Treatment of Asthma

Asthma needs to treated to prevent severe attacks. Since asthma is caused by allergens, it may not be cured permanently, but medication can help to prevent an asthma attack or mitigate its severity. Treatments for asthma attacks include:

 

1. Use of bronchodilators

 

 

Bronchodilators relax the smooth muscles and dilate the airways. Bronchodilators can be taken orally, or can be injected or inhaled. The last method is the easiest and most effective as the medicine reaches the airways directly and has an immediate response in most cases. The patient puts the inhaler in the mouth and while breathing in through the mouth presses the container that sends a small measured burst of air and medication that reaches the affected areas with the air breathed in.

 

Medicines that are taken orally are normally used to prevent an asthma attack. They are not very effective in case of an emergency after an attack. The bronchodilator injections are used only in case of severe asthma attack when inhalers do not prove to be very effective.

 

2. Prescribed Steroids

 

Corticosteroids can remove asthma symptoms very effectively. However, steroids can have side effects when taken on a long term basis. Cortico steroids are also present in some oral and inhaled bronchodilators.

 

Medications that contain steroids can be taken only by prescription and should not be stopped without the guidance of the doctor.

 

3. Using medication that prevents an asthma attack

 

Doctors prescribe medication that need to be taken regularly once or more times a day as per the prescription. These medicines prevent the onset of an attack. The medicines can also control the symptoms of asthma to some level. However, immediately after an attack, one might need to use bronchodilators as quickly as possible.

 

4. Using a nebulizer

 

A nebulizer produces a continuous mist by using pressurized air through a solution of the medication. When the patient inhales this mist, the bronchodilators present in the mist help to prevent and control the attack of asthma.

 

Learn how to prevent asthma in the first place.