What They Are: Short-acting beta agonists, or SABAs for short, are also known as
bronchodilators and are used in quick relief inhalers to treat acute
asthma symptoms and asthma attacks. SABAs are the therapy of choice for relief of acute symptoms and prevention of
exercise-induced asthma.
Short-acting beta agonists should not be used on a routine basis to treat asthma symptoms. For optimal asthma control, an inhaled steroid or other preventive, or controller, medicine is used one to two times daily to prevent asthma symptoms from developing in the first place. But even with preventive treatment, it can be hard to avoid
asthma triggers 100% of the time. So, at times, a quick-relief inhaler may be needed to treat asthma flares.
How They Work: SABAs act quickly to relax the smooth muscle in the walls of your airways and provide a prompt increase in the airflow through your airways, often as quickly as within 3 to 5 minutes. As the muscles relax, your airways open, which is why SABAs are also known as bronchodilators.
The Effects: Short-acting beta agonists provide almost immediate relief from asthma symptoms such as
wheezing,
coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. They do not prevent asthms symptoms from developing and should not be used on a regular daily basis for asthma control.
Examples: There are currently 3 main preparations of short acting beta agonists:
Each is a slightly different preparation and each may work slightly differently. Levalbuterol has been shown in some, though not all, studies to be slightly more effective than albuterol. Each of these types is sold under different brand names. It should also be noted that by the end of 2008, all bronchodilator quick-relief inhalers will need to be the new HFA-type, which is friendlier to the environment.
Other Important Facts: The most important thing to understand about short-acting beta agonists is that they are not meant for regular daily use to control asthma. They are best used sparingly, no more than twice a week, to relieve asthma symptoms and
asthma attacks that flare up even when taking a preventive medicine such as an
inhaled steroid.
Using your quick-relief inhaler more than twice a week is a sign that your asthma is not under control. That means you should be talking with your doctor about what changes need to be made in your asthma management plan to bring your asthma back under control.
It's also important to note that some studies suggest that regular use of a SABA (i.e., more than 2 days a week) may actually be harmful to your airways. Experts are still not sure why, but chronic use of a SABA appears to damage lung function and interfere with asthma control.
In Summary: SABAs are an important component for overall asthma management. When to use your short acting beta agonist inhaler should be clearly spelled out on your
Asthma Action Plan. You should only be using it in direct response to asthma symptom flares. The only exception to this is if you are using it preventively for exercise-induced asthma.
If you don't see the medicine you're looking for information about on this page, you may want to check our
Drugs A to Z encyclopedia. You can look up generic or brand names there and find out if your asthma medicine interacts negatively with any other medications. See pictures and find out about side effects and risks too.
Sources:
"Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma." NHLBI Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma. 28 Aug 2007. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. 18 Dec. 2007 <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/asthgdln.pdf>
