You want to overcome asthma but no treatment is working on you? Find out which asthma treatments works to overcome asthma.

Asthma is a chronic disease and inflammatory condition of the lung airways. It is a disorder which obstructs the airways and is characterized by difficulty in breathing. Your airways become irritated during asthma attack.

There is no permanent asthma treatment but managing it effectively can prevent asthma attack. Asthma medications which are taken orally or inhaled in vapor form is one of the asthma treatments you can follow.

There are two types of medications for asthma treatment:

1. Quick relief medications: Quick relief medications are used as asthma treatment and are also called as relievers. These relievers give short term treatment for you when you have worsening asthma attack. You can feel the effect of medicines within few minutes.

Some of the quick relief medications for asthma treatment are

• Short-acting bronchodilators (ex. Ventolin, proventil).• Oral or intravenous corticosteroids which help to stabilize severe asthma attack.

2. Long term medications: Long term medications are used as asthma treatment and are also called as preventers. These preventers are used every day and are taken long term to control and prevent asthma attack. You can see the results after taking for few weeks and if you are suffering with constant asthma, you need long term medications.

Some of the long term medications for asthma treatment are:

• Theophylline or aminophylline
• Inhaled steroids such as aerobid, vanceril, corticosteroid and azmacort prevent inflammation
• Long-acting bronchodilators such as serevent and famoterol help open airways
• Leukotriene inhibitors such as accolade and singulair
• Cromolyn sodium or nedochromil sodium

Drugs which resemble two hormones are used for asthma treatment. These hormones are adrenaline (epinephrine) and hydrocortisone (a steroid).

When you have emergency or sudden fear, adrenaline is pumped into your bloodstream. It acts quickly from the middle of the adrenal glands near your kidney. Adrenaline makes your pulse faster and heart thump and prepares your body for emergency action.

Hydrocortisone comes from the outer part of the adrenal glands which is called cortex. It works completely in a different way to adrenaline and it works much slowly for much longer time.

Medications which are similar to hydrocortisone slowly allow the lining of air tubes to become normal in patients who are suffering from asthma. By using these medications for asthma treatment, your asthma becomes less severe and you are less prone to asthma attack.

If you are suffering from asthma, you have to use both relievers and preventers. Use these medications in the form of breathing. If you inhale them through your nose and mouth, you need less medication, you don’t have many side effects, and the medicines work quickly.

Advantage with hydrocortisone like steroids you breathe can be biodegradable inside the body and as a result they do their work in the lungs and don’t get much of a chance to produce any side effects in the rest of the body because your liver breaks them down.

Quick relief medications:

Bronchodilator, which is a quick relief medication, works by relaxing the muscles that have tightened around the airways. These are also called as rescue or relief medicines because they open the airways quickly for breathing easily and can stop asthma attack quickly.

These medicines which are used for asthma treatment act quickly but their effect remains for short period. Therefore these quick relief medicines are taken in the beginning when you feel the symptoms like wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.

You should have inhalers always when you have asthma attack. If you have severe asthma attack , your doctor may use steroids for asthma treatment to reduce inflammation in the airways.

Long term medications:

Corticosteroid is the effective long term medication for asthma treatment which is inhaled to reduce the swelling of the airways for the reduction of asthma attack. These inhaled corticosteroids are safe and preferred asthma treatment when taken as directed by the doctor for controlling mild, moderate and persistent asthma.

Theophylline is a long term medication used for asthma treatment or used together with inhaled corticosteroids to treat mild asthma attack. Cromolyn and nedocromil are long term medications used for asthma treatment.

Leukotriene modifiers are used for asthma treatment or used together with inhaled corticosteroids to treat mild asthma attack.

If you stop taking long term medications, your asthma attack may worsen again. You have to use short-acting bronchodilators when your symptoms worsen and long term medications to treat the inflammation.

Your doctor may change the medications according to the severity of the asthma attack. Work out with your doctor for best asthma treatment and control asthma for leading a normal and active life.

Author's Bio: 

Neelima Reddy, author of this article writes for AllergyAsthmaZone.com. Allergy Asthma blog helps you learn everything you need to know about allergy relief. Know more about asthma control & protect yourself to improve your quality of life. Visit Allergy Asthma Blog