The Homepage for Children's Health
Asthma in Children Childhood Diseases The Baby Page Vaccination Food and Drink Other Problems of Childhood
Advantages of inhaled therapy Direct delivery of drugs to the lungs.  Rapid action, and quick relief during an acute attack. Much smaller doses are required for the required action, since the drug goes straight to the lungs. The rest of the body is not exposed to the drug.  Thus, the incidence of side effects is low.  This is very important, especially when steroid drugs have been prescribed. Special steroid drugs have been made for inhaled use.  Even if they are swallowed and absorbed, they are inactivated by a single pass through the liver, making them especially safe. Since asthma often requires long term therapy, the exceptional safety of inhaled therapy is especially valuable.

Inhaled Therapy for Asthma

Before inhaled therapy was introduced, side effects of treatment prevented many children from receiving adequate treatment.  The advantages and safety of therapy by inhalation has freed today's children from the misery that asthma inflicted on earlier generations.  Today, a child with asthma can keep the disease under tight control, have a normal life, and be free from side effects of drugs.

Inhaled therapy is the taking of drugs into the body by breathing.  This requires the drug to be either converted to small droplets which can be mixed in the air being breathed (metered dose inhalers and nebulisers), or the formulation of the drug as a fine powder which can be breathed in (dry powder inhalers).

Is inhaled therapy harmful?

Far from it.

Only about a tenth of the dose that would be required as a syrup is used in inhaled therapy.  This makes it very safe indeed.  This great safety allows long term treatment with inhaled drugs, which would be unpleasant, dangerous, or even impossible, with old fashioned oral syrups or tablets.  This exceptional safety on long term use has made it possible for children with asthma to have normal, active lives today.

Is inhaled therapy habit forming?

That's a myth.  Most of the drugs used for inhaled therapy are the same as those used as syrups, and none are habit forming.  However, since they give quick relief, the child (or even an adult) would like to have an inhaled reliever drug whenever an acute attack of asthma occurs.

Drugs available for inhalation

Almost all asthma drugs can be formulated for inhaled therapy, and they are available in India.

Relievers:- salbutamol, terbutaline, ipratropium.
Controllers:- cromoglycate, formoterol, salmeterol, beclomethasone, budesonide, fluticasone.

The drugs not available for inhalation are theophylline (available as injections, syrups, and tablets) and the leukotrienne modifiers.

Last revision: July 30, 2010

Mehta Childcare home      The Baby Page      Vaccination
Childhood diseases      Asthma     Food and drink
Childhood problems     About Dr Parang