Flovent

My 9 yr old gets Asthma usually if he's got a cold or through allergies. For example he is allergic to cats and dogs, and contact can give him a flare up.
We were told by his Doc that if anyone gets sick to start treating him upon the first cough.
They said start with Xopenex (4-6x a day) and give him Flovent once in the morning and once at night. Do this for about 1-2 days. But doesn't it take weeks for Flovent to kick in? Why would they have me do it like this. How could it help him for only 1-2 days?

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and sorry for the late reply.

Xopenex is a rescue inhaler, that means you have to use this when he has an episode of Asthma. Flovent is a steroid inhaler. This are preventive inhalers. The type of drug commonly used in preventer inhalers is a steroid. Steroids work by reducing the inflammation in the airways. When the inflammation has gone, the airways are much less likely to become narrow and cause symptoms such as wheezing.

Steroid inhalers are usually taken twice per day. If there is an exacerbation (flare-up) of asthma symptoms, he may be advised to take the preventer inhaler more often.

It takes 7-14 days for the steroid in a preventer inhaler to build up its effect. This means it will not give any immediate relief of symptoms (like a reliever does). After a week or so of treatment with a preventer, the symptoms have often gone, or are much reduced. It can, however, take up to six weeks for maximum benefit.

So, give Xopenex as long as he has the attacks and let him take flovent regularly. Please discuss these options with your doctor, he can guide you.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.