# Asthma Drugs in Nigeria: Salbutamol Inhalers, Relievers & Prices - Source: https://ogbogwu.com/conditions/asthma/ - Last updated: July 2026 - Educational information, not medical advice. Asthma is a long-term condition where the airways are inflamed and twitchy — dust, smoke, cold air, harmattan, exercise, or infections trigger episodes of wheeze, cough, and breathlessness. It's common in Nigeria and often under-treated, with families relying on quick fixes during attacks rather than keeping the condition controlled. The universal reliever is salbutamol, which relaxes the airway muscles within minutes. The inhaler form works far faster, at a fraction of the dose, than salbutamol tablets or syrup — inhaler technique (or a spacer for children) is worth learning from any pharmacist. Severe attacks are additionally treated with short courses of oral steroids like prednisolone, under clinical direction. If you need your reliever most days, that is the signature of uncontrolled asthma — modern care adds a daily inhaled preventer (a steroid inhaler), which is worth a clinic visit to arrange. Needing more and more salbutamol is a warning sign, not a plan. ## Signs & symptoms - Wheezing — a whistling sound on breathing out - Cough, often worse at night, early morning, or after exercise/laughter - Chest tightness and shortness of breath - Symptoms triggered by dust, smoke, cold/harmattan air, strong smells, or infections - Severe attack: can't finish a sentence, chest 'sucking in', lips turning bluish, reliever not lasting — emergency ## Medicines used in Nigeria - salbutamol (https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/salbutamol/): The reliever — inhaler (preferred) or tablets/syrup — opens airways within minutes during symptoms - prednisolone (https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/prednisolone/): Short oral steroid course during significant attacks, prescribed by a clinician - bromhexine (https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/bromhexine/): Mucolytic sometimes used when thick mucus accompanies chest symptoms — supportive only, not an asthma treatment - cetirizine (https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/cetirizine/): Controls the allergic rhinitis/catarrh that commonly aggravates asthma ## How it's treated Everyone with asthma should carry their reliever. During symptoms, puffs of salbutamol (ideally via a spacer) act in minutes; if relief doesn't come or doesn't last, escalate — don't keep repeating puffs at home while an attack worsens. Control beats rescue: avoid identifiable triggers (cigarette smoke, generator fumes indoors, dust), treat catarrh/allergies that inflame airways, and if attacks or night symptoms are frequent, ask a clinician about a daily preventer inhaler. Asthma deaths are almost always in people treated with reliever alone. ## See a doctor if - Severe attack signs: struggling to speak, exhaustion, bluish lips, poor response to the reliever — emergency, go now - Needing salbutamol most days, or waking at night with symptoms weekly — asthma is uncontrolled - After any attack that needed hospital care or oral steroids — a prevention plan is due - Asthma in pregnancy — keep treating; stopping inhalers is riskier than using them, but do it under care - First-ever wheeze in an adult — needs diagnosis, not assumption ## Prevention - Keep the reliever inhaler with you and check it isn't empty or expired - Avoid smoke exposure: cigarettes, indoor generator fumes, open cooking smoke where possible - In harmattan, cover nose/mouth outdoors on dusty days and pre-use the reliever before exertion if exercise triggers you - Treat catarrh/allergies promptly; take a preventer inhaler daily if prescribed — even when you feel fine ## FAQs ### Is the salbutamol inhaler better than tablets? Yes, for relieving asthma symptoms the inhaler is decisively better: it delivers the medicine straight to the airways, works within minutes, uses a far smaller dose, and causes less shakiness and palpitations than tablets or syrup. Tablets exist for people who genuinely can't use an inhaler — but with a spacer, even young children usually can. ### How do I know an asthma attack is dangerous? Get emergency care when the person can't complete a sentence in one breath, is exhausted or drowsy, has a chest that 'sucks in' with each breath, lips or fingertips turning bluish, or when the reliever inhaler brings little or brief relief. Don't drive around looking for the cheapest option during a severe attack — the nearest facility that can give oxygen and nebulised salbutamol is the right one. ### Can asthma be cured? No, but it can usually be controlled so well that attacks become rare and life is unrestricted. Control comes from avoiding triggers, treating allergic catarrh, and — when symptoms are frequent — a daily preventer inhaler rather than relying on salbutamol rescues. Children sometimes 'outgrow' symptoms, but airways stay sensitive for life.