Having a sound knowledge of your medication will give you the means to reduce
your symptoms and drug side effects.
Know Your Drugs
Each medication has two names - a brand name and a generic name. The generic
name is the chemical ingredient, and the brand name is the name given to this
chemical ingredient by the drug company. To give an ordinary example, a stereo is
the generic name and Sony is the brandname. In the same way, Ventolin is the
brandname of the generic name salbutamol. This website tends to use both, but if
you're unsure of your medication use your generic name.
The amount and types of asthma medication given is determined by the level of asthma severity.
Asthma medications fall into two categories:
Relievers are the drugs that open up the airways by either relaxing the smooth
muscle or stopping it from closing. Relievers can be short acting i.e.. remain
active for about four hours or long acting which continue working for about
twelve hours. The most common types of relievers are:
Short-acting relievers: for example Ventolin (salbutamol) and
Brincanyl (terbutaline), which are used to relieve attacks
Long-acting relievers: for example Foradil (eformotral fumarate), Serevent
(salmeterol), Volmax (salbutamol) & Bambec (bambuterol) all work by
keeping the airways open for 12 hours. These may also be labelled as "Symptom Controllers".
Ipratropium bromide and Oxitropium:
for example Atrovent and Oxivent, which are used to relieve attacks.
Theophylline: a slow-release bronchodilator drug
Preventers are the drugs that inhibit the immune system and so reduce
inflammation or the reaction to allergies and irritants. These can be either
steroidal or non-steroidal. Preventers are usually taken every day, whether you
have asthma symptoms or not.
Corticosteroids (often called steroids): like Becotide (beclomethasone),
Pulmicort (budesonide), Azmacort (triamcinolone) and Flixitide
(fluticasone); often after a severe attack or severe asthmatics are prescribed oral corticosteroids including prednisone or prednisolone might
also be prescribed.
Sodium Cromoglycate or nedocromil: For example Intal & Tilade are
non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.
Anti-Leukotrines: For example Singulair (montelukast), Zyflo (zileuton)
& Accolate (zafirlukast) are oral medications that target inflammation by
blocking the actions of the chemical mediator leukotrine.
Lately there has been a trend to call both long-acting relievers and preventers
"Symptom Controllers". We feel that this is confusing because you tend to think of
something with the same name as having the same action, which they don't.
It is frequently believed by asthmatics that their reliever medication is their best
friend and they have no fear in using it often, while they view their steroid preventers
with trepidation. In actual fact many people have lost their lives from over-dosing on
their reliever whereas few, if any, people have died from taking too many puffs of
their preventer.
