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While asthma cannot be cured, it can be managed. The goal of all asthma treatments is to relieve current symptoms, prevent future flares and give you the best quality of life doing the things you like to do. Asthma causes bronchospasm, a narrowing of the smallest airways. Quick relief inhaled medications including bronchodilators are used to open up those airways temporarily. Some preparations also contain an anti-inflammatory steroid. You should feel some relief within 15 minutes that lasts around four hours in most cases. Some bronchodilators can also be used before exercise to prevent exercise induced asthma symptoms. If your symptoms are not managed with a quick relief medication alone, you might be prescribed one or more asthma controller medications. These can include different types of inhalers, oral medications, and newer injection biologic immune medications. Home remedies for asthma and over the counter asthma medications should always be avoided. Allergen immunotherapy or allergy shots have been shown to help prevent the progression of asthma in certain patients. Allergy shots work by decreasing your body’s reactivity to your environmental allergens found on testing.
