DuoNeb
What is COPD?
Do I Have COPD?
Treatment Options
Bronchodilators
The DuoNeb Advantage
Living Better with COPD
Resources
Medicines for Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, and COPD
Today there are treatments to help people breathe easier. The most important are bronchodilators. These are medicines that open up the bronchial tubes. While some bronchodilators can be taken by mouth, they work best when you inhale them. Inhalation puts the medicine right into your lungs instead of going through the digestive system and circulation. It's faster and more effective. And it gets the medicine directly to the place where it works—the lungs.
Nebulizer:  A nebulizer uses compressed air to turn liquid medicine into a fine mist. You do not have to coordinate your breathing with the nebulizer—or even breathe in deeply. As you just breathe normally, the fine mist has a better chance of reaching the smallest airways. Nebulizers are very effective in providing relief.
DuoNeb® is a nebulized medication. Click here for important safety information regarding DuoNeb®.
Metered dose inhaler (MDI): MDIs are small, hand-held devices that release a specific dose of medicine into the lungs. To release the medicine, you press down on the MDI while you breathe in.
Then you must hold your breath for 10 seconds or more.
Dry powder inhaler (DPI): DPIs are small, hand-held devices that do not use a propellant. The inhaler is activated by your breath. Delivery of the medicine depends on how strongly you can inhale.
A third-party market research study of respiratory patients shows that 82% of them reported that nebulizing controls their symptoms longer than an MDI; 80% of them said that nebulizing gives them a better quality of life than an MDI alone.1 Another study of nebulizing patients showed that 98% reported that the benefits of nebulizing outweighed the disadvantages; few of them had the impression that their day was disrupted by treatment.2
1.  Patient Assessment of Efficacy of Nebulizer Systems on Their Respiratory Health, Maplewood, NJ: Safian communications, Inc; 1995.
2.  Barra, SK, Crawford A., Roberts, CM. Survey of patients' views of domiciliary nebuliser treatment for chronic lung disease. Respir Med. 2002; 96:375-381
Other Therapies
Oxygen (O2): O2 helps people with severe COPD. It helps keep up a healthy level of oxygen in the blood. It can improve the quality of life and help you do the things you want to do.
Antibiotics: Antibiotics are given for infections, such as pneumonia. They don’t effect chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or COPD.
Surgery: There are a number of surgical procedures that can help people with COPD. Talk to your doctor to see if you are a candidate for surgery.
Pulmonary rehabilitation:
Broad-based programs for improving all aspects of life with COPD have been very successful. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs include:
  • Medical management
  • Exercise
  • Breathing retraining
  • Education
  • Emotional support
  • Nutritional counseling
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    Please read this important safety information about DuoNeb®
    DuoNeb® is indicated for the treatment of bronchospasm associated with COPD for patients requiring more than one bronchodilator. In a 12-week clinical study, the most common adverse reactions reported with DuoNeb® Inhalation Solution were chest pain, pharyngitis, diarrhea, bronchitis, nausea, and leg cramps.
    Albuterol sulfate can have a significant cardiovascular effect, significant hypokalemia, and the potential life-threatening paradoxical bronchospasm. Caution is advised in patients with convulsive disorders, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, narrow-angle glaucoma, prostatic hypertrophy, or bladder-neck obstruction. Co-administration of DuoNeb® Inhalation Solution and other sympathomimetic agents may increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular effects.