A lot of patients and parents of asthma have concerns about using asthma medications over the long term. Mostly, they are concerned about resistance like we commonly see with antibiotics-- that is will the medicine continue to work, especially when I or my child need it the most. What do you think? Take the poll and see what others think.
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I’m living proof you don’t develop tolerance to Ventolin. I’ve been using it 19 years about every four hours and it still does the job.
This poll is beyond too simplistic for the subject, to the point of being dangerously misleading in my opinion.
One example: albuterol used daily as directed does not lose effectiveness over time, however if used to excess one day can cause bronchoconstriction (”lose effectiveness”). (Check out the response curves for albuterol based on dosage/frequency – there is a definite reversal at a certain level.)
Theophylline’s response also does not change when used as directed over time. These two meds have been around forever it seems. There are three or four decades at least of good data on them. Not so true with some of the newer meds.
Another factor in the determination of effectiveness: the level of inflamation/irritation/mucous production etc in the lungs in an indivisual can change from day to day, and depending on the severity can cause the appearance of a medication “losing effectiveness” – which technically may be true since the individual’s condition at the moment of use is determining just how effective the medication is if you are using a baseline definition of “effective” (I can breathe perfectly normally after using, I can breathe ‘better’ after using, etc. most of which is subjective.)
Bottom line: a medication like albuterol and theophylline when used as directed and not abused remains effective. The condition of the individual using it/them may be highly variable, making the determination of “effective” change. As for a medication like prednisolone, the “effectiveness” of that medication does indeed change over time with prolonged use in high doses. (Read the PDR – it can lead to renal and/or cardiac failure over time.) Pred is often used in elderly who are not thriving, buying them two good years or so before essentially causing their deaths.
(I am not a fan of the widespread use of pred.)
I could carry on depending on the medication, but you get the idea.
We won’t even go into the complicating factor of propellant/suspension sensitivities when using these meds.