Question

What medication did you choose for Asthma, National heart,Lung, and blood institute?What classification does the medication fall under?

What medication did you chose for astma?

Answer 1

Ans) Most people who have asthma need two
kinds of medicines: long-term control
medicines and quick-relief medicines.

1 Long-term control medicines:
- These are medicines that you take
every day for a long time, to stop
and control the inflammation in
your airways and thereby prevent
symptoms and attacks from coming
on in the first place.
- These medicines work slowly, and you
may need to take them for several
weeks or longer before you feel better.
If your asthma is not well controlled,
your doctor may increase the dose
or add another medicine to your
treatment.

- Once your asthma is undercontrol, your doctor may be able to reduce some of these medicines.

- The most effective long-term control
medicines are anti-inflammatory
medicines. They reduce the inflammation
in your airways, making the airways less
sensitive and less likely to react to your
asthma triggers.

- The most effective anti-inflammatory
medicines for most people who have
asthma are inhaled corticosteroids.
Some people don’t like the idea
of taking steroids. But the inhaled
corticosteroids used to treat asthma are
very different from the illegal anabolic
steroids taken by some athletes. They
are not habit-forming—even if you take
them every day for many years. And,
because they are inhaled, the medicine
goes right to your lungs where it is
needed. Also, they have been studied
for many years in large groups of adults
and children as young as 2 years old
and, in general, have been found to be
well tolerated and safe when taken as
directed by your doctor.

Other long-term control medicines used
to treat asthma include:

yInhaled long-acting beta2-agonists—
These bronchodilators can help
prevent symptoms when taken with
inhaled corticosteroids by helping to
keep airway muscles relaxed.
These medicines should not be used
alone. They also should not be used to
treat symptoms or an attack.
Two-in-one medicines that contain
both corticosteroids and long-acting
beta2-agonists are available.

yCromolyn sodium—This nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory medicine can be
used to treat mild persistent asthma,
especially in children. It’s not as
effective as inhaled corticosteroids.

Leukotriene modifiers—These anti-
leukotriene medicines are a newer
class of long-term control medicines
that block the action of chemicals in
your airways. If not blocked, these
chemicals, called leukotrienes, increase
the inflammation in your lungs during
an asthma attack.
- Anti-leukotriene medicines, which
are available in pill form, are used
alone to treat mild persistent asthma
or with inhaled corticosteroids to
treat moderate persistent asthma.
They are not as effective as inhaled
corticosteroids for most patients.
y Theophylline—This medicine, also
available in pill form, acts as a
bronchodilator to relax and open the
airways. It can help prevent nighttime
symptoms. It is sometimes used alone
to treat mild persistent asthma, but
most of the time it is used with inhaled
corticosteroids.
- If you take theophylline, you need
to have your blood levels checked
regularly to make sure the dose is
right for you.
With long-term control medicines, it’s
important to take them every day, as
your doctor prescribes. The suggestions
on page 35 can help you remember to
take your medicines.

2 Quick-relief medicines. You take
these medicines when you need
immediate relief of your symptoms.
Everyone who has asthma needs a
quick-relief medicine—usually taken
by inhaler—to stop asthma symptoms
before they get worse.
The preferred quick-relief medicine is
an inhaled short-acting beta2-agonist. It
acts quickly to relax tightened muscles
around your airways so that your
airways can open up and allow more air
to flow through.
You should take your quick-relief medicine
at the first sign of any asthma symptoms.
Your doctor may recommend that you
take this medicine at other times, as well—
for example, before exercise.
Short-acting beta2-agonists include
albuterol, levalbuterol, and pirbuterol.
They are also called by their brand names.
Other quick-relief medicines are:
y Anticholinergics—These medicines
are used primarily in the emergency
department, but if you have moderate
to severe asthma, your doctor may
recommend that you use them with a
short-acting beta2-agonist to relieve
symptoms. Or, if you can’t tolerate a
short-acting beta2-agonist, this may be
the treatment of choice for you.

Systemic corticosteroids—Usually
taken in the form of a pill or syrup,
systemic corticosteroids may be
used to speed your recovery after an
asthma attack and to prevent more
attacks. You would take them for
3–10 days. People who have severe
asthma may need to take systemic
corticosteroids for longer periods
of time.