>Asthma Medication

There is a popular belief which is wrong, that says that “asthma is all in the mind”, thus making asthma medication not necessary. This is not true. Fact is that asthma can be triggered by emotions such as anger, anxiety, fear or joy, but the cause is real, and it consists of a narrowing of the air passages caused by the swelling and inflammation of the airways walls.

Types of Asthma Medication

Asthma medication can be of three types: long-term asthma control medication, quick relief medication and allergic asthma medication. The first asthma medication group contains inhaled corticosteroides, long acting beta 2 agonists, leukotriene modifiers and theophylline. The quick relief medication comprises short acting beta 2 agonists, ipratropium and oral and intravenous corticosteroids. The third group includes antihistamines, nasal decongestants and immunotherapy vaccines.
Inhaled corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory drugs which are very effective in the log term control of asthma. They help decreasing the inflammation of the airways walls, block allergic response of the immune system and prevent leaks of fluid from the blood vessels into the tissue of the air passages. Several examples of such asthma medication are: mometasone, fluticasone, triamcinolone, beclomethasone. Usually, they are administered via a metered dose inhaler, provided with a spacer. The spacer is very useful for preventing the drug entering the digestive system, because it is supposed to go only in the lungs, not in the stomach or throat, where it may cause severe irritation.
LABAs (long acting beta 2 agonists) are bronchodilators. As their name shows, their effect is the dilatation of the constricted airways, thus allowing the patient to breathe much better. Such asthma medication is used in conjunction with other classes of drugs. Using such medical devices is not that simple. There are even asthma training centers where patients learn how to use inhalers in the correct way.
Leukotriene modifiers like Singulair (Montelukast) and Accolate (Zafirlukast) have the role of blocking the leucotrienes, which are those immune system chemicals responsible for asthma symptoms.
The other classes of asthma medication will be described in a future article.