Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, reducing flare-ups of the disease, improving quality of life, and correcting lifestyle habits that may worsen the condition.
To slow the progression of the disease, it’s not only important to stop smoking and avoid exposure to lung irritants, but also to take medications and vaccinations, and to follow a healthy lifestyle.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Pulmonary rehabilitation, which can improve your well-being, may include:
[16]
- An exercise or activity plan to strengthen the muscles used for breathing
- Psychological counseling
- Dietary changes to maintain a healthy weight
Medications and Therapies
While not comprehensive, the list below notes some of the main types of COPD treatment.
Bronchodilators
These medicines can help relieve coughing and shortness of breath by relaxing your airways.
[17]
When the airways are relaxed and open, it’s easier to breathe. Bronchodilators come as inhalers in both short- and long-acting forms: short-acting for alleviating acute attacks, and long-acting for sustained relief.Short-acting bronchodilators, such as beta 2 agonists and antagonists (also known as anticholinergics), work quickly — usually 3 to 5 minutes after first inhaling. But they wear off in a few hours.
[18]
Examples include:
- albuterol
- levalbuterol
- terbutaline
Long-acting inhalers, which can also be beta 2 agonists or anticholinergics, provide relief for many hours, but the effect may be slower. Long-acting bronchodilators are taken daily, even when you feel well.
[18]
Examples include:
- formoterol fumarate (Perforomist)
- salmeterol xinafoate (Serevent)
Steroids
Doctors often treat acute COPD exacerbations with steroids — either in pill form or via inhaler — to reduce inflammation in the airways, but inhalers are used in combination therapy and oral medications for only short periods of time. The Pulmicort Flexhaler (budesonide) is a well-known example of an inhaled steroid.
[19]
Combination Inhalers
Some inhalers combine bronchodilators and steroids. Common examples include the Advair Diskus (fluticasone-salmeterol), Breztri Aerosphere (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate), Trelegy Ellipta (Fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium, and vilanterol), and Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol) inhalers.
[20]
Additional Medications
Other medicines may be prescribed to treat COPD, including:
- roflumilast (Daliresp), to relax airways and decrease inflammation
[21]
- ensifentrine (Ohtuvayre), an inhaled medication that works as a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory while also helping to clear mucus from the lungs
[22]
- dupilumab (Dupixent), an injectable biologic therapy for certain adults with poorly controlled COPD who have high levels of eosinophils, white blood cells that can cause inflammation in the lungs and trigger breathing problems
[23]
- theophylline (Uniphyl, Theo-24), an older and less-expensive oral bronchodilator
[24]
- Antibiotics, which are sometimes prescribed to treat acute exacerbations or pneumonia
- Vaccinations: Patients with COPD should be fully vaccinated to decrease the risk of Influenza, Pneumonia, Covid, Pertussis, shingles, etc.
COPD Medication Prices
Here are some price ranges for COPD medications without insurance, but with pharmacy coupons for both generic and brand-name versions.
