copd, maintenance
"I have had mild asthma from being a child, however due to smoking I now have both asthma and COPD. I have always struggled with beta-2 agonists like albuterol or terbutaline becuase they caused a lot of side effects for me such as palpitations, tremor and nervousness. I relied heavily on ipratropium (Atrovent) and inhaled beclomethasone before trying salmeterol. This is a great drug because it prevents wheezing, tightness, coughing and breathlessness without causing and side effects. I take it before going out of the house on errands or physical activity and in combination with the steroid I now rarely need to use ipratropium as a rescue medication. I have tried both the powdered form and the MDI and I can definitely say the MDI is better."