Adult Asthma: Asthma Medications
Medications do not cure asthma, but certain medications can help control asthma symptoms. Medications alone will not control asthma; you must also avoid things that trigger your asthma episodes.
The
Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America references the long-term and quick relief asthma medications listed below. The referenced medications are not necessarily TRICARE-covered medications. Call Express-Scripts at 1-866-363-8667 to verify coverage. Also, consult your physician before starting or stopping any medication treatment.
Long-term Control or Preventive Medicines
- Cromolyn Sodium and Nedocromil Sodium prevent airways from swelling when they come in contact with asthma triggers. These can also be used to prevent exercise-induced asthma.
- Inhaled Corticosteroids prevent and reduce airway swelling and decrease the amount of mucus in the lungs. These are generally safe when taken as directed.
- Oral Corticosteroids are used as short-term treatment for severe asthma episodes or as long-term therapy for some people with severe asthma.
- Long-acting beta agonists can be taken with or without an anti-inflammatory medicine to help control daily symptoms, including nighttime asthma. This type of medicine can also prevent asthma triggered by exercise.
- Leukotriene modifiers are a type of long-term control medication. They prevent airway inflammation and swelling, decrease the amount of mucus in the lungs and open the airways.
- Combined therapy medicine contains both a controller and reliever medicine. This combination of a long-acting bronchodilator and corticosteroid is used for long-term control.
- Anti-IgE therapy is a treatment for people with moderate or severe allergic asthma. It attempts to stop allergic asthma at its root cause instead of just treating asthma symptoms. This drug is not inhaled, but rather injected by your doctor on a regular basis. It does not eliminate your need for other asthma medications, but it can help to reduce your use of them. Due to its significant cost, this form of therapy is currently reserved for moderate to severe cases requiring multiple medications.
Quick Relief Medicines
These medicines ease the wheezing, coughing and tightness of the chest that occurs during asthma episodes.
- Short-acting bronchodilators are one type of quick relief medicines. They open airways by relaxing muscles that tighten in and around the airways during asthma episodes.
- Short-acting beta agonists relieve asthma symptoms quickly and some prevent asthma caused by exercise.
- Oral beta agonists - Syrup may be used for children, while long-acting tablets may be used for nighttime asthma. Oral preparations generally cause more side effects than the inhaled form.
- Theophylline can be used for persistently symptomatic asthma, and especially to prevent nighttime asthma. Theophylline must remain at a therapeutic level in the blood stream to be effective. Too high a level can be dangerous.
