(Click Asmanex Uses for more information on what Asmanex is used for, including possible off-label uses of the medication.)
Asmanex is made by Schering-Plough Corporation.
Normally, air moves easily into and out of the lungs through a network of airways. However, when you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen). This inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating
(see Asthma Triggers). When the airways react, the muscles around these airways tighten, inflammation inside the airways increases, and cells inside the airways produce more mucus. This narrows the airways and makes it harder to breathe.
Asmanex is an
asthma medication that belongs to a group of drugs called inhaled corticosteroids, or steroids for short. Inhaled steroids go directly into the lungs and help to decrease the inflammation of airways that makes asthma attacks more likely. Because Asmanex does not work quickly, it should not be used for treating an
asthma attack. Rather, it is used twice a day in order to prevent asthma attacks.
Because Asmanex is inhaled directly into the lungs, the rest of the body is exposed to lower steroid levels, compared to steroids that are taken orally. This helps reduce or eliminate many of the side effects associated with long-term steroid use.
(Click Asthma Treatment for information about other medicines used for treating asthma.)
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