Asthma Medications
How Is Asthma Treated?
You can control your asthma and avoid an attack by taking your medicine exactly as your doctor or other medical professional tells you to do and by avoiding things that can cause an attack.
Severe Asthma Treatment Decision-Making Worksheet and Plan:
https://www.lung.org/getmedia/4f4c785f-ca60-46dc-ab5b-ee614cc9aeaf/ala-asthma-shared-decision-making.pdf
Asthma Medications
Not everyone with asthma takes the same medicine. Some medicines can be inhaled, or breathed in, and some can be taken as a pill. Asthma medicines come in two types—quick relief and long-term control.
- Long-term control medicines (also called controller, maintenance or anti-inflammatory medicines) help prevent asthma symptoms by controlling the swelling in your lungs and decreasing mucus production. These medicines work slowly but help control your asthma for hours. They must be taken regularly (even when you don't have asthma symptoms) in order to work.
- Quick-relief medicines (sometimes called rescue medicines) relieve or stop asthma symptoms once they have started. They are inhaled and work quickly to relax the muscles that tighten around your airways. When the muscles relax, your airways open up and you breathe easier. Quick-relief medicines can be used before you exercise to avoid asthma symptoms.
Asthma medicines can have side effects, but most side effects are mild and soon go away. Ask your doctor or other medical professional about the side effects of your medicines.
To learn more about different types of asthma medications and devices:
- Handouts about Asthma Medications and Devices (available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, etc.): https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/research/icancontrolasthma/languages
- Know the difference between your inhalers (English): https://www.lung.org/getmedia/e603372b-982e-4516-af1c-5f572bb1bcae/know-the-difference-inhaler-poster-2020.pdf
- Asthma and COPD medications chart (English): https://www.lung.org/getmedia/e6be8c67-a793-44a8-bd7c-96629e57c20d/fy22-ala-respiratory-medication-chart-final_rev2_7-20-2022.pdf
- Video: Overview of Asthma Devices (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jg40pTRrgE
Download poster of Asthma (PDF file) Medications
4 Types of Inhaler Formulations
- Metered dose inhaler (MDI)
- Dry powder inhaler (DPI)
- Breath actuated inhaler
- Soft mist inhaler
How to Use a Metered Dose Inhaler Directly by Mouth
- Video (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx_e5nXfi5w
- Video (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz3rx73MZXs
- Video about technique for metered dose inhaler by mouth and with spacer (Cantonese): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLWI29WxAwQ
- Handout with Instructions (English): https://www.lung.org/getmedia/958e9666-07f9-4c28-a439-223e143f0ecf/how-to-use-a-metered-dose.pdf.pdf
- Handout with Instructions (Spanish): https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/spanish/using-your-metered-dose-inhaler-mdi.pdf
How to Use a Metered Dose Inhaler with a Spacer
- Video (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbONuRXJdr0
- Video about metered dose inhaler with spacer (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Q8TtL6BL4
- Video about metered dose inhaler with spacer and mask (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEnhyi2e--I
- Video about technique for metered dose inhaler by mouth and with spacer (Cantonese): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLWI29WxAwQ
- Handout with Instructions (English): https://www.lung.org/getmedia/21c7dabe-795c-4576-9bbc-6f6bb9fcad06/ala-how-to-inhaler-v4.pdf
- Handout with Instructions (Spanish): https://www.childrenscolorado.org/4adc8c/globalassets/departments/breathing/mdi-inhaler-spanish.pdf
How to Use a Dry Powder Inhaler
- Video about different types of dry powder inhalers (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Nrzgj6mPE
- Video about basic technique for dry powder inhalers (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxC48vQEfZI&list=PL51bs9ifmOQtcWp2zBFlrzKr8iV29jp-W&index=15
- Video about basic technique for dry powder inhalers (Spanish): https://vimeo.com/699573817
- Handout with Instructions for Dry Powder Inhaler - Diskus (English): https://www.lung.org/getmedia/bf1a80ce-544d-47d8-b919-753b01efb6d2/diskus.pdf.pdf
- Handout with Instructions for Dry Powder Inhaler - Flexhaler (English): https://www.lung.org/getmedia/04a90928-4ff7-48b6-aaee-5e094e59331e/flexhaler.pdf.pdf
- Handout with Instructions for Dry Powder Inhaler - Twisthaler (English): https://www.lung.org/getmedia/bf3fe5b3-6a75-43eb-b1b7-498aebe00dd3/twisthaler.pdf.pdf
How to Use a Breath Actuated Inhaler
- Video (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxF2aXfW_DE
- Video (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vonWO0MFbIs
- Video with Instructions about Assembly and Proper Usage (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfXilcj3kE
- Video with Instructions about Assembly and Proper Usage (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMKEWU5z5hc
How to Use a Nebulizer
- Video (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEKFKZiLNaA
Priming and Care Instructions for Inhalers
- Handout with chart (English): https://asthmaeducators.org/wp-content/uploads/AAE-PrimingGuide.pdf