In the US, around 25 million people have asthma. While in some cases, it’s mild enough to just be an irritation, in others, it’s serious enough to hinder daily life or even cause death.
If you feel like you have asthma, you might be wondering about what the treatment options are. The good news is, there are several medications on the market that people can use to either control their asthma symptoms or to stop an attack in its tracks.
Below, we’ll share what the best asthma medications are.
ProAir HFA
ProAir HFA is a type of rescue inhaler. It has albuterol in it, so when you feel like an attack is coming on, all you have to do is use your inhaler and you’ll get relief within minutes. The effects will last for 4 to 6 hours.
While rescue inhalers provide quick relief, they shouldn’t be used every day. If you find yourself using your rescue inhaler daily, you’ll have to ask your doctor about long-term control medications.
Prednisone
If your asthma is out of control and you’re using your rescue inhaler daily for severe attacks, your doctor might prescribe you a short course of prednisone. This is a steroid that can help open up your airways and keep you attack-free for a little while.
You should never use prednisone on a long-term basis, as it can have some bad side effects such as osteoporosis, muscle weakness, and cataracts.
Advair
Advair is a commonly used long-term control asthma medication that’s available by prescription. It contains fluticasone and salmeterol. When it comes to asthma and COPD medications, Advair is used as both.
Fluticasone is a corticosteroid, which means it’s an anti-inflammatory. This will keep your lungs open and clear.
Salmeterol is a long-acting beta 2 adrenergic. This relaxes your respiratory muscles. When combined with fluticasone, it can help you stay free of asthma attacks.
Symbicort
Symbicort is another long-term control asthma medication that your doctor has to prescribe you. Like Advair, it’s used for both asthma and COPD.
The medicines in Symbicort include budesonide and formoterol. Budesonide is a corticosteroid and formoterol is a long-acting beta 2 adrenergic, which means Symbicort works in a similar fashion to Advair, just with different medicines.
If you’re looking for generic asthma medications, unfortunately, both Advair and Symbicort are only available in brand name forms. However, some insurance policies cover asthma medications, so be sure to check with your provider.
If you want to learn more about Advair vs. Symbicort for asthma, 90 Day Meds explains further.
Ask Your Doctor About Asthma Medications
We’ve discussed some of the best asthma medications in this article. However, if you believe you’re asthmatic, the best thing to do is to speak with your doctor. They’ll be able to evaluate you and suggest the best medication for your personal situation.
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