What is the fastest relief for asthma?
4 min read
The ability to breathe effortlessly on a daily basis is indeed a blessing in disguise and is often taken for granted. Millions of people around the world experience breathlessness due to many factors ranging from respiratory and heart diseases to psychological factors. The fact that a person is able to breathe every day without the need of medical interventions is certainly a privilege. Breathlessness such as asthma can be treated with medications such as SERETIDE 50. However, asthma can be very disturbing and even be life-threatening. Hence, the need for fast relief is important to avoid such incidents. The question now is, what is the fastest relief for asthma?
Before answering that, it is best to understand more about asthma first. Asthma is defined as a chronic or a long-term disease characterised by the inflammation of the airway and narrowing of the airways passage. Asthma is part of disease caused by inflammation response due to the body’s immune system. People with asthma will experience coughing especially at night or early morning, shortness of breath and feeling tight in the chest. In a severe asthma attack, a person may appear confused, rapid heartbeat and bluish lips or skin. A special sound exhibited by asthmatic people is a wheezing sound, a sound resembling whistling. Asthma is usually caused by genetic factors such as having a close member with asthma but it may also be caused by previous allergy reactions such as asthma, prolonged exposure to allergen and irritants in the air and babies born with low birth weight or premature baby. Asthma attacks can be triggered by many things such as allergens, infections, cold weather, emotional stress and medications.
Now that you have known a bit more about asthma, you may wonder what is the cure for asthma. Unfortunately, there is no cure for asthma. Available treatments aim to help relieve asthma attacks and to improve respiratory function. Now, what is the fastest relief for asthma? The answer is using a short-acting bronchodilator. A short-acting bronchodilator provides immediate relief to asthma attacks. It is also known as a quick-relief drug for asthma. Examples of short-acting bronchodilators are albuterol, levalbuterol and pirbuterol. It works by relaxing the muscles in the airways and widening the airways. It is known as a rescue medication as the bronchodilators work within 5 to 10 minutes to provide relief. The effect of this bronchodilator can last up to 2 to 4 hours.
Short-acting bronchodilators can also be used just before exercise to prevent asthma symptoms that could be triggered by exercise. As the name implies, a short-acting bronchodilator acts as a rescue medication, meaning it is not supposed to be used for many times at once. If you are using this medicine twice a week or more to control asthma symptoms, you might need to talk to a doctor to get better asthma control therapy as overuse of short-acting bronchodilator means a sign of uncontrolled asthma.
Just as with many other medicines, this medicine does come with potential side effects. Common side effects include headaches, increased heart rate, trembling, muscle cramps and anxiety. These side effects should improve within a few days or weeks after using bronchodilator and disappear completely eventually. However, if these side effects persist or get worse, it is alright to talk to a doctor so that dosage adjustment can be made. Serious side effects such as heart attack or low level of blood potassium characterised by severe muscle cramp, sudden muscle weakness and fast irregular heartbeat should mean an urgent visit to the emergency room.
In essence, the fastest relief for asthma is short-acting bronchodilators. This medicine works immediately to relieve symptoms of asthma attack and in anticipation of exercise-induced asthma. A person with asthma may be provided with more than just one medicine. For example, they may be prescribed with short-acting bronchodilators and long-acting bronchodilators. Patients may be thinking it is the same kind of inhaler but the differences of the bronchodilator types mean it works differently. Thus, it is important for patients to ensure they do understand how to use the inhaler at the right time for the right purpose. In short, short-acting bronchodilators are used for quick relief whereas long-acting bronchodilators are used as controllers. It is necessary to use long-acting bronchodilators regularly to maximise the effects as the drug takes time to react in the body. Never use long-acting bronchodilators during asthma attacks as it does not help provide any relief.
Apart from knowing what medicine to take, it is necessary for asthmatic patients to identify matters that trigger asthma. By knowing what the asthma triggers, it helps them to avoid the triggers which can lessen the chances of asthma attack. Patients also need to know what to do during an asthma attack such as what medicine to take, bringing the medicine with them all the time and when to call a doctor or to either visit the emergency room. It is best for patients to also know who to call in case of emergency so that the person can provide assistance during an asthma attack. Asthma is indeed not a harmless disease as it accounts for 1 death per 100 000 people per year. In a nutshell, asthma medications play great importance in patients.
