What should you know about treatment of asthma in adults?

Asthma causes sensitive airways to narrow and become inflamed. Inhaled anti-inflammatory medicine helps settle that inflammation over time, while a reliever inhaler can open narrowed airways during symptoms. The right inhaler, strength, and schedule depend on your symptoms, breathing tests, other conditions, and how often you need relief.

A clinician may review your inhaler technique, smoking or vaping exposure, allergies, and conditions such as allergic rhinitis. Cough, wheezing, chest tightness, or breathlessness can change from day to day, so treatment is adjusted to your pattern.

Use your controller inhaler exactly as prescribed, even when breathing feels settled, and keep your reliever available. Ask a clinician to watch your technique; a poor seal or timing can leave medicine in the mouth instead of the lungs. Rinse your mouth after a steroid inhaler when advised.

Keep a written action plan explaining your medicines, early warning signs, and what to do if symptoms worsen. Reduce avoidable triggers such as smoke, strong scents, dust, or known allergens. A nebuliser treatment may be used in urgent settings when inhaled medicine needs supervised delivery.

Seek urgent medical help if breathlessness is severe, you cannot speak comfortably, your lips look blue or grey, you feel faint, or your reliever is not giving expected relief. Sit upright and follow your action plan while help is arranged.

Arrange a prompt review when night symptoms return, exercise becomes difficult, you need the reliever more often, or usual activities are limited. Do not increase doses or borrow another person’s inhaler without medical advice.

Which inhaler is my controller, which is my reliever, and how should I use each one? What symptoms mean that I should seek urgent care? Could allergies or another cause of chronic cough be affecting my control?