What is Symbicort?

Symbicort possesses a combination of budesonide and formoterol. Budesonide is a type of corticosteroid which is useful in reducing inflammation in the body which contributes to breathing difficulties in this case. Formoterol is a long-acting bronchodilator which is capable of relaxing the muscles in the airways to improve breathing. Together, it’s easy to see how these effects work synergistically to make Symbicort an effective medication for treating both severe asthma (typically refractory—or non-reversible asthma) and primarily COPD. Emphasis is placed on severe, as Symbicort is not the first choice of medication for your average asthma management. It is only used when other long-acting medications do not offer the results needed to manage symptoms appropriately.

Short-acting Bronchodilators and Exercise

Since Symbicort is a medication used to treat asthma and COPD, it’s important to understand the differences between a short and long acting bronchodilator.

Short-acting bronchodilators are like a quick shot that can relieve sudden asthma attacks or respiratory issues that flare up unexpectedly. As a result, these are often included in inhalers that are deemed for emergencies or “rescue inhalers”, if you will.

These rescue inhalers can work within minutes of inhalation giving the person suffering the attack very quick relief. If you, your child, or someone you know has grown up with asthma, it’s probably a familiar concept to you that this person was most likely protected as a child. Children with asthma are often discouraged from actively exercising and pushing themselves as parents fear their child will have an asthma attack. There are many reasons why this is not a good practice, but the most basic one is that exercise is good for keeping our lungs and cardiovascular system healthy—asthma or no asthma.

This is relevant because short-acting bronchodilators are a miraculous tool for keeping fit as well as keeping stress down. What does this have to do with stress? Well, stress and anticipatory anxiety are a huge component of causing asthma attacks. If a person feels as if they are about to have an asthma attack, then they can “psyche’ themselves into it—as the effect of stress and anxiety on the body does in fact constrict airways.

This causes many asthmatics to fear exercise and view themselves as fragile—which is certainly going to make living a quality life more difficult, something we at Rx Solution seek to fight against by providing access to manufacturer discounts and prescription assistance programs for those who cannot afford these expensive medications on their own.

However, a short-acting bronchodilator can be taken before exercise and the effects will assist you in breathing easy and living a healthy lifestyle without worry about asthma attacks.

If this is a problem you have, Pro-Air is the right medication for this particular situation—not Symbicort.

What is Symbicort Used For?

Symbicort uses a long-acting bronchodilator. This is, as opposed to needing immediate effects, something that is used for long-term management of severe asthma symptoms. However, the primary usage of Symbicort lies in its ability to treat COPD, not asthma as you might suspect.

What is COPD?

COPD is an umbrella term which details out many lung-related illnesses and diseases such as:

  • Emphysema
  • Chronic Bronchitis
  • Refractory (non-reversible) asthma

COPD is not currently curable as it is not a singular disease but a condition. Many people with COPD report that the feeling can be described as being increasingly out of breath—which is precisely how it is described by the COPD Foundation. From there, you may learn everything you need to know about this terrible condition and managing it.

However, for the sake of this article we can cover the basics.

Emphysema is when the air sacs (known as alveoli) are damaged. The sacs are responsible for oxygen absorption, when they are reduced in number, so too is your ability to absorb oxygen. Remember, ability to intake air is not equivalent to being able to breathe well. If you cannot absorb oxygen efficiently, you’re merely exhausting your lungs but achieving no satisfactory breath.

Symbicort is also used to treat Chronic Bronchitis. This illness is caused by damage to the bronchial tubes. These tubes then become irritated and inflamed, which is precisely why a steroid like budesonide is necessary to reduce inflammation. The hairy fibers that line your bronchial tubes are called cilia. Cilia will assist in helping mucus move along your passages so that it can be expunged properly. CB will cause you to lose cilia, which is why it becomes excessively difficult to cough up mucus. If you’ve ever had congestion with a normal respiratory system, you’d know it’s already tempting to keep trying to hack it up. When you have CB, that becomes even more necessary as you have a much less productive cough.

Symptoms of COPD

Simply put, if you have the following symptoms:

  • Shortness of breath that is unceasing
  • Frequent coughing/unproductive cough
  • Wheezing and chest tightness

Seek out a medical professional to be evaluated for COPD or other respiratory issues.

Symbicort Prescription Assistance Programs

We know better than most else how expensive prescription medications are getting to be. Since 1992, it was estimated that prescription medication costs were going to rise until 2020. This has so far been proven to be true, and if you require medications—you live this reality every day.

For those who require medications for diabetes, those who require medications for asthma, these ongoing prescriptions are in most cases for life. It is not healthy nor possible to live without them, and yet people do to make ends meet, to pay for bills, to help their children instead, to keep a roof over their head.

Thankfully, there is a way to receive discounted brand name prescription medications. Patient assistance programs are there for those who qualify to receive steeply discounted medications. Many Americans are uninsured or underinsured and require additional assistance that things like Medicare Part D cannot provide for.

Contact the RX Solution today to get in touch with a highly experienced and knowledgeable representative who can expedite you through the application process and give you the peace of mind and quality of life you deserve.