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Intal Uses
Intal uses are focused on the prevention of asthma attacks. The prescription medicine should not be used for treating an asthma attack, so be sure to keep a rescue medication on hand for emergencies. Intal inhalers are approved for use in children age five and older, while the nebulizer solution can be used in children as young as two years old. At this point, there are no universally accepted "off-label" Intal uses.
Intal® (cromolyn inhalation) is a prescription medication used to prevent asthma attacks. It is part of a class of asthma medication known as mast cell stabilizers.
Intal originally came in two forms: the Intal inhaler and Intal nebulizer solution, which is inhaled using a nebulizer (a device that changes liquid medications into fine droplets that are inhaled into the lungs). However, it should be noted that brand-name Intal products are no longer being manufactured.
Generic Intal nebulizer solution will continue to be available, but there will be no brand-name or generic Intal inhalers available after pharmacies deplete their current supplies. If you are using an Intal inhaler, be sure to contact your healthcare provider about switching to a different medication.
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways, which are the tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen). The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating (see Asthma Triggers). When the airways react, they narrow and less air flows to your lungs. This is called bronchospasm, and it can cause asthma symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, tightness in the chest, and trouble breathing.
While there is no asthma cure, asthma can be controlled. There are many different asthma treatments, including fast-acting "rescue medications" for treating an asthma attack and longer-acting "controller medications" used to prevent asthma attacks. Intal is a controller medication, used to help prevent asthma attacks (but not to treat an attack). Everyone who takes Intal should also have a rescue medication (such as an albuterol inhaler) available for emergencies.
(Click Asthma Treatment to learn more about treating asthma.)
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD