Disclaimer [ENGLISH]
Disclaimer: This material is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, nor does it replace the advice or counsel of a doctor or health care professional. Reference to a specific commercial product or service does not imply endorsement or recommendation of that product or service by CPCMG.
There are many different types of medications used to treat asthma. The medication your child’s doctor prescribes will depend on the severity and frequency of your child’s symptoms, as well as what triggers their asthma.
Here is some information about the different types of asthma medications. If you have questions specific to your child’s medications or treatment plan, please contact your child’s doctor.
Quick-relief medications
- Common names: albuterol (ProAir, Ventolin), levalbuterol (Xopenex)
- Relaxes the muscles in the airways.
- Used to relieve asthma symptoms when they occur. It typically lasts about 4 hours then wears off.
- This medicine does not help reduce the swelling in the lungs.
- If used more than 2 times per week for 2 weeks in a row, your child might need to be on a controller medication.
- Your child needs medical help today if they need their quick-relief medication more frequently than every 4 hours, they are having trouble breathing even after giving the medication, or you are needing to give higher doses.
Controller/Preventive medications
- Common brands: Flovent, Qvar, Pulmicort
- Contains: inhaled corticosteroid (an anti-inflammatory).
- Used to reduce swelling and inflammation in the airways to help prevent asthma attacks.
- New guidelines recommend starting these medications at the first sign of illness (cough/cold symptoms) in all children with asthma.
- Your child’s doctor might have you increase how often you use this medication when asthma symptoms are worse.
- Inhaled steroids are very safe. They bring the medication directly to the lungs. The amount of medication that gets absorbed to go to the rest of the body is very small – especially compared to the amount given by mouth or injection to help treat a severe asthma attack.
- Some children get a yeast infection in their mouth when they use these medications. To prevent this, it is important that your child rinses their mouth or brushes their teeth after using these medications.
Combination reliever and preventive medications (aka Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy – SMART)
- Common names: Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol), Dulera (mometasone and formoterol)
- Contains: a quick-relief/rescue medication (a bronchodilator called formoterol) AND a controller medication (an inhaled corticosteroid)
- These medications are used every day when your child is symptom-free to help prevent symptoms AND as needed to treat symptoms during a flare-up. Your child’s doctor will tell you how often you can use this medication.
Other medications
Singulair (montelukast)
- Alternative medication used to treat persistent asthma.
- Can be used for patients whose asthma seems to be triggered mostly by allergies.
- It is NOT used for acute asthma attacks.
- Comes as a tablet, chewable tablet, and granules. The granules can be put straight into your child’s mouth or mixed with a small amount of liquid.
- Black box warning: reported neuropsychiatric events – agitation, aggression, mood changes (including anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation), sleep disturbance, hallucinations, and others. Please discuss this with your child’s doctor.
Oral steroids
- Common names: prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone
- Sometimes used to treat acute asthma attacks.
- Your child’s doctor will try to minimize how often your child needs oral steroids by using some of the other medications described on this page.
This publication was adapted from information within American Academy of Pediatrics Patient Education Handouts
Reviewed by: AR D.O. | 07/2023