Learning to Inhale
Rescue inhalers, albuterol, Ventolin®, are probably the most commonly used and most people take two puffs per dose. Remember to shake the canister and to inhale as quickly and deeply as possible immediately after squeezing the inhaler. If your timing is off, you may end up swallowing more medication and it won’t do any good in your stomach. This can be a difficult technique to master, especially for young children. Many times a spacer is used to help deliver the medication properly. A spacer is a tube that fits onto the inhaler. You spray the medication into the spacer, then inhaler slowly from the spacer. You will need a prescription for a spacer, so speak with your physician about which type of spacer, if any, is appropriate for you.
Also, it is important to wait at least one minute between puffs and to hold each one for about 15 seconds.
Flovent™, one of many long acting anti-inflammatory drugs, is another common inhaler. Chances are, you WILL be using a spacer with this one, particularly kids. The only difference with Flovent™ and other inhaled steroids is that it is important to rinse your mouth after each complete dose (not after each puff if you take two puffs.) Failing to rinse could result in a mouth rash commonly known as thrush, but is really a Candida yeast infection. When this happens, the tongue is coated in a thick white substance and the center may be red and irritated. Though it is easily treated with antibiotics, it is even easier to avoid by rinsing.
A few years ago a new type of inhaler hit the market, the disk. In this case, the medicine inside is more like a powder than a liquid mist. For disks, it is important NOT to shake the container and to keep it level. Unlike the traditional inhalers, you don’t need to time the squeeze and the quick inhale. Instead, when you cock the disk, it loads a small chamber with the medication. With your mouth all the way on the disk (like a straw), you then draw in completely and relatively slowly. These inhalers do not rely on propellants. The medication is delivered by your lung power.
The information in this article is just a guideline. If you are unsure about how to use any of your inhalers, check with your doctor’s office. The nurses and respiratory therapists are very knowledgeable and are there
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