Asthma Medication Information for Physicians
The following information is a helpful guide when prescribing or evaluating a medication regime:
- Every person with asthma should have a rescue inhaler
- Every person with persistent asthma, even mild persistent asthma, should be treated with an inhaled anti-inflammatory, controller medication, usually an inhaled corticosteroid.
- It may be acceptable to treat some persons with mild-persistent asthma or with exercise induced asthma with an antileukotriene drug, as the only controller medication if monitoring confirms optimum asthma control. Never use long-acting inhaled beta-agonists as the only controller drug. They are not anti-inflammatory and must be used with Cromolyn, Nedocromil or an inhaled steroid.
- Do not withhold inhaled corticosteroids from children when indicated. Poorly controlled asthma may not only delay growth in children but also result in permanent short stature.
- Inhaled steroids may delay growth but do not result in permanent short stature and the benefit of asthma control clearly outweigh this risk.
- High dose oral steroids is the treatment of choice for any exacerbation not immediately responsive to repeated doses of a rescue med. Oral steroids are almost never indicated for the long term management of asthma and should be considered the treatment of last resort in the circumstance when all other available treatment has failed and there is absolutely no doubt about the diagnosis of asthma. In this situation, the patient should be referred to a specialized asthma care center.
