COPD Health Education
COPD Treatments
COPD77720CONS
SAR00338
Funding for this program provided by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pfizer Inc.
Treating 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 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
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Quit 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 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) 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 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
Surgery
• 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 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