| If you have asthma your medication will be divided | | | | There are few serious side effects from a regular |
| into three groups, preventers, relievers and | | | | standard dose, but you may feel hoarse and you |
| emergency drugs, taken via a bewildering array of | | | | may develop Candida, yeast like fungal infection in |
| delivery devices. Relievers relax the muscles in the | | | | the mouth that may cause a sore throat. One of the |
| airways so that they open out and you get more air | | | | most widely used steroid tablets in Australia and New |
| into your lungs. These drugs are called bronchodilators | | | | Zealand is prednisolone. In South Africa, prednisone is |
| and may be beta agonists such as ventolin which | | | | the most common. Tablets are prescribed when |
| enhance sympathetic activity or anti cholinergic such | | | | inhalers do not work for you. |
| as atrovent which sympathetic activity. | | | | Your doctor may advise a short course over a week |
| You usually inhale them. They may give you | | | | or two if you have had a sudden severe attack, or |
| immediate relief if you are having an attack, so you | | | | you may be given a longer course over several |
| should always carry your inhaler around with you. | | | | months to give you control over severe chronic |
| Preventers tackle the underlying inflammation, so | | | | asthma. Volatile organic compounds are smog farming |
| calming the airways, and are steroids. It is important | | | | gases, such as hydro carbon and benzene. Benzene, |
| that your dosage is reduced when your asthma has | | | | which is known to cause cancer, escapes from |
| improved. The maintenance dose should be the | | | | exhausts and petrol pumps when you are filling up |
| minimum necessary to keep your symptoms at bay. | | | | the car. |