Proventil (Albuterol sulfate) for asthma

Overview
Proventil is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat or prevent bronchospasm in people aged 4 and older with reversible obstructive airway disease. Proventil is also used to prevent exercise-induced bronchospasm. Proventil is also known by its drug name, Albuterol sulfate.

Proventil is a beta2-adrenergic agonist and a bronchodilator, or drug that dilates the bronchi and bronchioles in the lungs and makes it easier to breathe. Proventil is believed to work by relaxing smooth muscles in the airways. Proventil is considered a short-acting bronchodilator.

How do I take it?
Proventil is inhaled orally every four to six hours, or 15 to 30 minutes before exercise.

Proventil comes in the form of an aerosol inhaler.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Proventil lists common side effects including nervousness, tremors, chest pain, palpitations, and rapid heartbeat.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Proventil include cardiovascular effects, paradoxical bronchospasm (bronchospasm caused by taking medication), hypersensitivity reactions, and possible death in people with asthma who use too much Proventil.

For more details about this treatment, visit:
Proventil HFA Prescribing Information
www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2012/020503s046lbl.pdf