I am gathering information on different asthma treatments and management options so that I can make a smart choice. I would like more information on Symbicort and was wondering if you guys could help me with that?

No problem, we would love to help with giving you more information on Symbicort. Symbicort is the trade name or brand name for the combination generic drug formulation combining budesonide and formoterol. Symbicort is prescribed and indicated as a prescription medication in the management treatment of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma. The two components of Symbicort in treating asthma are budesonide which is a corticosteroid working to block inflammation and formoterol which is a beta-2 agonist working to dilate the bronchial tubes. In the US, Symbicort is marketed and sold as a metered-dose inhaler while elsewhere in the world, Symbicort is also available as a dry powder inhaler.

The side effects of using Symbicort is a combination of side effects from each of its two components. The side effects associated with the budesonide component is lightheadedness, upset stomach, hoarseness, cough, dry mouth, nose irritation, nose sores, rash, and bad taste in mouth. With beta-2 agonists such as formoterol, the most important thing to watch out for is a worsening of the wheezing symptoms which can occur with some patients. Any more serious side effects of using Symbicort including difficulty breathing, severe acne, behavioral changes, and menstrual cycle abnormalities should be reported immediately.

Symbicort is useful with asthma attacks not only in using it as an inhaler during asthma attacks and exacerbations to curb symptoms but also used as a regular asthma medicine in maintenance and asthma attack prevention. It has been shown in studies that Symbicort is an effective asthma maintenance prescription drug and even functions better than other single drug inhalers during asthma exacerbations and asthma attacks. It was not studied, however, whether increasing the regular maintenance dose of Symbicort would be more effective than waiting for the asthma attacks to occur.

What is asthma?

Asthma is an inflammatory condition or disease of the breathing airways characterized by its chronicity. The symptoms of asthma vary and recur in its obstructing of the airway and spasming of the bronchi and alveoli. These asthma symptoms include coughing, wheezing, tightening of the chest, and shortness of breath. Asthma specifically affects the bronchi with spasming, tightening, and obstruction and not the alveolar tree of the lungs.

Asthma afflicts around 300 million people worldwide, including around 6.5% of the British population and 7% of the American population. Even though sufferers of asthma have a generally good outlook and prognosis, asthma is still a significant source of mortality in causing about 4000 deaths per year in the US.

It should be clarified that asthma (although it is indeed a chronic obstructive disease of the pulmonary bronchi tree) is not specifically a chronic obstructive pulmonary condition COPD. COPD refers to a specific defined combination set of symptoms of emphysema, bronchiectasis, and chronic bronchitis. Unlike COPD, the airway obstruction seen with asthma is usually reversible although some instances of prevention and treatment may require some medication. If left untreated, some cases of asthma will result in irreversible obstruction with the chronicity of the inflammatory condition.

The prognosis and quality of life of those patients suffering from asthma is generally good with proper treatment, maintenance, and vigilant monitoring.

What are some symptoms and signs for asthma?

it might be improper to only define signs and symptoms of asthma since the inflammatory condition occurs in both the “normal” steady-state state and acute states of exacerbation known as an asthma attack.

Symptoms of asthma include

• dyspnea or shortness of breath with exertion and no dyspnea at rest
• nighttime coughing
• chronic cough of throat-clearing
• feeling of tightness in the chest

The symptoms of asthma described above may worsen and lessen even during the steady-state of chronic asthma with encountered personal or environmental factors. An asthma attack, on the other hand, refers to an acute exacerbation and worsening of the chronic asthma symptoms most specifically wheezing, chest tightening, and dyspnea or shortness of breath. There are other signs that may indicate an acute asthma attack such as tachycardia, rhoncous sounds in the lungs, using of the accessory muscles to breath, chest over-inflation, and a paradoxical pulse (that changes in weakness from inhalation to expiration).

What causes asthma?

Asthma is caused by a combination of genetic risk and environmental factors which determines and affects both the severity, manageability, and treatability of the chronic condition. The inflammatory response seen in asthma is postulated to have evolved as an allergic response to protect the individual from pollutants in the air. In addition to the genetic component which is passed on in DNA, asthma is also associated with many different environmental factors such as tobacco smoke, air pollution, high ozone levels, poor air quality, and viral respiratory infections. Other environmental factors that weaken, modulate, or affect the immune system can also indirectly affect asthma as many of its symptoms come from the immune response.

How does one prevent or manage asthma and asthmatic attacks and episodes?

Managing and treating asthma uses a combination of avoiding and preventing asthma attacks and exacerbations along with using medications for long term control supplemented by inhalers and fast acting medications for batting acute exacerbations and asthma attacks.

The first part is prevention of asthma using some aggressive therapy of those with mild allergies using immunotherapy has been shown to result in a lower likeliness of developing asthma. Medicines used in this type of asthma prevention are inhaled corticosteroids. The other part of asthma development prevention is avoiding triggers for asthma with the most common ones being smoking even second hand smoke, pet hairs, aspirin, poor air quality, and ozone. Things such as high ventilation levels and dry and cold air tends to lead to asthma exacerbation, so it follows that sports with breathing lots of cold air is worse for those suffering from asthma.

For asthma treatment, there are two classifications of prescription medication drugs. One category of asthma drugs are the fast acting medications used in treating acute asthma attacks and symptoms usually in the form of inhalers. The fast and fast acting asthma medications include beta-adrenoceptor agonists such as levalbuterol, bitolterol, terbutaline, and salbutamol; adrenergic agonists such as ephedrine and ephedrine; and anticholinergic drugs such as ipratropium bromide. The other category of asthma medications are medicines for long term control of asthma to prevent exacerbations. These types of asthma drugs include inhaled glucocorticoids and long-lasting beta2-agonists.

How does one choose the best treatments for asthma prevention and asthma management?

The most important thing in choosing the best treatment for asthma is getting all the information you can. Asthma treatment and management options start with getting information from your physician or doctor as they will be able to recommend some medical options for you. Be sure to let your doctor know about any other medications or over the counter vitamins or supplements you are taking in case of any drug interactions or problems. It is important to note that all treatment regimen and plans include some form of asthma inhaler to help with the acute asthma attacks and exacerbations as those episodes can be the most critical and problematic.

Another good way to get information is to ask your friends and family about their experiences and recommendations for asthma treatments and management options. People who live with the same asthma conditions may have gone through the same problems and face the same issues so they will be some of the best people to give you advice. As asthma is a personal issue be sure to ask for advice and recommendations with personal care and sensitivity. Once you have all the information you can gather, you can make the most informed decision regarding your asthma treatment and management options.