Two Main Types of Asthma Medicine
If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, chances are their doctor prescribed both rescue and controller
medicine, since each type is used differently. In mom lingo,a controller is a preventive medicine. And it’s
really important that you know the difference between the two.
Rescue medicine, or sometimes it’s called quick relief medicine, is given if asthma symptoms come on suddenly.
These are treatments like albuterol, Xopenex®, Maxair™, and terbutaline. Do those names sound familiar?
Controller, or preventive medicine, like PULMICORT RESPULES, is prescribed for long-term “prevention” of asthma
symptoms. When used regularly, a controller medicine can actually help prevent asthma symptoms and other attacks
from happening in the first place.
If your child isn’t taking a preventive medicine, and needs rescue medicine more then twice a week, is waking up
at night because of breathing problems, or is experiencing other symptoms like: coughing, wheezing, shortness of
breath, or tightness in their chest more than twice a month, it could mean that there’s just more work to do to
help them control their asthma, and you should talk to their doctor about an effective controller medicine.