A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at M&M Fertility Centre, Abuja, Dr Emem Jay, has urged asthma patients to review their use of oral salbutamol tablets, saying the form is no longer recommended under current asthma management guidelines. Jay gave the advice on Friday in Abuja.
Jay explained that although salbutamol helped relax the airways, oral salbutamol was less effective than available inhaled treatment options. He said the tablets could also produce more systemic effects, including tremors, palpitations and rapid heartbeat, without offering an advantage over inhaled treatment for asthma management.
According to him, modern asthma management has shifted away from relying mainly on short-acting bronchodilators to treat airway narrowing and worsening symptoms. He said patients required appropriate inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-containing treatment to control the underlying inflammation associated with asthma, rather than repeatedly relying on salbutamol for symptom relief.
The consultant said the move away from oral beta-2 agonists had developed over decades as evidence showed that inhaled formulations provided more effective bronchodilation with fewer systemic effects. He cited the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) as an international reference for asthma management, saying its guidelines did not recommend oral salbutamol because of the increased risk of adverse effects.
Jay advised people currently keeping or using salbutamol tablets not to panic or automatically discard them, but to have their asthma treatment reviewed by a qualified doctor. He said patients should have their diagnosis, symptom frequency, inhaler technique and need for ICS-containing treatment assessed, stressing that while salbutamol remained an important medicine, the concern was specifically with the oral route and dependence on it instead of appropriate inhaled anti-inflammatory treatment.
