change in your long-acting asthma medication or that you need to start on such a drug. Keep in mind that skipping your long-acting asthma medication because you have a "backup"—a rescue inhaler—in case of an emergency is not safe.

An asthma attack can be life-threatening, and recurrent asthma attacks even if they are mild can worsen your condition by causing stiffness and scarring of your lungs. It's important that you understand the intended use of each inhaler you use. In addition, avoiding your triggers e. Get our printable guide for your next appointment with your healthcare provider to help you ask the right questions.

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Asthma treatment. Sept Asthma UK: reliever inhalers Preventer inhalers If you need to use a reliever inhaler often, you may also need a preventer inhaler. Speak to a GP or asthma nurse if you continue to have symptoms while using a preventer inhaler.

Preventer inhalers contain steroid medicine. They do not usually have side effects, but can sometimes cause: a fungal infection of the mouth or throat oral thrush a hoarse voice a sore throat You can help prevent these side effects by using a spacer, which is a hollow plastic tube you attach to your inhaler, as well as by rinsing your mouth after using your inhaler.

Asthma UK: preventer inhalers Combination inhalers If using reliever and preventer inhalers does not control your asthma, you may need an inhaler that combines both. It's important to use it regularly, even if you do not have symptoms.

Side effects of combination inhalers are similar to those of reliever and preventer inhalers. Asthma UK: combination inhalers Tablets You may also need to take tablets if using an inhaler alone is not helping control your symptoms.

They also come in syrup and powder form. You take them every day to help stop your symptoms occurring. Possible side effects include tummy aches and headaches. It's taken every day to stop your symptoms occurring. Possible side effects include headaches and feeling sick. Asthma UK: theophylline Steroid tablets Steroid tablets may be recommended if other treatments are not helping to control your symptoms.

They can be taken either: as an immediate treatment when you have an asthma attack every day as a long-term treatment to prevent symptoms — this is usually only necessary if you have very severe asthma and inhalers do not control your symptoms Long-term or frequent use of steroid tablets can occasionally cause side effects such as: increased appetite, leading to weight gain easy bruising mood changes fragile bones osteoporosis high blood pressure You'll be monitored regularly while taking steroid tablets to check for signs of any problems.

Asthma UK: steroid tablets Other treatments Other treatments, such as injections or surgery, are rarely needed, but may be recommended if all other treatments are not helping. Injections For some people with severe asthma, injections given every few weeks can help control the symptoms.

Taking certain precautions can also help prevent exercise-related asthma symptoms. Specifically, avoid exercising:. The same medication or methods used to control milder forms of asthma are also used to help people with severe asthma. In a lot of these cases, a person simply has to use these medicines more often.

These patients may need a combination of some of the drugs used above — such as inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta-agonists, biologics, and long-acting muscarinic antagonists. According to the U. On the other hand, stress is an established asthma trigger. And some preliminary research published in the Journal of Asthma in has found that stress-reduction techniques — namely, meditation — can help reduce asthma symptoms.

If your asthma is triggered by allergies to things like pollen, pet dander, and dust mites, doing all you can to reduce exposure to these allergens is a good idea, the updated guidelines say.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking. How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. February Asthma Treatment. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Biologics for the Management of Severe Asthma. Inhaled Asthma Medications. A Systematic Review. Journal of Asthma and Allergy. Asthma and Exercise. Severe Asthma.