COPD Health Education
COPD Treatments
COPD77720CONSSAR00338 Funding for this program provided by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pfizer Inc.
Treating COPDTreating COPD
• Although there is no cure for COPD,1a there are ways to prevent and treat it1b
• Talk to your healthcare provider about all of your options for treating COPD
• Be sure to follow your healthcare provider’s directions, including:– Making lifestyle changes– Taking your medicine as instructed2
– Taking your medicine when you are supposed to (for example, every day)
– Using the same dosage (amount of medicine) at the same time each day
– Going to the pharmacy and filling your prescription; refilling your medicine before you run out2
Goals of TreatmentsGoals of Treatments
• Help you breathe easier1
• Relieve symptoms1
• Improve your ability to exercise1
• Improve your quality of life2
• Reduce the chance of a flare-up (also known as an “exacerbation”)1
• Help reduce the risk of death from COPD1
Quit SmokingQuit Smoking
• Stop smoking!– Smoking speeds up the progression of COPD and quickly
decreases your lung’s ability to function right1, 3
– Quitting smoking is the only thing known to slow or delay COPD progression2,3
• Ask your healthcare provider about ways to quit, including:– Smoking cessation therapies (gums, patches, medicine)– Support groups
• Join NBCI’s smoking cessation program – your church will be running one soon
Rescue MedicinesRescue Medicines
• Taken only when you suddenly need help breathing1,2a,3
• These include short-acting bronchodilators, which work quickly but don’t last as long as daily (maintenance) COPD medicine2b,3
Daily (Maintenance) MedicinesDaily (Maintenance) Medicines
• Maintenance therapies are those you take every day.1a,2 These include:– Long-acting bronchodilators: A type of medicine that is inhaled to
relax and widen the lung airways so more air can get in and out. The effects last up to 24 hours1b, 1c, 2
– Corticosteroids: An inhaled medicine to reduce the swelling in the airways1d
– Combination Therapy: Some COPD therapies include both a bronchodilator and a corticosteroid; some include more than one type of bronchodilator3
Oxygen TreatmentOxygen Treatment
• Used for people whose lungs no longer provide their body with enough oxygen1a,2
• Inhaled into your lungs through tubes placed in the nose1b,2
• If you need oxygen treatment, then your healthcare provider will measure how much oxygen is in your blood and how much is needed1c,2
SurgerySurgery
• Some people with severe or very severe COPD may require surgery1 such as: – Lung volume reduction surgery, in which only the sickest
part of the lung is removed so that the remaining, relatively good part of the lung can expand and work better1,2
– Lung transplants, in which the lung is partially or fully removed and replaced by a lung (or lungs) from a donor1
Recap: Taking COPD TreatmentsRecap: Taking COPD Treatments
• Talk to your healthcare provider before starting any treatment
• Quit smoking1a
• Take your medicine as directed1b
• Make sure you understand how to use your medicine
• Do not stop taking your daily medicines without talking to your healthcare provider, even if you start feeling better1b
• Refill your prescription early, before you run out