Asthma Medications & Their Side Effects
If you have asthma and have ever had an asthma attack then you know how important asthma medications are. They seem to be a virtual God-send at such times. Well, as great and wonderful as all that is, these asthma medications do also come with their own set of side effects. Before addressing those though, let's talk about some ways to prevent acute asthma attacks from happening. Okay, so how can asthma be kept under control (in addition to drug therapy)? Hopefully, you've already sat down with your doctor or other healthcare provider and come up with a plan for how to manage and control your condition, that's step one. In addition, here are some things you can do to try to prevent yourself from having an asthma attack: - Know what triggers your asthma attacks - Some of the more common asthma triggers are things like pollen, pet dander, chocolate, milk, aspirin, nuts, dust mites, fish and even certain emotional triggers! You will need to figure out which ones trigger attacks for you. You can do this by keeping a diary or journal to track when your attacks occur and what things may have triggered them.
- Exercise - and do so on a regular basis. Working out keeps you physically fit which in turn strengthens your body, and in particular, your lungs. Pick your exercises wisely though, talk to your healthcare provider and come up with a plan that is ideal for you.
- Smoking... Don't Do It! - Quit now if you already do and try to avoid second-hand smoke as much as you possibly can.
- Stay well hydrated - drinking lots of fluids daily will help to loosen the secretions in your lungs and airways. They say you need at least eight glasses of liquids per day... what size of glass though...? 8 ounces, 12 ounces, 16 ounces...? Well, the point is basically for you to maintain an adequate level of hydration. If you find yourself parched quite often throughout the day then you know that you're not where you need to be, so... drink some more! Alcohol and caffeinated drinks don't really count for this though.
- Minimize your exposure to dust - vacuum your house (or apartment) on a very regular basis. By decreasing the amount of dust in your home environment you will ease your symptoms. Be judicious about the types carpets and furniture you buy, some fabrics are just dust traps waiting to make you miserable so choose wisely.
Breakdown of Asthma Medications
Inhaled Steroids:- Aerobid, Aerospan HFA (Flunisolide)
- Asmanex Twisthaler (Mometasone)
- Azmacort (Triamcinolone)
- Flovent Diskus, Flovent HFA (Fluticasone)
- Pulmicort Respules, Pulmicort Flexhaler
- QVAR (Beclomethasone)
- Advair Diskus, Advair HFA (Fluticasone + Salmeterol)
- Symbicort (Budesonide + Formoterol)
Oral Steroids: - Cortef (Hydrocortisone)
- Decadron (Dexamethasone)
- Medrol (Methylprednisolone)
- Prednisone Intensol (Prednisone)
- Prelone (Prednisolone)
Oral Beta Agonists: Inhaled Beta Agonists (Long-Acting): - Advair Diskus (Fluticasone + Salmeterol)
- Combivent, Duoneb (Ipratropium + Albuterol)
- Foradil Aerolizer (Formoterol)
- Serevent Diskus (Salmeterol)
- Symbicort (Budesonide + Formoterol)
Inhaled Beta Agonists (Short-Acting): Anticholinergics: - Atrovent, Atrovent HFA (Ipratropium)
- Combivent, Duoneb (Ipratropium + Albuterol)
Leukotriene Modifiers: Methylxanthines: - Choledyl SA (Oxytriphylline)
- Elixophyllin, Theo-24, Theochron, Theolair, Uniphyl (Theophylline)
Anti-IgE: Other: - Intal (Cromolyn sodium)
- Tilade (Nedocromil sodium)
There ain't much fun in medicine but there's
a good deal of medicine in fun.
- Josh Billings
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May 2, 2009
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