Most important information to know about Albuterol inhalation:ahealthyme:"It is very important that you use your albuterol and ipratropium inhaler properly, so that the medicine gets into your lungs. Your doctor may want you to use a spacer with your inhaler. Talk to your doctor about proper inhaler use. Seek medical attention if you notice that you require more than your usual or more than the maximum amount of any chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) medication in a 24-hour period. An increased need for medication could be an early sign of worsening lung function. Do not use albuterol and ipratropium inhalation if you have a soya lecithin allergy (e.g., an allergy to soybeans or peanuts)."
http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/topic100588891

******************************************************

Description of Albuterol (nebulizer or inhaler):rxlist:"The active component of this formulation is albuterol racemic (a1-[(tert-butylamino)methyl]-4-hydroxy-m-xylene-a, a¢-diol) and a relatively selective beta2-adrenergic bronchodilator. The molecular weight is 239.3 and the empirical formula is C13H21NO3. Albuterol is a white to off-white crystalline solid. It is soluble in ethanol, sparingly soluble in water, and very soluble in chloroform. Ventolin inhalation aerosol is a pressurized metered-dose aerosol unit for oral inhalation. It contains a microcrystalline (95% £10 mcm) suspension of albuterol in propellants (trichloromonofluoromethane and dichlorodifluoromethane) with oleic acid. Each actuation delivers 100 mcg of albuterol from the valve and 90 mcg of albuterol from the mouthpiece. Each 6.8-g canister provides 80 inhalations and each 17-g canister provides 200 inhalations."
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/albut1.htm

******************************************************

Does Salmeterol Use Interfere With Emergency Albuterol?:American Family Physician:"Some have suggested that regular use of long-acting bronchodilators, such as salmeterol, may cause the patient with asthma to be less responsive to a bronchodilator, such as albuterol, when needed in an emergency. Korosec and associates studied patients who were having an asthma attack and used salmeterol regularly to determine whether the patients were, in fact, less responsive to the short-acting bronchodilator used to abort an attack. Patients who were at least 17 years of age and who took salmeterol regularly were included when they presented to an emergency department with an acute exacerbation of asthma. All patients reported periods of cough, dyspnea and wheeze, as well as symptom-free periods. Peak expiratory flow and pulse oximetry were measured. If the oxygen saturation was less than 90 percent, the patient was given supplemental oxygen."
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m3225/5_61/61432772/p1/article.jhtml

******************************************************

Albuterol (nebulizer or inhaler) drug class and mechanism:medicinenet:"Combivent is a combination product consisting of two bronchodilators, albuterol (Proventil; Ventolin) and ipratropium (Atrovent) that is used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (bronchitis and emphysema) when there is evidence of spasm (narrowing) of the airways. Bronchodilators dilate or enlarge the airways by relaxing the muscles surrounding the airways. Albuterol and ipratropium work by different mechanisms, but both cause the muscles of the airways to relax. (Ipratropium is an anticholinergic and albuterol is a sympathomimetic.)"
http://www.medicinenet.com/Script/Main/Art.asp?li=LLI&ArticleKey=9046

******************************************************

Things to know before using Albuterol (nebulizer or inhaler):medlineplus:"In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For ipratropium and albuterol combination, the following should be considered:Allergies--Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to albuterol, ipratropium, atropine, belladonna, hyoscyamine, or scopolamine, or to other inhalation aerosol medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to soya lecithin or related food substances such as soybeans and peanuts. Pregnancy--Ipratropium and albuterol have not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in animals have shown that albuterol causes birth defects when given in doses comparable to the maximum human dose. Ipratropium has not been found to cause birth defects or other problems in animal studies. Breast-feeding--It is not known whether ipratropium or albuterol passes into breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are using this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor. Children--Studies comparing the effects of the inhalation aerosol dosage form of ipratropium and albuterol in children with those in other age groups have not been done. Older adults--Ipratropium and albuterol combination has been tested in elderly patients and has not been found to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults"
U.S. National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
custserv@nlm.nih.gov
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202304.html

******************************************************

What to discuss with your doctor before using Albuterol:drugs.com:"Before taking albuterol, tell your doctor if you have heart disease or high blood pressure; epilepsy or another seizure disorder; diabetes; an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism); difficulty swallowing; liver disease; or kidney disease. You may not be able to take albuterol or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above. Albuterol is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether it will harm an unborn baby. Do not take albuterol without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether albuterol passes into breast milk. Do not take albuterol without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby."
http://www.drugs.com/xq/cfm/pageID_0/htm_d00749N1.htm/tgid_1/bn_albuterol/qx/index.htm

******************************************************

Albuterol a brief history:asthma.about.com:"For almost 20 years Albuterol sulfate has been the bronchodilator (Rescue Medication) of choice for most asthmatics worldwide. Known by a variety of brand names, probably the most common being Ventolin, Proventil, Salbutamol, or Volmax. Approved by the FDA in 1982, Albuterol was a great advancement in bronchodilator therapy for the time. In 1982, Albuterol offered significantly improved Beta2-stimulation selectivity with the least side effects of any other existing bronchodilator. The popular bronchodilators at that time, such as Bronkosol, had serious problems with side effects. Even thought they were powerful bronchodilators, they also had significant Beta1 effects which resulted in increased heart rate, palpitations, tremor, and nausea. Some of these older bronchodilators had additives which increased chances of sensitivities while doing nothing to increase effectiveness, saccharine for instance. Another common drawback to many earlier bronchodilators were their short duration of action, usually 1-4 hours. Albuterol extended duration of effectiveness to six hours."
http://asthma.about.com/library/weekly/aa053199.htm

******************************************************

Possible drug interactions Albuterol (nebulizer or inhaler):focusonasthma.com:"Albuterol is used with caution in patients with coronary heart disease or in patients with cardiac rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias). Use of albuterol together with other stimulant medications is discouraged because of their combined effects on the heart rate, blood pressure, and the potential for causing chest pain in patients with underlying coronary heart disease. Tricyclic antidepressants, such as Elavil, should not be used together with albuterol because of their combined toxicity to the vascular system. In rare patients, inhaled albuterol can paradoxically precipitate life threatening bronchospasm. Allergic reactions may rarely occur and can cause rash, hives, swelling, bronchospasm, and anaphylaxis (shock). Worsening of diabetes and lowering of potassium have also been reported."
http://www.focusonasthma.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=855&rd=1

******************************************************

******************************************************

Follow us on:
Blogger: http://4nursing.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business, http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter! http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon, http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon