Asthma Inhalers

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Inhalers are the main treatment for asthma. There are many different types of inhaler, which can be confusing. The drug inside an inhaler goes straight into the airways. Therefore, you need a much smaller dose than if you took the drug as a tablet or liquid by mouth. The airways are treated, but little of the drug gets into the rest of the body. Therefore, side-effects are unlikely to occur, or are minor. In the treatment of asthma, the drugs inside inhalers can be grouped into 'relievers', 'preventers' and 'long acting bronchodilators'.

You can take a reliever inhaler 'as required' to ease symptoms when you are breathless or wheezy. The drug in a reliever inhaler relaxes the muscle in the airways. This opens the airways wider, and symptoms usually quickly ease. These drugs are called bronchodilators as they dilate (widen) the bronchi (airways).
These are taken every day to prevent symptoms from developing.

The drug commonly used in preventer inhalers is a steroid. Steroids work by reducing the inflammation in the airways. When the inflammation has gone, the airways are much less likely to become narrow and cause symptoms.

The drugs in long acting bronchodilators inhalers work in a similar way to 'relievers', but work for up to 12 hours after taking each dose. Some brands of inhaler contain a steroid plus a long acting bronchodilator for people who need both to control their symptoms.

Asthma

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ASTHMA...may just seem to be another word in my vocabulary before. But now, it’s not something that I can just laugh off. I acquired mine just 2 weeks ago. It started with just a simple cough that lasted for 2 weeks despite the antibiotics I took. The first “attack” I had was when I was getting ready to sleep. I started to cough as usual but then I couldn’t stop. It’s as if my cough came from the stomach but when I started to breathe…I can’t. It’s as if something is stuck inside of me. I tried harder to breathe but that’s when I heard a gasping sound. I started to panic hearing that it came from me. My husband started to pull me out from the bed and started to massage my back. That’s when I started to slowly take in air. After that, I just thought that it was just because I coughed so hard that I can’t breathe.

The next morning, I was taking a shower and the same thing happened. I thought I would pass out because I started to see black. I was just glad that my husband came in to check on me. I cried from panic not knowing what is happening to me. The same day I went to the hospital for a check-up. My doctor confirmed that it is asthma and was caused by an allergic reaction. I can’t understand where or why I got it. She told me that my cough was already an allergic reaction but because of it, I had asthma.

Without no one to ask about this because I don’t have any asthmatic relatives, I searched thru the internet. That’s where I knew that there are 2 types of Asthma: Intrinsic Asthma or sometimes called as Non-Allergic Asthma and the Extrinsic Asthma which is called as Allergic Asthma. There is no cure for asthma, although symptoms sometimes improve over time. With no cure for this, all we can do is to find ways not to trigger asthma attacks. So if you have Allergic Asthma the same as mine try the following to avoid the attacks:

1. Do not smoke. Cigarette smoke is a common cause of asthma aggravation.

2. Avoid foods which are known to cause allergy like chicken, eggs, chocolates, nuts etc…

3. Keep yourself away from dust

4. Do maintain proper cleanliness in your home. Regularly wash beddings, pillow covers, quilts, etc…

5. Don’t leave medications such as inhalers at home. You don’t know when the next attack is.

6. Drink lots of liquid and eat a balanced diet.

7. Take a walk…or do light exercises

8. Take anti-allergy medications as prescribed by your doctor

Also try the following steps if an attack occurs: Tilt your head upward and breathe thru your mouth. It really helps me breathe easily when I do this.