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April 4th, 2010 |

Treatments for Asthma – relievers and preventers

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by difficulty breathing. People with asthma have sensitive or hypersensitive airways.

During an asthma attack, the airways become irritated and react by narrowing and construction, offering greater resistance to airflow, and obstructing
flow of air tickets to and from the lungs.

There are two main types of drugs asthma:

1. Quick-relief medicines: also called relievers, give prompt treatment, short-term and take when it occurs worsening asthma symptoms that can lead to
episodes or asthma attacks. You will feel the effects of these drugs in minutes.

2. Long Term Control Medicines: also called preventers, are taken daily, usually over long periods of time, to control symptoms prevent chronic asthma episodes or attacks. You will feel the full effects of these medicines after taking them for a few weeks. People with persistent asthma need of
long-term control medications.

Drugs, such as those resembling two of our hormones, can help treat asthma. These two hormones are adrenaline (Epinephrine in the USA) and hydrocortisone (a steroid).

There are also other drugs that help treat asthma. Whilst drugs can eliminate all symptoms if you have mild asthma, people with more severe asthma or long duration is not nearly as good results, so alternate medications are required.

Adrenaline (epinephrine) is pumped into our bloodstream when we have a sudden fright or emergency. It is fast-acting hormone half of the adrenal glands near the kidneys. It makes your pulse race, makes your heart beat, and prepares your body for emergency action. In asthma, medications that are similar to adrenaline quickly relieve asthma for a short time, and are called analgesics.

Hydrocortisone comes from the outside of our adrenal glands, called the "crust." It's also partly an "emergency" hormone, but much more slowly, for much longer, and a completely different way to adrenaline. Medicines which resemble hydrocortisone slowly allow the lining of air tubes in an asthma sufferer to normal. As a result, asthma less severe and less likely to suffer asthma attacks. So these steroid medicines are called preventers. There are other asthma 'preventers', but steroids are the most powerful.

Most people with asthma should have both kinds of medicine – preventers and relievers.

In general, the best way to take these medicines is to breathe in. That is, are inhaled through the nose or mouth. The reasons are that they inhale:

because it is needed less of Medicine,
not suffer as many side effects, and
The drug works faster

The last point is particularly important with the adrenaline-like, fast-acting analgesic.

Another advantage is that the steroid-like hydrocortisone preventers you can breathe be chosen to be biodegradable within the body. The result can
do their job in the lung, but not get much of a chance of side effects in the rest of your body, your liver breaks them.

Quick relief medications are used only when necessary. One kind of medicine quick relief is a short-acting inhaled bronchodilator. Bronchodilators work
relax the muscles that have tightened around the airways. They help open airways quickly and ease breathing.

It is sometimes called "rescue" or "relief" because the drugs that can stop an asthma attack very quickly. These medications act quickly but their effects last only for a short period of time. You should take quick relief medicines when you begin to feel asthma symptoms like coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath.

Anyone who has asthma should always have one of these inhalers in case of an attack. For severe attacks, your doctor may use steroids to treat inflammation.

controller medication long term include:

The most effective term control medication for asthma long is an inhaled corticosteroid, because this medicine reduces the airway swelling that makes asthma attacks more likely. Inhaled corticosteroids (or steroids for short) are the preferred treatment for controlling mild persistent asthma, moderate and severe. They are safe when taken as directed by your doctor. Inhaled medicines go directly to the lungs where they are needed. There are many types of inhalers that require different techniques, and it is important to know how to use the inhaler correctly. In some cases, compressed steroids or liquids are used for short periods to which the asthma under control. The tablet or liquid form can also be used to control severe asthma.
Long-acting beta-agonists are another type of medication long-term control. They are bronchodilators, not anti-inflammatory drugs. These medicines are used to help control moderate and severe asthma and prevent symptoms during the night. Long-acting beta-agonists are taken together with inhaled corticosteroids.
Leukotriene modifiers (Such as montelukast, zafirlukast and zileuton) are long-term control medicines used either alone to treat mild persistent asthma or in combination with corticosteroids inhaled for the treatment of moderate persistent asthma or severe persistent asthma.

Cromolyn and nedocromil are also medicines control long term to treat mild persistent asthma.

The drug theophylline is a long-term control is used alone to treat mild persistent asthma or in combination with inhaled corticosteroids to treat moderate persistent asthma. People who take theophylline should have their blood levels for ensure that the dosage is appropriate.

If you stop taking drugs long-term control, it is likely that your asthma gets worse again.

Many people with asthma need both a short-acting bronchodilator to use when symptoms worsen long-term asthma control medication daily to treat
inflammation ongoing. Over time, your doctor may need to make changes in your asthma medicine. You may need to increase the dose, lower your dose, or
try a combination drug. Be sure to work with your doctor to find the best treatment for asthma. The aim is to use the least amount of
drugs needed to control your asthma.

At a glance … treatments for asthma – relievers and preventers

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes the airways (Bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by difficulty breathing.
There are two main types of drugs for the treatment Asthma:

• Quick-relief medications: relievers also called, and
• Long-Term Control Medicines: also called preventers.

Quick relief medicines give prompt treatment, short term and are taken when there is worsening of symptoms can lead to asthma episodes or asthma attacks.

You will feel the effects of these drugs in minutes.

Of control long-term medications are taken daily, usually over long periods of time, to control chronic symptoms and prevention.

About the Author

Bjorn Gutter writes articles on health related subjects. He writes articles about asthma on
asthma treatment
and
asthma symptom
.

Gutter Doctor