Understanding Asthma Medication Side Effects As They Are Impacting You

When trying to control your asthma you need to consider the possible side effects of the treatment. Sometimes the particular side effects of your asthma medication can make daily living quite uncomfortable and unpleasant to endure. It is known that you may have an increased risk of side effects if you are using inhalers or oral medications on a daily basis.

The intensity of the side effects differs according to the medication used. Let us now look at some of the more common asthma medications and the possible side effects that may occur when you use them.

First type: The Bronchodilators

A bronchodilator is commonly referred to as a rescue inhaler. What they do is relax the muscles surrounding the airways and this has the effect of enabling you to breathe more easily. However you will still be left with the initial problem which is inflammation in the tubes.

Bronchodilators are by far and above the most frequently used product for relieving your asthma symptions. the most common types in use are albuterol and pirbuterol. Fortunately side effects are minimised when you use bronchodilators but you may experience side effects if you tend to overuse them and find that your heart rate is increased and other irregularities.

Second type: The Oral Corticosteroids. If your asthma condition is more acute then your symptoms may be more severe. This is when Oral Corticosteroids may be prescribed for you. They have the benefit of reducing inflammation in the bronchioles which are located in the lungs. However using this type of medication brings with it the risk of a number of side effects, so they are commonly only used in helping reduce severe inflammation over a short period of time. Sometimes though, if symptoms cannot be treated effectively with other types of medication, then a steroid like prednisone may be used for longer term treatment.

Some of the side effects which may occur with oral steroids are insomnia, a thinning of the skin, mood changes and even a noticable increase in your hair growth. Others are constant itching, development of hives, a tingling sensation in your facial area, difficulty with breathing, pain in the eyes, drinking more liquid, urinating more often, pains in the stomach area, problems with vision, retaining fluid and even putting on weight.

Third type: The Inhaled Steroids

If you are prescribed a type of steroid medication for inhaling then the side effects are usually milder than those taken by mouth. This type of medication is usually the best treatment initially for people with asthma, because they have fewer side effects and they are effective in treating inflammation. They can be used on a daily basis over a long period of time, and may be used in conjunction with other types of treatment.

However, it should be noted that oral yeast infections may occur when using this type of treatment, and it is wise to visit your doctor for frequent checkups to help prevent any problems from developing.

Fourth type: Leukotrine modifiers.

These types of medication are relatively new in the fight against asthma. They are effective in reducing and even preventing inflammation, but not so good when the condition is at a more advanced stage. However you may find them to be beneficial in keeping inflammation at bay.

For More Information On Asthma Problems:

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Asthma Inhalers Explained

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Facts About Asthma and Toddlers

This is a subject near and not at all dear to my heart. As a matter of fact I am starting to hate the word "asthma" with every fiber of my being (and trust me, I have lots of fibers). My son has asthma. This of course was only discovered AFTER a middle of the night trip to the emergency room with a gasping, grunting, miserable eleven month old.

While doing my research to determine just what this asthmatic diagnosis was going to mean to our family, I discovered something astounding. Since 1983, the occurence of childhood asthma has increased by 160%. 160%!!! That means that 1 in 4 kids under the age of 5 have asthma! And what's worse, no one seems to know just why this is happening. We have no real answers as to why our normally sturdy, knock-around little toddlers are suddenly being stricken down with wheezing, gasping, coughing and sneezing episodes that take them out of playtime commission for hours, or even days. Some doctors suggest that it's the increased pollution in the air, but even children living in South Dakota, far, far, FAR away from any major highways are being diagnosed. Others are suggesting the additives in food may be a contributing factor, causing allergies which are in turn causing asthma. This suggestion I could believe. There are so many chemicals in our foods these days we'll soon be sucking our nutrition straight out of a self-dispensing mouthpiece connected to a large, black container marked "Bio-Hazard". Yuck.

Little boys apparently have a slightly higher risk of being diagnosed with asthma as well. The jury is still out on whether this has anything to do with the fact that boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls. A parent with asthma is obviously a red-flag, but genetics I can certainly understand. You don't get a chance to pick your parents, but it sure would be nice if you could pick and choose which health issues they are allowed to pass on!

As a parent taking care of a wonderful, beautiful (I have to get that in at LEAST once a day so you don't forget) child with asthma, I know just how frustrating this chronic condition can be. I also know first hand that doctors are not all asthma specialists, and that conflicting information is often the norm, especially after your initial diagnosis.

If you are looking for more information on asthma, and more importantly accurate information on childhood asthma the experts are always the best, and the experts are at the American Lung Association Site. If you have a little one battling asthma, I suggest you look into possible support groups in your area. Just having someone else to talk to who has been through the sleepless nights and the constant worry can really help lighten your stress load. I'm still on the hunt for some really good childhood asthma message boards to frequent, so if any of you know of any, please drop me a line and I'll check them out.

Now, strictly to make myself feel better after a long night of nebulizer treatments and listening to my angel cough and wheeze, I want to hear YOUR asthma stories. Or any toddler health scares for that matter. How did you survive feeling so helpless when your little one was under the weather?

Jennifer spends her spare time tracking down new products and reliable tips for parenting toddlers. She and her son Alex are enjoying the roller coaster ride of life over at http://www.parentingtoddlers.net every day!

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