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Asthma medications: Know your options
Asthma medications have different purposes. Find out what they are and what they do.
By Mayo Clinic staffAsthma medications play an important role in managing signs and symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Long-term control medications keep your symptoms at bay on a day-to-day basis. Quick-relief (rescue) medications treat asthma symptoms once they start. If your asthma is triggered by allergies, you may need to take allergy medications along with asthma medications to help control your symptoms.
You'll need to work closely with your doctor to determine which asthma medications work best for you. Your age, your symptoms, the severity of your asthma and medication side effects all play a role in choosing the type and dose of asthma medications you need. Because everyone's different and asthma changes over time, you'll need to work with your doctor to track your symptoms and make adjustments to your asthma medications as needed.
Types of asthma medications
| Category | Purpose | Medication types |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term asthma control medications | Taken regularly to control chronic symptoms and prevent asthma attacks — the most important type of treatment for most people with asthma |
|
| Quick-relief medications (rescue medications) | Taken as needed for rapid, short-term relief of symptoms — used to prevent or treat an asthma attack |
|
| Medications for allergy-induced asthma | Taken regularly or as needed to reduce your body's sensitivity to a particular allergy-causing substance (allergen) |
|
Long-term control medications
Many people with asthma need to take long-term control medications on a daily basis. You take these medications even when you don't have symptoms. There are several types of long-term control medications. They include the following types.
Inhaled corticosteroids
These anti-inflammatory drugs are the most effective and commonly used long-term control medications for asthma. They reduce swelling and tightening in your airways. You may need to use these medications for several days to weeks before they reach their maximum benefit. Inhaled corticosteroids include:
- Fluticasone (Flovent Diskus, Flovent HFA)
- Budesonide (Pulmicort Flexhaler)
- Mometasone (Asmanex)
- Beclomethasone (Qvar)
- Ciclesonide (Alvesco)
In children, long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids may slightly delay growth, but the benefits of using these medications to maintain good asthma control generally outweighs the risks. Regular use of inhaled corticosteroids helps asthma attacks and other problems linked to poorly controlled asthma.
Corticosteroids don't generally cause serious side effects. When they do occur, side effects can include mouth and throat irritation and oral yeast infections. If you're using a metered dose inhaler, use a spacer and rinse your mouth with water after each use. This reduces the amount of drug that can be swallowed and absorbed into your body.
Leukotriene modifiers
These medications block the effects of leukotrienes, immune system chemicals that cause asthma symptoms. Leukotriene modifiers can help prevent symptoms for up to 24 hours. Examples include:
- Montelukast (Singulair)
- Zafirlukast (Accolate)
- Zileuton (Zyflo, Zyflo CR)
In rare cases, these medications have been linked to psychological reactions such as agitation, aggression, hallucinations, depression and suicidal thinking. See your doctor right away if you have any unusual reaction.
Long-acting beta agonists (LABAs)
These bronchodilator (brong-koh-DIE-lay-tur) medications open up narrowed airways and reduce swelling. Their effects last at least 12 hours and they're used to control moderate to severe asthma and to prevent nighttime symptoms. LABAs are used on a regular schedule along with inhaled corticosteroids. Although they're effective, they've been linked to severe asthma attacks. For this reason, LABAs should be taken only in combination with an inhaled corticosteroid. Examples of LABAs include:
- Salmeterol (Serevent Diskus)
- Formoterol (Foradil)
Theophylline
You take this bronchodilator in pill form every day to treat mild asthma. Theophylline (Theo-24, Uniphyl, others) relaxes the airways and decreases the lungs' response to irritants. It can be helpful for nighttime asthma symptoms. If you're taking theophylline, you may need regular blood tests to make sure you're getting the correct dose. This medication isn't used as often now as it once was.
Combination inhalers: Corticosteroids and long-acting beta agonists
Two inhaled asthma medication combinations contain both a corticosteroid and a bronchodilator:
- Fluticasone and salmeterol (Advair)
- Budesonide and formoterol (Symbicort)
As with other LABA medications, these inhalers may increase your risk of having a severe asthma attack and should be used with caution.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Expert panel report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. Bethesda, Md.: National Institutes of Health. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/06_sec3_comp3.pdf. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Balkissoon R. Asthma overview. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2008;35:41.
- Liu AH, et al. Childhood asthma. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/198605211-3/0/1608/440.html?tocnode=54478148&fromURL=440.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50145-6_3411. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Fanta CH, et al. An overview of asthma management. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Updated information on leukotriene inhibitors: Montelukast (marketed as Singulair), zafirlukast (marketed as Accolate), and zileuton (marketed as Zyflo and Zyflo CR). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/ucm165489.htm. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- FDA drug safety communication: New safety requirements for long-acting inhaled asthma medications called long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm200776.htm. Accessed March 8, 2010.
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