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Early and continued treatment can reduce the frequency of exacerbations, improve your general health, and make it possible for you to exercise.
Only your doctor can determine what type of treatment is appropriate for your COPD. It is vital that you take your medication as your doctor prescribed it and that you tell your doctor about any change in symptoms. Your treatment may be changed if your symptoms become more severe, and there may be times when you are taking several different types of medicine. If you are using an inhaler, it is important that you are using it correctly. If you are unsure, you should ask your doctor, pharmacists or your COPD educator to give you further instructions.
There will be some days when you feel better than others, but if you stop taking the treatment, your symptoms will return, and may be worse than before.
Types of medications
- Bronchodilators make breathing easier by opening up the airways. They are usually taken with an inhaler, which delivers the drug directly to the lungs.
- Corticosteroids are used to help control inflammation. There are many types of inhaled steroids but they all have the same effect on reducing inflammation. Inhaled corticosteroid treatment can be prescribed to people with moderate or severe COPD with frequent exacerbations. Oral steroids (pills) are usually recommended for short-term use during exacerbations.
- Combination therapies combining corticosteroids and long-acting beta agonists are also available for treatment in COPD. This treatment has been shown to reduce the frequency of exacerbations and improve health status.
- Oxygen therapy is usually only suitable for people with severe COPD. Oxygen can be a part of regular treatment or be prescribed as short-term therapy.
- Physical rehabilitation. Your doctor may refer you to participate in graded exercise programmes as part of what they call pulmonary rehabilitation. Graded exercise programmes aim to improve your general fitness, and can have a marked effect on your quality of life, regardless of your initial level of fitness. Pulmonary rehabilitation seeks to gradually improve your fitness, and exercises designed to increase your muscle strength. Some courses also include advice on nutrition. Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes are usually run in hospitals. If you feel you would benefit from this type of programme, ask your doctor.
- Antibiotics. You can be prescribed with antibiotics to help your lungs fight an infection. When you have COPD, your lungs' defense systems are not as effective as they normally would be.
- Flu-shots are recommended annually. Get your flu shot every fall. In most provinces, the flu shots are free for people with COPD.
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