Salbutamol works better for me than Steroid inhalers, so why should I take steroid?
Salbutamol and corticosteroid work in different ways. Salbutamol is a bronchodilator which means that it ‘dilates’ or opens up the airways (a ‘reliever’). Because of this it relieves asthma symptoms quickly. This is why you may feel, understandable, that this must be the best treatment. Inhaled steroid is purely a preventive treatment (a ‘preventer’). It doesn’t have an immediate effect on symptoms and needs to be taken twice daily for about a week before it begins to prevent asthma symptoms from occurring. Taken on a long term basis they are highly effective. In some way they control the underlying inflammation of the airways. It is important to continue to use the inhaled steroid regularly. It is not a cure, and forgetting to use steroid inhalers, in many cases, is the cause of asthma becoming out of control again.
