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