TY - JOUR T1 - Safety and Efficacy of β Agonists JF - Respiratory Care SP - 618 LP - 624 VL - 53 IS - 5 AU - James F Donohue Y1 - 2008/05/01 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/53/5/618.abstract N2 - Both short-acting and long-acting β agonists have been used for many years for the treatment of asthma. Short-acting β agonists are life-saving and their role as rescue agents is unquestioned, but regular use is not recommended because of safety concerns and the effectiveness of asthma-controller medications. Long-acting β agonists are effective controller medications but have safety issues, so their use should be restricted to patients who are not optimally controlled on first-line controllers such as inhaled corticosteroids. The effect of the β receptor genotype on β agonist response is unclear but could hold promise for proper patient management. ER -