Not all medicine is created equal and as unfortunate as that is, it’s the truth. There are so many reasons why something may work well with some people and terribly with others. Regardless of the matter, the medicine you were prescribed may not work for you and you need to try something else. There’s also the possibility that your medicine may no longer be helping you and working to its best ability and guess what? That’s not an absurd thing to experience. If your medicine is no longer doing what it’s supposed to be doing, then it may be time to try something else instead.
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Just like any other prescribed medications, when taking asthma medications such as albuterol (inhaler), there is the possibility of side effects.
Certain side effects caused by an inhaler can cause more harm than good.
Albuterol is a drug that helps provide relief during an asthma flare-up by relaxing the muscles in your airway. It can be taken as a stand-alone inhaler, with a nebulizer, or as a pill.
The side effects of this specific drug are nervousness, muscle aches, irritation to the throat and nose, shakiness and headaches. More threatening but less common side effects are heart palpitation or rapid heart rate.
The reason these side effects can do more harm than good is because they cause an upset in your daily life. If you’re experiencing nervousness or shakiness, headaches and muscle aches after you take albuterol, you’re less likely to be able to do much until that wears off.
Also, certain ingredients in asthma medication for long-term control contain steroids which can cause even more side effects. These can cause oral yeast infections (if not cleaned properly out of your mouth), hallucinations, depression, suicidal thoughts and more.
There are different medications prescribed for different types of asthma. The type and dosage you’re given is based on your age, what the side effects would be from the medication and how severe your asthma may be. People with more severe asthma take long-term asthma control medications. Long term asthma control medications such as inhaled corticosteroids are usually made up of steroids (fluticasone, budesonide, ciclesonide, etc.).
For people with less severe asthma, there are quick relief medications. Quick relief medications such as albuterol and levalbuterol are bronchodilators. Then there are asthma medications that are triggered by allergies, which are oral and nasal sprays that are made up of antihistamines and decongestants. There are also allergy shots as well which usually contain small dosages of allergens.
Since what may work for you will depend on the severity levels of your asthma and other important factors, the first thing to do is to reach out to your doctor if you notice that your asthma medications are no longer working for you.
If using a certain medication no longer benefits you or you don’t like the side effects, see if they can suggest others (ex, taking levalbuterol instead of albuterol). Talk about lowering your dosage with your doctor as well. Maybe the medicine is working but the side effects are too much for you.
See what it would be like to take smaller doses of that medication. It’s important for you to do your own research on the different types of medications you can take, so you’ll always know what to expect and how it may affect your body. Incorporating items that don’t need a doctor’s signature can be helpful as well. Invest in things such as air purifiers and humidifiers.
Asthma management and preventing triggers rely heavily on you. A doctor can tell you what to do and what to take, but it’s up to you to actually do the work and stick with it.
The best way to manage your asthma is by first taking your prescribed medicine. The next step is making changes to your lifestyle. If you have a poor diet, unhealthy habits such as smoking and don’t regularly exercise while living with asthma, then it might be time for a change.
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The most important thing to do to manage asthma and prevent triggers is to make sure you’re paying attention to yourself and your asthma. Monitor your breathing with a peak flow meter (ask your doctor how) and stay up to date with vaccinations. Learn your attacks and how to treat them. By acting on the attack quicker, you’ll experience less damage and need less medication to treat your asthma. Remember to be mindful, reach out to your doctor, ask questions and always speak up about your concerns.
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