What are long-acting bronchodilators?
Many people with asthma take medications called long-acting bronchodilators or long acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs). They include: • Serevent (salmeterol) • Foradil (formoterol) • Advair (salmeterol and a corticosteroid) • Symbicort (formoterol plus a corticosteroid) Bronchodilators relax airways. Once airways relax, they can open up and let you breath easier. This helps relieve wheezing and shortness of breath. Long-acting bronchodilators: • Take effect after 30 minutes and can give symptom relief for 12 hours. • Do not take effect right away, so they cannot be used as rescue inhalers (like albuterol) to stop an asthma attack after symptoms start. • Should not be used as stand-alone medication for asthma in adults or children. • Should only be used for the shortest time possible to achieve asthma control. Your doctor may stop the LABA, if possible, once control is achieved. Advair and Symbicort combine both a long-acting bronchodilator and a corticosteroid. These two inhalers are often
