There’s no debating the fact that 235 million is a very large number. That’s how many people are estimated to have asthma worldwide. That makes it the most common respiratory ailment affecting humans. Unfortunately for people with it, the increasing levels of air pollution in many urban areas these days make their asthma worse. Asthmatics will be dealing with their condition all through life. This makes finding the best way to treat asthma a priority. There are two different types of asthma inhalers, and some may want to know is Symbicort a rescue inhaler.
The two types are rescue asthma inhalers and maintenance rescue inhalers. The Symbicort inhaler is a maintenance inhaler. This means is that it’s not for use in response to an asthma attack. Asthmatics will use a rescue inhaler to get relief when an asthma attack is underway and return their ability to breathe normally. So for is Symbicort a rescue inhaler, it’s not and it is a maintenance inhaler.
The general guideline for using a maintenance inhaler for asthma is that you’ll take two ‘puffs’ of the medication from it twice a day. Usually, your usage instructions will indicate that you should take one in the morning and one in the evening, 12 hours apart. Symbicort is an effective long-acting asthma inhaler, but it’s also used to treat COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder) and this can include bronchitis and emphysema.
Tough Times to be an Asthmatic
One of the unfortunate realities about asthma is that in addition to having to deal with it your whole life, there are now many additional factors that make the condition worse. Air pollution levels are as high as they’ve ever been in major urban areas where the majority of people live in North America. Pollution is a major factor in making their asthmas worse for a lot of people. Aerosol spray and household cleaner can also make your asthma worse, and so can spending long periods of time in a home or workplace that has poor ventilation.
No matter what types of factors you may have making your asthma worse, using a long-acting asthma inhaler like the Symbicort inhaler is an excellent way to make it so that you asthma attacks occur less frequently. It will also make them less severe and when they do happen, and shorter in duration too. With our answer to is Symbicort a rescue inhaler out of the way, we can now look at what makes this inhaler such a popular choice and how it is effective.
Breathing In, Breathing Out – A Beautiful Thing
Those of us who don’t have asthma likely don’t give much thought to our ability to breathe. If we were to have that ability taken away from us, however, we’d quickly realize how much of major cause for concern it is. No one needs to be reminded that drawing air into the lungs to provide oxygen for the brain and body is an essential life-giving activity.
Any asthmatic is not going to be happy with the fact they’ve got asthma. Although they will be thankful that there are products that make it a very manageable condition. The Symbicort inhaler is certainly one option. The active medicinal ingredients that make it effective are budesonide and formoterol. One of the primary advantages of using this particular asthma maintenance inhaler is that it’s a metered-dose inhaler. This means you don’t need to give any thought to how much of it you need to take. You simply put it in your mouth and press the dispenser button to inhale a regulated amount.
Your physician and pharmacist will provide you with an inhaler that dispenses either an 80 mcg / 4.5mcg dose of budesonide / formoterol or a 160 mcg / 4.5 mcg dose. These asthma inhalers can be expensive, so it’s good that you can get Symbicort inhalers which contain 120 puffs. At the standard usage guideline of 2 puffs per day, this unit will last you 2 months. Is Symbicort a rescue inhaler? No, it’s a maintenance inhaler and you will then find you’ll go through six of them in a year.
The Most Unusual of Asthma Triggers? Thunderstorms
Asthma attacks can be brought on by a number of different ‘triggers’. Cigarette smoke or being exposed to the smoke of a campfire are the most well-known ones. Asthma attacks can also be caused by cold weather or even excessive laughing or crying. Most people with asthma come to learn what triggers affect them most commonly. In addition to using their asthma inhaler, they’ll do what it takes to avoid them as much as possible.
But the most unusual cause of an asthma attack is one most people would never guess is this. Thunderstorms can cause asthmatics to have an asthma attack. It may sound completely illogical, but it’s true. Thunderstorm asthma actually has its own definition, and without going into too much detail it’s related to pollen and wind creating a problematic situation for asthmatics. It doesn’t happen often, but if you’re an asthmatic living in certain areas of the country that have these types of storms more frequently then it’s something to be aware of.
Is Symbicort a rescue inhaler? No, it’s a maintenance inhaler for asthma.
