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Proventil HFA
Proventil HFA is an environmentally friendly inhaler that contains albuterol. It can be used to prevent or treat bronchospasms that occur in people with asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema. The medication causes the muscles around airways to relax, which opens up the airways. Some side effects that may occur include upper respiratory tract infections, nausea, and vomiting.
Proventil® HFA (albuterol inhaler) is a prescription medication that is used to prevent or treat bronchospasms. Bronchospasms are most common in people with asthma, but can also occur in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The medication is also approved to prevent exercise-induced asthma attacks.
Unlike older inhalers, Proventil HFA is an environmentally friendly albuterol inhaler.
(Click Proventil HFA Uses for more information, including possible off-label uses of the medication.)
Proventil HFA is made by the Schering-Plough Corporation.
Normally, air moves easily into and out of the lungs through a network of airways. But during an asthma attack, the muscles around these airways tighten. This narrows the airways and makes it harder to breathe. This is called bronchospasm.
Proventil HFA is part of a class of drugs called beta-adrenergic receptor agonists, or beta agonists for short. Beta agonists stimulate beta receptors in the body, including those on the muscles around airways. This stimulation causes the muscles to relax, which opens up the airways and allows more air to get into and through the lungs.
The medication also has some effects on decreasing the activity of mast cells in the lungs, which play an important role in inflammation and allergic reactions.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD