When to stop medication in asthma patients depends on the condition, if the patient is using the lowest dose of control medication to achieve asthma control for more than 1 year, you can consider stopping the medication.
Long-term treatment for asthma patients is divided into control medications and reliever medications. Reliever medications, also known as emergency medications, can be discontinued when the patient has achieved significant control of an acute attack with a reliever medication, such as a short β2 agonist, such as salbutamol inhaler.
For the use of control medications, asthma patients need to be repeatedly assessed for their condition, and step-up therapy needs to be considered when effective control of the condition cannot be achieved with current medications. The reverse is also true: if effective control is achieved, step-down therapy may be considered after 3 months, which is usually considered to be the appropriate time. Discontinuation may be considered if the patient has achieved asthma control for more than 1 year on the lowest dose of control medication.
If the patient achieves control with budesonide formoterol for more than 3 months, budesonide therapy alone may be considered; if the patient achieves control with budesonide therapy alone for more than 3 months, the patient may be considered to be reduced to the lowest dose; if the symptoms are still well controlled after 1 year, discontinuation of the drug may be considered.
Asthma patients are advised to seek medical treatment in time and under the guidance of doctors for scientific treatment to avoid delaying the condition. The above medications should be used under the supervision of a physician.