Allergic Diseases, S.C. Steven H. Cohen, M.D.
Home Doctor First Visit Office Policies Medical Info Asthma Allergies Bronchodilators Stinging Insects Itch Cough Allergy Vaccine Therapy Mold Clinical Trials Contact Us FAQs Links	Bronchodilators Bronchodilators are medications used to relieve the spasm, or squeezing down sensation, of the breathing tubes associated with asthma. This breathing tube constriction is one primary symptom of asthma, and its' control tells us how well the patient's asthma is controlled. Bronchodilator medications may be in oral liquid form for children, tablets for any one who can swallow medications, or inhaled forms. The tablets and inhaled forms of the medications come in both short and long-acting products. The philosophy of asthma control is to control the basic symptoms with long-acting "controller" medications and to supplement with short-acting "rescue" medications when symptoms flare. Thus, bronchodilators have a significant role in the treatment of asthma. In the past, the only bronchodilators were short-acting medications such as Proventil, Ventolin and albuterol. These medications still play a key role in the treatment of acute asthma symptoms or symptoms precipitated by exposure to specific aggravators (examples are dog, cat or exercise). They may be helpful in prevention of symptoms if used before the specific exposure and are helpful in controlling symptoms that may be a sign of poorer asthma control. The newer medications are long-acting bronchodilators such as Serevent and Foridil which are both in the form of dry powder inhalers. These medications have a long duration of action (up to twelve hours), and, as in the case of Foridil, may have a rapid onset of action. These medications are usually used in addition to a primary controller medication such as inhaled steroid or Singulair. This is especially true in patients who tend to be symptomatic and need to rely on their short-acting bronchodilators more frequently. Ideally, our goal is for patients to use short-acting or "rescue" bronchodilators rarely or, even better, never. We aim for good asthma control with the long-acting asthma medications. If "rescue" medications are used, relief should begin fairly rapidly (in seconds to minutes). If there is no change in symptoms the dose may be repeated. Bronchodilators may cause side effects such as nervousness, tremor, and rapid heart rate. These side effects are usually transient. They should not hinder the use of these medications, however, if there is a doubt or question as to the cause of chest symptoms. It is better to err on the side of treatment with these medications. Not breathing is far worse and much more serious than feeling jittery for ten minutes.      11121 W. Oklahoma Avenue    West Allis, WI 53227    Tel: 414.545.1111