Asthma: Over-the-Counter Treatment
Medical Author: George Schiffman, MD, FCCP
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Asthma is a disease in which there is a brief, temporary narrowing of the airways in the lungs, referred to as bronchospasm. This narrowing prevents air from moving in and out of the lungs easily. As a result, an asthmatic patient has episodes when breathing is difficult. An asthmatic episode can resolve spontaneously or may require treatment.
Asthmatic patients and their physicians may select from a wide variety of prescription medications. This is not true for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, which are limited to epinephrine (adrenaline) and ephedrine. In addition, many asthmatic patients should not use epinephrine or ephedrine because of their relatively weak effectiveness or side effects.
To decide whether or not an OTC epinephrine or ephedrine product may be useful, viewers should understand (1) the abnormal conditions that exist in the airways of asthmatics, (2) the effects of epinephrine and ephedrine, (3) the specific factors that should be considered when choosing and using epinephrine and ephedrine, and (4) the side effects of these drugs.
The advantages of using OTC medications for asthma include their affordability and accessibility (lack of need for a prescription and/or health-insurance approval). Unfortunately, these medications are less effective at controlling asthma and sometimes can be more dangerous.
What is asthma?
The cause of asthma is unknown. More is known about the abnormal conditions
that occur in asthma. These conditions include (1) hyper-responsiveness
(contraction) of the muscles of the breathing airways in response to many
stimuli such as exercise or allergies (for example, drugs, food additives, dust mites,
animal fur, and mold), (2) inflammation of the airways, (3) shedding of the
tissue lining the airways, (4) increased secretion of mucus in the airways, and
(5) swelling of the walls of the airways with fluid. All of these conditions
narrow the airways and make breathing difficult. Symptoms of asthma include
wheezing (the hallmark of asthma), coughing, difficulty breathing, and
tightness of the chest. Asthma is diagnosed by the presence of wheezing, but
it can be confirmed by breathing tests (spirometry) that evaluate the movement of air into
and out of the lungs.
What medications are used to treat asthma?
Epinephrine and ephedrine once were the only effective medications for
treating asthma. Beginning in the 1980s, newer medications were
introduced that target more of the abnormal conditions in asthma and do so more
effectively than epinephrine or ephedrine. For example, prescription-inhaler
forms of beta2-agonists (albuterol and metaproterenol
[Proventil and
Alupent]), corticosteroids (beclomethasone and flunisolide [Beclovent and
Aerobid]), anticholinergics (ipratropium bromide [Atrovent]), and other
medicines are now widely used because of their greater effectiveness and fewer
side effects. The use of inhaled antiinflammatory medications that include steroid agents such as fluticasone, budesonide, beclomethasone, and flunisolide have become the mainstay of initial asthma therapy. Unfortunately, none of these medications are available without a prescription.
Next: How do over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for asthma work? »
- Over-The-Counter Products -
- Nebulizer for Asthma - Learn how to use a portable asthma home nebulizer (breathing machine), assemble the mask (mouthpiece) and measure the medication for nebulization treatment.
- Asthma - Read about asthma signs and symptoms, statistics, medication, inhalers, and management, and triggers (or what causes an attack). Get the facts about asthma in children and exercise-induced asthma.
Latest Medical News
Asthma RSS