Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, reducing flare-ups of the disease, improving quality of life, and correcting lifestyle habits that may worsen the condition.
To slow the progression of the disease, it’s not only important to stop smoking and avoid exposure to lung irritants, but also to take medications and vaccinations, and to follow a healthy lifestyle.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- An exercise or activity plan to strengthen the muscles used for breathing
- Psychological counseling
- Dietary changes to maintain a healthy weight
Medications and Therapies
While not comprehensive, the list below notes some of the main types of COPD treatment.
Bronchodilators
Examples include:
- albuterol
- levalbuterol
- terbutaline
Examples include:
- formoterol fumarate (Perforomist)
- salmeterol xinafoate (Serevent)
Steroids
Combination Inhalers
Additional Medications
Other medicines may be prescribed to treat COPD, including:
- roflumilast (Daliresp), to relax airways and decrease inflammation
- ensifentrine (Ohtuvayre), an inhaled medication that works as a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory while also helping to clear mucus from the lungs
- dupilumab (Dupixent), an injectable biologic therapy for certain adults with poorly controlled COPD who have high levels of eosinophils, white blood cells that can cause inflammation in the lungs and trigger breathing problems
- theophylline (Uniphyl, Theo-24), an older and less-expensive oral bronchodilator
- Antibiotics, which are sometimes prescribed to treat acute exacerbations or pneumonia
- Vaccinations: Patients with COPD should be fully vaccinated to decrease the risk of Influenza, Pneumonia, Covid, Pertussis, shingles, etc.
COPD Medication Prices
Here are some price ranges for COPD medications without insurance, but with pharmacy coupons for both generic and brand-name versions.
Great Job Joseph Bennington-Castro & the Team @ google-discover Source link for sharing this story.
