Millions of people in the U.S. have asthma, and many use what is called a corticosteroid inhaler twice a day.
This is not the rescue inhaler. It is used to prevent problems.
Some of the names of those medications include: Aerobid, Asamanex, Azmacort, Flovent, Pulmicort, and Qvar.
But now, a new study shows many people may not need to use as much as they are using, and could therefore could save on money and prevent potential side effects.
Security Officer Frank Grizzaffi was part of that study.
He has mild to moderate asthma and uses his inhaler twice a day as recommended by national guidelines.
But doctors from the University of Texas compared using the medication this way to using it based on symptoms.
"The amount of corticosteroid that a patient received during the trial was dependent upon the amount of symptoms they had. When they had fewer symptoms, they got fewer steroids; when they had more symptoms they got more steroid," said Dr. William Calhoun.
Researchers found that for most patients, a more tailored approach is just as effective in controlling asthma.
And it can help patients save money and use less medication which can sometimes lead to side effects.
But this may not work for everyone, so if you are interested in this approach, talk to your healthcare provider first.
