03/15/2022
Asthma in Adults
How is asthma treated?
Asthma is treated with different types of medicines. The medicines can be inhalers, liquids, or pills. Your doctor will prescribe medicine based on how often you have symptoms and how serious your symptoms are.
Asthma medicines work in 1 of 2 ways:
Quick-relief medicines stop symptoms quickly – in 5 to 15 minutes. Almost everyone with asthma has a quick-relief inhaler that they carry with them. People use these medicines whenever they have asthma symptoms.
Long-term controller medicines control asthma and prevent future symptoms. People who get asthma symptoms more than 2 times a week need to use a controller medicine 1 or 2 times each day.
Controller medicines tend to take longer to work, sometimes a few weeks. So, it can be hard to tell if the medicine is working. Keep taking the medicine but talk to your doctor or nurse if you do not feel a medicine working.
It is very important that you take all the medicines the doctor prescribes, exactly how you are supposed to take them.
If your symptoms get much worse all of a sudden, use your quick relief medicine and contact your doctor or nurse. You might need to go to the hospital for treatment.
When to get help or call 911
If you have frequent or severe asthma symptoms, your doctor might suggest that you have an asthma action plan. If so, you and your doctor will work together to make one. As part of your action plan, you might need to use something called a “peak flow meter.” Breathing into this device will show how your lungs are working. Your doctor will show you the right way to use your peak flow meter.
Should I see a doctor or nurse? Yes.
See your doctor or nurse if you have asthma symptoms. And call your doctor or nurse if you have an asthma attack and the symptoms do not improve or get worse after using a quick-relief medicine.
If asthma symptoms are severe, call for an ambulance (in the US and Canada, dial 9-1-1).
If you need asthma medicine every day, you should see your doctor or nurse every 6 months or more often.