Everyone Breathe - Rescue Medicine

rescue medicine

Rescue medicine is just that: it helps rescue your child from an attack or symptoms. This is the medicine you give your child to treat an attack as it is happening–providing quick relief of symptoms, such as cough, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, and wheezing.

How does it work?

Acute asthma symptoms are signs of airway bronchoconstriction. Bronchoconstriction simply means that your child's airways are tight, making it difficult for air to pass in and out. Rescue medicine works by temporarily relaxing and opening these airways.

What kinds of rescue medicines are there?

Short-acting beta 2-agonists are bronchodilators that are most commonly used to relieve asthma attacks and prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms. You should make sure that you, your child, or your child's caregiver always has these medicines close at hand.

When should it be used?

Rescue medicine should be used in case of an asthma attack, but should not be used daily as a preventive medicine. To help prevent attacks from happening, your child's healthcare provider may instruct your child to take daily controller medicine.

Medicine for severe asthma attack or symptoms

Systemic corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory drugs used in a severe situation to get control of your child's breathing while initiating other treatments, and to speed recovery. Steroids are used for severe symptoms, but they do not provide quick-relief.

You should talk to your healthcare provider if:

Your child is using a rescue medicine more than twice a week.
Your child does not have a rescue medicine.
Your child's rescue medicine is causing some side effects.
You have doubts about the effectiveness of your child's rescue medicine.

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