Certain infections and some chemicals can cause wheezing that lasts for a short time and then does not occur again. Before deciding whether you have asthma, your provider may want to see if you have another attack of wheezing. The goal of asthma therapy is to allow you to live a normal, active life. Your treatment will probably include prescribed medicines and the removal of obvious allergy- causing substances or irritants from your home. Albuterol is the generic name of the most widely used quick- acting bronchodilator.
Bronchodilators relax the muscles in the airways.
When the muscles are relaxed, the airways become larger and allow more space for air to move in and out. You take this medicine by inhaling it. You breathe it into your lungs as you spray it into your mouth. If you have asthma attacks often, you should always have a bronchodilator with you to use when you begin to wheeze. If you have exercise-induced asthma, you should use the medicine before exercise to prevent wheezing.