You know that feeling when you’re in the exam room in the last few minutes of your appointment with your doctor, and he or she hands you a prescription slip for an inhaled medication that’s new to you? Although you’re hopeful that it will help, it may bring on that feeling that you now have more questions than you did before your appointment! No doubt about it… when it comes to inhaled medications for COPD, there is a lot going on. But it is possible to sort it all out, and a big part of this is knowing what questions to ask. Here are seven questions you can ask (along with some basic information for you) that can help you wrap up your doc office visit with confidence, not confusion.
- Will this replace a medication I’m on now, or will it be an addition to what I’m already taking?
- What type of medication is this, maintenance or reliever? There are two basic ways that inhaled medications open up the bronchial airways in your lungs: Maintenance (controllers or preventers) prevent symptoms and flare ups. Relievers (rescue or quick relief) open your airways up when you have symptoms. For more on maintenance and reliever medications, go to: COPD Treatment and Medications | COPD Foundation.
- To keep my lungs open “around the clock,” how many times per day will I have to take this? In other words, for how many hours is one dose supposed to last? Most quick reliever medications work for 4-6 hours. Most maintenance medications work for either 12 or 24 hours. For more on the specifics of each medication, go to: COPD Treatment and Medications | COPD Foundation.
- What is this medication supposed to do to help my breathing—relax the muscles around my bronchial airways, reduce swelling inside my bronchial airways, reduce mucus production, or block messages that are trying to tell my airways to close?When you have COPD, there is probably more than one thing going on in your lungs to make your breathing hard. Your COPD may have more of a chronic bronchitis component, more emphysema involvement, or maybe significant effects of both bronchitis and emphysema. Likewise, your medication plan should reflect your specific COPD needs— if: 1.) the muscles around your bronchial airways tighten up, 2.) you have swelling on the inside of your airways that makes the diameter of the opening smaller, 3.) you have too much mucus, or 4.) there are messages going to your airways to tell them to close.
- Is this a medication for an inhaler or a nebulizer? Although there are more and more nebulizer devices that allow you to take a treatment wherever you go, inhalers are overall more portable than nebulizers. While you likely have a co-pay for inhalers, medications that go into nebulizer treatments are usually 100% covered by Medicare. For demonstration videos with step-by-step instructions, go to: COPD Inhaler Educational Video Series | COPD Foundation
- (If it’s an inhaler) What form is this medication in—dry powder, pressurized soft mist, or pressurized spray? Will I be able to follow all the steps to make this inhaler work the way it should? Medications in inhalers come in three main forms:
Dry powder—You breathe in fast and deep.
Pressurized soft mist—you breathe in slowly.
Pressurized spray—comes out fast, so it’s best to use a spacer or holding chamber and breathe in slowly.
There are many different inhaler devices. For demonstration videos with step-by-step instructions, go to: COPD Inhaler Educational Video Series | COPD Foundation
7. What are the common side effects, and is there anything I can do to avoid them?
Now, back to where we started…there you are in the last few minutes of your appointment, holding in your hand a prescription for a new inhaler. Being able to ask these questions will show your doctor that you are a knowledgeable patient, and having the answers will give you confidence to fill the prescription and get on your way to better breathing.
How about you? How does it go when you talk with your doctor about your inhaled COPD medications? What works for you?
Let’s talk! I look forward to hearing from you!
Follow these links for more information:
COPD Treatment and Medications | COPD Foundation
COPD Inhaler Educational Video Series | COPD Foundation