Class Explorer · Respiratory
Inhaled bronchodilators
Beta-2 agonists (cAMP-mediated relaxation) and muscarinic antagonists (blocking vagal tone), in short- and long-acting forms.
Members
SalbutamolThe blue reliever: minutes to onset, hours of bronchodilation, and a usage meter for asthma control.TiotropiumA once-daily anticholinergic that keeps COPD patients out of hospital.
Also in this class: Formoterol/salmeterol (LABA: never alone in asthma) · Tiotropium (LAMA) · Ipratropium (SAMA). Full pages arrive as the library grows.
Compare the members
Salbutamol
- Onset
- Minutes
- Duration
- 4-6 h
- Role
- Reliever (SABA)
Shared across the class
- Indications
- Asthma and COPD per stepwise guidelines
- Adverse effects
- Tremor, tachycardia (beta agonists) · Dry mouth, urinary retention (antimuscarinics)
- Contraindications
- LABA monotherapy in asthma (black-box lesson)
- Monitoring
- Reliever use frequency · Inhaler technique at every touchpoint · Device suitability (hand strength, inspiratory flow)
What makes each agent different
- SABA relieves; LABA maintains; LAMA maintains via the other lever. The acronyms are duration plus receptor.
- In asthma, a LABA must live inside an ICS combination; in COPD it may stand alone.
The best inhaler is the one this patient can actually use; device choice is a clinical decision.
Last reviewed 2026-08-15 · Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th ed.