What is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disorder that makes the airways of your lungs swell and narrow. It can cause breathing difficulty, trigger coughing, a whistling sound when you breathe out, and shortness of breath.
For some people, asthma is just a minor problem, but for others, it is a significant disorder that interferes with regular activities and sometimes leads to life-threatening asthma attacks.
Though asthma cannot be cured, its symptoms can be controlled. Since asthma changes with time, you must consult a doctor and track signs & symptoms so that treatment can be adjusted when required.
Symptoms of asthma
When it comes to asthma signs and symptoms, they differ from person to person. You can suffer from infrequent asthma attacks, have symptoms only at certain times, like when exercising, or experience symptoms all the time.
Asthma symptoms & signs include:
- Chest tightness or pain
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing when exhaling is a common symptom of asthma in children
- Coughing or wheezing attacks which get worse by respiratory viruses like cold or flu
- Difficulty in sleeping due to shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing
Symptoms that your asthma is possibly worsening include:
- Asthma signs and symptoms that are more frequent and bothersome
- Increasing difficulty breathing
- Need to use a quick-relief inhaler more often
For some people, asthma symptoms flare up in some conditions:
- Exercise-induced asthma can get worse when the air is cold and dry.
- Occupational asthma triggered by workplace irritants like chemical gases, fumes, or dust
- Allergy-induced asthma is activated by airborne substances like mold spores, cockroach waste, pollen, or particles of skin & dried saliva shed by pets.
What is an Asthma Inhaler?
An asthma inhaler is a hand-held, portable device that delivers medicine to the lungs. It helps treat asthma and control asthma symptoms effectively.
Nowadays, a variety of asthma inhalers are available to control asthma symptoms quickly. Finding the right inhaler is crucial; using it correctly can help you get the medicine you need to prevent or treat asthma attacks.
Asthma, a chronic lung condition characterized by inflammation of the bronchial tubes, has no cure. However, there are numerous treatments available, with inhalers being the most potent and widely used in managing asthma.
How does an asthma inhaler work?
Asthma inhalers deliver medicine directly to the lungs. Generally, they help reduce inflammation in the airways or dilate the airways to increase oxygen flow.
Different drug companies use the same generic medication and produce different brands. You can find several different brands of asthma inhalers. It is essential to know that inhalers can also have generic names and be produced by diverse drug companies.
Types of asthma inhalers
Most asthma inhalers are small and easily fit in a pocket. To use an inhaler, you close your mouth around the mouthpiece and inhale medication from the canister.
When a person has asthma, the airways in their lungs start to become narrow and inflamed, producing mucus that restricts the supply of air. The medicines in inhaler types depend on the needs of an asthma patient.
When it comes to the treatment of asthma, medicine inside inhalers is divided into the following:
• Relievers (short-acting bronchodilators)
• Preventers (steroid inhalers)
• Long-acting bronchodilators
Reliever inhalers
Reliever inhalers contain short-acting bronchodilator medications that widen the airways. They are used to ease asthma symptoms such as wheezing, tight-chested feeling, and breathlessness. The medication helps to relax muscles in the airways, opening the airways wide and quickly relieving asthma symptoms.
The two medicines used in reliever inhalers are salbutamol and terbutaline. Different companies offer these medicines in various brands. The most common Salbutamol brands include Salbulin, Airomir, Salamol, and Ventolin. Terbutaline is often available under the brand name Bricanyl.
A child or adult who has occasional asthma can use a reliever inhaler to relieve their symptoms. A preventer inhaler is prescribed when a patient uses a reliever inhaler regularly.
Preventer inhalers
Preventer inhalers mainly contain steroid medication. They are taken every day to prevent asthma attacks and decrease asthma symptoms. The steroid used in this type of inhaler helps reduce inflammation in the airways.
When inflammation is reduced, there is less chance of your airways becoming narrow and causing severe symptoms like wheezing. Doctors usually prescribe steroid inhalers twice a day and sometimes more frequently when asthma flare-ups occur.
A steroid in a preventer inhaler takes 7-14 days to build up its effect. This means it will not provide quick relief from symptoms. After a week of treatment with a preventer inhaler, your asthma symptoms are reduced.
To show its maximum benefits, a preventer inhaler can sometimes take time of six weeks. If asthma symptoms are controlled with your regular preventer, then there is no need to use a reliever inhaler often.
The main inhaled steroid-preventer medications include Beclometasone, Budesonide, Ciclesonide, Fluticasone, and Mometasone.
When high doses of inhaled corticosteroids are used long-term, bone strength can be reduced. If you are an asthma patient and use steroid inhalers, ensure you include enough calcium in your diet.
Long-acting bronchodilator inhalers
Medicines used in long-acting bronchodilator inhalers work in the same way as reliever inhalers. However, the long-acting bronchodilator inhaler remains active in your body for 12 hours after every dosage. Some common medicines that long-acting bronchodilator inhalers include are Salmeterol and Formoterol.
If steroid inhalers are not effectively controlling your asthma symptoms, the doctor can advise you to use long-acting bronchodilator inhalers as well. You might be prescribed two separate asthma inhalers or just one combined inhaler.
Types of asthma medications
Asthma medications can be categorized Based on the action's nature and the effects produced.
Here are the different types of asthma medications:
Long-term asthma medicines
Several patients might need asthma medicine to prevent asthma and its symptoms effectively. This type of treatment can take a few months to show its complete effects.
Some long-term medicines include:
Inhaled corticosteroids
These anti-inflammatory medicines reduce symptoms of swelling and constriction in muscle and blood vessels along your airways.
Corticosteroids have high effectiveness and help manage asthma in the long term.
Leukotriene modifiers
When triggered, the immune system starts releasing chemicals called leukotrienes, which activate inflammatory symptoms of asthma.
Leukotriene modifiers assist to modify this behavior and prevent symptoms for 24 hours.
Some Leukotriene modifiers include Zileuton, Montelukast, and others.
Short or quick-use asthma medications
Short-use asthma medications show quick action and work on the lungs by relaxing and loosening your airway.
When taken, they begin working within minutes and last for a few hours. Such medicines are safe for daily use.
Short-acting beta-agonists
These rescue inhalers provide quick relief from asthma symptoms and are used twice a week only.
Some commonly used short-acting beta-agonists are Albuterol and Levalbuterol.
Systemic corticosteroids
These medicines reduce swelling and inflammation in the airways. It would help if you took them with a rescue inhaler to treat asthma attacks.
Systemic corticosteroids can be taken orally or given intravenously to experience quick action.
Some common systemic corticosteroids include Prednisolone, Methylprednisolone, and others.
Anticholinergics
Anticholinergics are bronchodilators that air with expanding airway muscles. They are used alone or with short-acting beta-agonists.
Doctors recommend some frequently used anticholinergics such as Tiotropium bromide and Ipratropium.
From where to buy asthma medicines online?
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