What Medicines Do I Need?

What Medicines Do I Need-Doctors usually decide which medicines and how much of each to prescribe,based on your lung function and your pattern of symptoms—how many days andnights you have them, as shown on the chart below. Usually, if you have symptomsno more than 2 days a week or 2 nights a month, they will consider yourasthma to be mild and intermittent and prescribe only quick-relief medicines to be used when you have symptoms.

If you have more frequent symptoms, you probably need daily long-term controlmedicines to prevent symptoms. It may take several visits before the doctor finds exactly the right medicines and doses for you.

What Medicines Do I Need-Now that you know more about asthma medicines and wha tthey do, ask your doctor to write on your asthma action plan:

• The name of each of your quick-relief and long-term control
medicines,

• How much of each medicine you should take, and

• When to take each of your medicines

Other measures for treating asthma include:

• Allergy shots (immunotherapy) may help if you have allergiesthat can’t be easily controlled by avoiding your triggers and
taking medicine.

• Older people with asthma should have pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccinations.

• Antibiotics are not recommended for either routine or emergency treatment of asthma, except, as needed, for a bacterial
infection, such as pneumonia or suspected bacterial sinusitis.

Any time your doctor prescribes a new medication—ask him or her about the right way to use it! Ask about possible side effects and how to deal with them. Also ask what to do if you forget to take the medicine. Your pharmacist can also give you information about your medicines.

What Medicines Do I Need-How To Remember To Take Your Medicines

To Take Your Medicines:
• Put a favorite picture of yourself or a loved one on the refrigerator with a note
that says, “Remember To Take Your Asthma Medicine.”
• Keep your medicine on the night stand next to your side of the bed.
• Take your asthma medicine right after you brush your teeth and keep
it with your toothbrush as a reminder, or put it next to your cereal box
and take it with breakfast.
• Put “sticky” notes in visible places to remind yourself to take your asthma
medicine, i.e., on the refrigerator, on the cabinet where you keep your favorite
morning mug (You might even keep the medicine bottle inside the mug.),
on the bathroom mirror, on the front door.
• If you use the telephone company’s voice mail service, record a reminder for
yourself, and the service can automatically call you every day at the same time.
• Establish a buddy system with a friend who also is on daily medication and
arrange to call each other every day with a reminder to “take your medicine.”
• Ask one or more of your children or grandchildren to call you every day with
a quick reminder. It’s a great way to stay in touch, and little ones love to help
the grownups.
• Place your medicine in a weekly pill box, available at most pharmacies.
• If you have a personal computer, program a start-up reminder to take your
asthma medicine or sign up with one of the free services that will send you
reminder e-mail every day.
• If you have a watch with an alarm, program it to beep and remind you to take
your asthma medicine.
• Remember to refill your prescription. Each time you pick up a refill, make a
note on your calendar to order and pick up the next refill one week before the
medicine is due to run out.

Up next  Your asthma triggers and how to control them.

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