Sunday, May 27, 2012

How to use an inhaler

Table of Contents

GETTING READY

  • Take off the cap and shake the inhaler hard.
  • Breathe out, gently, to empty the lungs as much as possible.
  • Hold the inhaler 1 - 2 inches in front of your mouth (about the width of 2 fingers).

BREATHE IN SLOWLY

  • Start breathing in slowly through your mouth, and then press down on the inhaler once. (If you use a spacer, first press down on the inhaler. Within 5 seconds, begin to breathe in slowly.)
  • Keep breathing in slowly, as deeply as you can.

HOLD YOUR BREATH

  • Hold your breath as you count to 10 slowly, if you can. This lets the medicine reach deep into your lungs.
  • For inhaled quick-relief medicine (beta-agonists), wait about 1 minute between puffs. There is no need to wait between puffs for other medicines.
  • Rinse your mouth afterward, to help reduce unwanted side effects.

CLEAN YOUR INHALER AS NEEDED

Look at the hole where the medicine sprays out from your inhaler. If you see residue in or around the hole, clean the inhaler. Remove the metal canister from the L-shaped plastic mouthpiece. Rinse only the mouthpiece and its cap in warm water. Let them dry overnight. In the morning, put the canister back inside. Put the cap on.

REPLACING YOUR INHALER

For control medicines you take each day, write the date you need to replace it on the canister.

For example, say your new canister has 200 puffs (number of puffs is listed on canister) and you are told to take 8 puffs per day. This canister will last 25 days. If you started using this inhaler on May 1, replace it on or before May 25. Write the date on your canister.

Do NOT put your canister in water to see if it is empty. This does not work.

STORAGE

Store your metered-dose inhaler at room temperature. It may not work well if it is too cold. The contents of the canister are under pressure. So, do not get it too hot or puncture it.

Clean your inhaler as instructed by the package insert.


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Review Date: 12/13/2006
Reviewed By: John Goldenring, MD, MPH, JD, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)