Some types of asthma medications are stimulants called beta-2 andrenoreceptor agonists. However, some new research supports using beta-2 adrenoreceptor antagonist drugs, also known as beta-blockers. Using beta-blockers as new medical treatments for asthma is like using the opposite approach to treating asthma.

Long-acting beta-2 adrenoreceptor agonists (LABA) work to stimulate the receptor cells in the smooth muscle of the airway to reduce asthma symptoms. Long-term asthma maintenance medications keep these cells stimulated. Beta-blockers would inhibit the receptor cells instead of stimulating them. The blocking or inhibiting of the receptor cells reduces asthma symptoms.

The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the use of the traditional long-acting beta-2 adrenoreceptor agonists without the addition of steroid treatment. The FDA is concerned about information gathered during drug trials of beta-2 adrenoreceptor medications with and without steroid combinations that says that beta-2 adrenoreceptor treatment without steroids increases the risk of asthma-related hospitalizations and death. An FDA advisory panel has urged for the banning of beta-2 adrenoreceptors. They have also proposed stronger warnings on combination medications on beta-2 adrenoreceptor and steroid combination medications.

The beta-blockers would initially cause a worsening of asthma symptoms which would be followed by improved asthma control. Beta-blocker treatments for other ailments are commonly discouraged in asthma patients since beta-blockers worsen asthma symptoms. In pharmacology, the use of a medication that aggravates symptoms then effectively manages symptoms is called paradoxical pharmacology. This is reminiscent of the principle of holistic treatment in that like cures like. Holistic treatments that cure symptoms often cause those symptoms in a healthy adult.

The use of beta-blockers for asthma treatment will require further research to determine its safety and effectiveness. A clinical trial with the beta-blocker nadolol is in progress. The participants in this clinical trial have mild asthma. In a small, previous clinical trial, most of the participants had less airway sensitivity at the end of the beta-blocker treatment though they may have worse asthma symptoms in the beginning of the clinical trial.

As research on this subject cautiously progresses, doctors may rethink the philosophy behind stimulating the adrenoreceptor cells for asthma treatment. Albuterol is perhaps the most commonly used asthma medication in the United States. Albuterol, also known as Salbutamol and Ventolin, is a short-acting beta-2 adrenoreceptor medication not one of the long-acting beta-2 adrenoreceptors that are causing concern. With the approach to asthma treatment being reconsidered, the prescribed asthma medications may undergo significant change as there may be a rise in new medical treatments for asthma.