We spend a lot of time on this blog talking about how important it is for asthma sufferers to get the treatment they need — but is it possible that these individuals could be overmedicated? According to LiveScience, doctors have indicated that people with mild asthma should be advised to take lower doses of medication once they get their symptoms under control, but in many cases this simply never happens.
"We need to find a way to help patients control their asthma, without overmedicating them," said Dr. John Mastronarde, director of the Asthma Center at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center, as noted by the news outlet. "Right now, the recommendation is to reduce a patient's therapy once the asthma is controlled for at least three months."
That being said, it's important for asthma patients to communicate with their physicians and keep them up-to-date on their progress so that they can slowly work their way down to the minimum doses of inhaled corticosteroids necessary according to the National Institutes of Health's guidelines. Research shows that prolonged use of this medication in high doses can have long-term health effects which may include weakening bones and increasing the risk of eye cataracts.
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