How Much Do You Know about Quick-Relief Asthma Medicine?
Quick-relief asthma medicine helps you during an asthma flare-up. Find out more about this important part of your asthma treatment by taking this quiz.
1. What is true about quick-relief asthma medicine?
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Quick-relief medicines are sometimes called rescue medicines. They help ease asthma symptoms and are taken in addition to controller medicines. Let your doctor know if you are using more of your quick-relief medicines. Also tell your doctor if these medicines more than twice a week.
2. How do quick-relief asthma medicines work?
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The most common medicines for quick relief are short-acting beta agonists. They work within a few minutes to help open airways.
3. It’s fine to wait several hours after your symptoms begin to take quick-relief medicine.
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The sooner you take quick-relief medicine at the start of asthma symptoms, the faster the asthma will be back under control. Waiting may make symptoms worse and harder to control.
4. The effects of quick-relief asthma medicine last for days or weeks after you use it.
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The effects of the medicine last for only about 2 to 3 hours. Quick-relief medicine is taken to ease sudden asthma symptoms. Other medicines are used for long-term control of symptoms.
5. Quick-relief asthma medicine can be used as often as needed.
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It should be used only as often as your healthcare provider tells you to. If you need to use it more often than prescribed, talk with your healthcare provider. You may need other medicine and lifestyle changes to help control your asthma on a long-term basis. If you are using your quick-relief medicine for asthma symptoms more than twice a week, see your healthcare provider. You may need long-term asthma control medicines or the medicines you are currently using may need to be changed.
6. Asthma medicine can make you feel nervous and shaky.
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Some asthma medicines can leave you feeling shaky, excited, and nervous. Your heart rate may get faster. The quick-relief medicines are less likely to cause symptoms compared with the medicines taken by mouth for long-term asthma control. Keep taking your medicines as directed, but talk with your healthcare provider about any side effects you have. He or she may be able to change your medicines, if needed.
7. If you use quick-relief asthma medicine, you’ll never need any other asthma medicine.
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You may be given long-term medicine to help prevent asthma flare-ups. Your healthcare provider may also prescribe oral corticosteroids to take for a short time. These may be given in pill or liquid form during times you have flare-ups with your asthma. This medicine may prevent swelling and closing of the airways. It may also reduce mucus in the lungs. Long-term medicine doesn’t give fast relief, but it’s often used with a quick-relief inhaler to better control your asthma. Long-term control medicine is taken every day to treat long-term inflammation. This type of medicine treats the cause of asthma instead of the symptoms.
8. Using quick-relief medicine is a good way to prevent asthma symptoms from coming back.
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Quick-relief asthma medicines don’t stop symptoms from coming back. Only long-term asthma control medicines can do this. Some people with severe or repeated asthma flare-ups may use both types of medicines to control their asthma.
9. The best place to keep your quick-relief inhaler is at home.
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Carry your quick-relief medicine with you. If you can, keep a spare quick-relief inhaler at work, at school, or in your gym bag. When you travel, make sure you have enough medicine to last not just for your entire trip but also for an extra few days, in case you are delayed. When traveling by air, keep your medicines with you, not packed in your luggage. Think about bringing a letter from your provider that describes your diagnosis and needed medicines. Wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace.
10. It’s always easy to tell when a quick-relief inhaler is empty.
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It can be tricky to tell when the container is empty. Not all inhalers are the same. Some have counters to show how much you’ve used. Others do not. Know how to tell how much medicine is left in your inhaler. Ask your doctor or pharmacist, or check the instructions that come in the inhaler package for this information.