Is Anyone Else Confused About All Those Inhalers?

Posted by Sue, Volunteer Mentor @sueinmn, Jul 18, 2022

Is Anyone Else Confused by all the inhalers prescribed for our lungs?

After a lengthy visit with my pulmonologist yesterday, I came away with a new set of medications and a whole lot of confusion!

This morning, I sat down and made list of all the drugs I use/have used, all the drugs we talked about yesterday, and several that have been suggested or mentioned here on Connect. Then I got busy and figured out what they are and why we use them.

Here is a summary…incomplete for sure, listing the classes of drugs with a short explanation of each class, and individual drug names (not the Brand Name or Combo name).

“Rescue” drugs – may be inhalers, or in some cases nebulizer solutions
Short Acting Beta Agonist (SABA) Opens airways quickly, relaxes airways, but doesn’t last long
• Albuterol (Common Brand Names: ProAir, Ventolin, Proventil)
• Levalbuterol (Xopenex)
• Salbutamol

Short Acting Muscarinic Agonist (SAMA) Like SABA, opens airways, or prevents bronchospasm. Less often used than SABA
• Irpatropium Bromide (Atrovent)
• Tiotropium Bromide (Spiriva)

Long Term or Daily Use Medications
Inhaled Steroids Direct dosage to lungs compared to oral steroids which are systemic. Reduces inflammation which helps keep airways open.

Inhaled Corticosteroid (ICS)
• Budosenide (Pulmicort, Entocort, Rhinocort)
• Mometasone (only in combinations)

Inhaled Glucosteroid (IGS)
• Fluticasone Propionate (Flovent, Allerflo)

Long Acting Beta Agonist (LABA) Acts to keep airways open – usually used in combination with an inhaled steroid
• Formoterol Fumarate (Foradil)
• Salmeterol Xinafoate (Serevent)
• Vilanterol (only in combinations)

Long Acting Muscarinic Agents (LAMA) Relaxes muscles around airways for 12-24 hours to reduce asthma attacks
• Tiotropium bromide (Spiriva)
• Umeclidinium bromide (Incruse)

Here is a summary of the most commonly prescribed Name Brand medications and what drugs are in each one.
Advair - Fluticasone propionate (IGS), Salmeterol (LABA)
AirDuo - Fluticasone propionate (IGS), Salmeterol (LABA)
Anoro- Umeclidineum (LAMA), Vilanterol (LABA)
Breo - Fluticasone Furoate(ICS), Vilanterol (LABA)
Combivent - Irpatropium Bromide (SAMA), Albuterol (SABA)
Dulera - Mometasone (ICS), Formoterol (LABA)
DuoNeb - Irpatropium Bromide (SAMA), Albuterol (SABA)
Nebulizer Solution
Symbicort - Budosenide (ICS), Formoterol (LABA)
Trelegy - Fluticasone (IGS), Umeclidinium (LAMA), Vilanterol
(LABA) Explanation

This is not a list of inhalers you should use, just a list of those that are often used for Asthma, Bronchiectasis & COPD - some of us have only one of these diseases, some of us have several.
I have attached a PDF file if you would like to print this list.
Sue

Shared files

Inhalers (Inhalers.pdf)

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

taipan | @taipan | Sep 16 5:38am

thank you for the very useful information
is anybody using Aerosphere inhaler?
(breztri)
appreciate info on that one

hicopd | @hicopd | Oct 7 2:34pm

You have Spiriva (tiotropium bromide) listed as a short-acting muscarinic agent as well as a long-acting one. It is ONLY a long-acting one. Otherwise, you have summarized it nicely.
A handy reference is free downloadable COPD Pocket Guide from COPD Foundation that is available for both android and iPhone. It has a section for patients and another for providers and does list all the current medications available for COPD, both the generic and brand names. It has a lot of other helpful information, even videos on how to use the different medications and inhalers (so many different ones).
It is useful to review your medications with your provider and/or pharmacy periodically (at least annually), to be sure you aren’t having medications that duplicate or conflict with one another. My kids (who have asthma) have accidentally been told by the student health center to add a rescue inhaler when they already have one and it was the same medicine with a different brand names. Fortunately, they politely called me to double-check and declined to fill the prescription for a duplicate medication.

jbud12 | @jbud12 | Oct 8 10:52am

Has anyone been prescribed Wixela? Im not sure it helps me…

popone | @popone | Oct 10 11:54am

In reply to @nannette "@sueinmn Wow, Sue. Thanks for that! I've ALWAYS been confused by all the inhaler names and..." + (show)

Thanks

hicopd | @hicopd | Oct 13 6:56pm

Wixela is the generic for Advair and is supposed to work the same. All medications work better for some folks than others. If you don’t believe the treatment is working for you, try to journal your symptoms and report back to your provider so you can have a discussion with them about adjusting your treatment.
The COPD Foundation has a FREE COPD Pocket Guide app that is available on both android and iPhone that has a handy chart of all the medications by brand and also generic, for handy reference as well.
It also has videos on how to use your inhalers, nebulizer, spacer, and much more. Check it out!

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