Asthma in adults - Treatments
- Previous page
- page
In this section
Treatments for asthma work well. If you get the right treatment, your asthma shouldn't stop you from living an active life.
The treatment you have will depend on:
- How often you have symptoms
- How bad your symptoms are.
Key points about treating asthma in adults
- Asthma can be well controlled with the right treatment.
- Most asthma drugs are breathed in using an inhaler.
- You'll probably use two inhalers: one to help you breathe more easily when you get symptoms (sometimes called a reliever) and one to prevent symptoms (sometimes called a preventer). To learn more, see Treating your asthma from day to day.
- You can try to avoid things that trigger your asthma symptoms. To learn more, see Avoiding allergens.
- You'll need to see your doctor regularly to check that your asthma is under control. You may need to change your treatment if your asthma isn't under control.
- If your asthma gets out of control and your symptoms are very bad, you may need to go to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department at your local hospital. You'll probably need to use a type of inhaler called a spacer or a nebuliser, take tablets or have injections.
- Learning about asthma can help you to control it better.
- You should be given a written action plan about your treatments from your doctor.
Treatments for asthma
Which treatments work best? We've carefully weighed up the research and divided these treatments into categories.
There are two groups of treatments: everyday treatments and emergency treatments. To read more about how you are likely to be treated, see Treating your asthma from day to day and Treating your asthma in hospital.
You can find out more about the individual treatments by clicking on the links below.
For more help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see .
Everyday treatments for asthma
Treatments that work
- Quick-relief inhalers (usually blue): You use this inhaler to treat symptoms. The most common quick-relief inhalers (and their brand names) are salbutamol (Ventolin) and terbutaline (Bricanyl). More...
- Steroid inhalers (preventer, usually brown): You use this inhaler regularly to prevent symptoms and help keep your asthma under control. Common steroid inhalers (and their brand names) include beclometasone (Beclazone, Qvar), budesonide (Pulmicort) and fluticasone (Flixotide). More...
- Long-acting inhalers plus a steroid inhaler: You can use two different inhalers to help control your symptoms. There are also inhalers that combine two drugs in one inhaler. An example is Seretide, which contains salmeterol and fluticasone. More...
- Learning about asthma: Learning more about your asthma and how to treat it may help to control your condition better. More...
Treatments that are likely to work
- Leukotriene antagonists: Examples of leukotriene tablets (with brand names) are montelukast (Singulair) and zafirlukast (Accolate). More...
- Theophylline tablets plus a steroid inhaler: These tablets can help prevent asthma when used with a steroid inhaler. But they can also have very nasty side effects. More...
- Being treated by a specialist: You may see a doctor or nurse who has been specially trained in how to look after people with asthma. More...
Treatments that need further study
- Leukotriene antagonists plus a steroid inhaler: This combination is used to prevent symptoms. Leukotriene antagonists (with their brand names) include montelukast (Singulair) and zafirlukast (Accolate); common steroid inhalers (with brand names) include beclometasone (Beclazone, Qvar) and budesonide (Pulmicort). More...
Emergency treatments for asthma
Treatments that work
- Quick-relief medicines: You should use your usual, quick-relief inhaler if you're having an asthma attack. If you need treatment in hospital, you may take a similar medicine using a special type of inhaler. More...
- Steroids: These drugs can help you breathe more easily. When steroids are given as an emergency treatment in hospital, they're often given as tablets. A common tablet is prednisolone. More...
- Ipratropium and a quick-relief inhaler: These two drugs help you breathe by widening the airways in different ways. The brand name for ipratropium is Atrovent. Quick-relief inhalers (with their brand names) include salbutamol (Ventolin) and terbutaline (Bricanyl). More...
- Oxygen: If you have emergency treatment for an asthma attack, you may be given extra oxygen to breathe through a mask or through tubes in your nose. More...
Treatments that are likely to work
- Magnesium sulphate: This may help you breathe. You have it as a drip (also called an IV) straight into your veins. More...
- Using a ventilator: This is a machine that helps you breathe. It can save your life if your breathing gets very bad. More...
Treatments that are unlikely to work
- Helium and oxygen: You can breathe a mixture of helium and oxygen (heliox) through a mask or through tubes in your nose. More...
Other treatments
We haven't looked at the research on these treatments in as much detail as we have the other treatments on our site. (To read more, see .) But we've included some information because you may be interested in them.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
